Group Lead (m/f/d) for Marker Application

KWS is one of the world's leading plant breeding companies. Nearly 5,000 employees in more than 70 countries generated net sales of around €1.68 billion in the fiscal year 2023/2024. A company with a tradition of family ownership, KWS has operated independently for almost 170 years. It focuses on plant breeding and the production and sale of seed for sugarbeet, corn, cereals, vegetables, oilseed rape and sunflower. KWS uses leading-edge plant breeding methods to continuously improve yield for farmers and plants' resistance to diseases, pests and abiotic stress. To that end, the company invested more than €300 million last fiscal year in research and development.

We are looking to recruit from June 1st, 2026 a Group Lead (m/f/d) for Marker Application within our Breeding Technology Application Team for Sugar Beet and Cereals located in Einbeck (Germany), on a full-time and permanent-contract basis.

• Translate KWS goals into a strategy and structure for Marker Application group covering the use of molecular markers in breeding programs, projects and quality control in breeding and seed production. The marker application also contributes to concepts in data management of markers, assays and genotype data and the associated data structures and workflows.
• Lead and develop the team by setting goals and responsibilities in a matrix organization
• Ensure closeness with breeding programs and support development of deep expertise
• Jointly review marker and genotyping strategies in breeding processes, identify optimization potentials, organize pilots, and implement tailor-made solutions in collaboration with breeders
• Drive method and tool development, success monitoring in Marker Application, and exploit synergies across crops.
• Work on joint responsibility topics within the breeding technology leadership team

• University degree in agricultural science or plant sciences with a focus on plant breeding or plant biotechnology or similar qualification (Ph.D. or M.Sc.) with several years of experience
• Strong capabilities in data management, workflows and documentation
• Knowledge of genotyping methodology
• Being an inspiring “hands-on” leader to drive innovation and operations in marker application
• Visionary thinker who likes to exploit the full potential of marker-assisted breeding following objective, data-driven criteria
• Proven experience in group and project leadership
• Leadership skills, including the motivation of team members as well as strength in decision-making
• Act as a role model and strive for impact in a collaborative and transparent way
• Thinking across departments, acknowledging, and supporting diversity as a team asset
• Excellent team player and good communication skills (in English, German or other languages are a plus)

• As a family-owned company, we live a culture based on the values of team spirit, closeness and trust, independence and foresight.
• True to our motto "Make yourself grow", we encourage individual professional and personal development.
• We create the right environment for you: Capital formation benefits, company pension plan, Christmas and holiday bonuses, childcare allowance, company bike.

We look forward to receiving your application via our SuccessFactors online application system!