“Koppert contributes to the better health of people and the planet. In partnership with
nature, we make agriculture healthier, safer, and more productive. We provide an
integrated system of specialist knowledge and natural, safe solutions that improve crop
health, resilience, and production.”
Do you want to help finding solutions for growers to produce in a sustainable way?
We are looking for a REGIONAL INNOVATION MANAGER, with the scope of
developing biological control solutions for Southern Europe, Middle East and Africa
region aligned with the global organization. We are looking for a candidate with
scientific training in crop protection with macro and microorganisms, who loves to
connect with clients, strong communication and problem-solving skills, and a great
manager of teams and resources. Fluent in English, with an appreciation for other
languages. 40 hours a week, to set up residence in the Almería area, Spain.
The Innovation area in the SEU-MEA region:
It is currently made up of the following departments:
• Agronomical Research & Development.
• Research in Macro-organisms Production.
• Enabling Technologies (Research in New technologies to support biological
control).
• Scouting and Alliances (Institutional relationships and alliances, intellectual
protection).
These departments currently have a total of 20 employees in Spain, aimed to future
growth in the different countries of the region, focused on the research of all processes
to develop products and methods for the efficient biological control of pests and
diseases.
These teams invest in high quality research, fully connected to practice, designed to
develop products and support the sales and marketing of biological control products,
both entomophagous and microbial products and their forms of application and
monitoring, with the aim of maximizing the chances of success of our products in the
modern agriculture.
The Innovation area is made up of multidisciplinary departments and teams with
various areas of expertise; these departments bring together scientists, agronomists
and support staff. The SEU-MEA Innovation area departments report organizationally
to the Regional Innovation Manager and functionally also to the corresponding units
and departments of One Innovation Global with which we collaborate closely. The SEU-MEA
Innovation area has close connections with the Registration, Market Development
and Business Development departments of One Marketing, who define our research
questions and team up with us to transfer the knowledge into effective
recommendations and marketing campaigns based on sound, well-visualized data.
Your tasks and responsibilities:
The Regional Innovation Manager SEU-MEA will be responsible for implementing
Koppert’s global Innovation strategy across our subsidiaries in the SEU-MEA region,
ensuring regional objectives align with the company’s global vision.
The Regional Innovation Manager SEU-MEA reports to the Regional Manager SEU-MEA,
but also functionally to the Global Innovation Director.
The Regional Innovation Manager SEU-MEA will be part of the Global Innovation
Management Team alongside the other Regional Innovation Managers.
Duties/Responsibilities:
• Identify and implement innovation opportunities by collaborating with the SEU-MEA
subsidiaries marketing and sales teams, ensuring alignment between global
innovation efforts and regional market needs.
• Develop and execute regional innovation strategies based on local market insights,
technological advancements, customer needs, and sustainability challenges. Ensure
alignment between regional goals and Koppert’s global innovation strategy to drive
impact and market relevance.
• Define and manage the regional innovation budget and teams, focusing on
optimizing resources, securing funding opportunities, and leveraging economies of
scale and scope to support impactful innovation projects.
• Establish and maintain strong relationships with universities, research institutes,
funding bodies, and industry partners, strengthening Koppert’s innovation network
in the region. Represent Koppert’s innovation efforts at external events and within
key scientific and industry communities.
• Ensure the effective adaptation of global innovation solutions to local market
demands by collaborating with regulatory teams, agronomical R&D, and
commercial teams, ensuring solutions meet regional customer needs, compliance
standards, and industry trends.
• Support the regional adoption of new technologies and innovation processes by
fostering collaboration between HQ and regional teams. Facilitate knowledge
exchange, pilot testing, and co-development initiatives to accelerate the
deployment of new solutions.
Supervisory Responsibilities:
• Oversee the daily workflow of a number of direct reports in a cross-functional
manner. Direct reports will include leads in Production-related R&D, Agronomical
R&D, Scouting & Alliances, and Enabling Technologies. Mentor and coach team
members and uphold their respective functional lines and KPI´s towards the global
organization.
• Responsible for leading and developing initiatives in a cross-functional team
dynamic, spanning across regions and organizational levels.
• Conduct regular performance evaluations, provide constructive feedback, and
create plans to enhance team skills and performance.
What do you bring to Koppert?
• Higher education degree in Agronomy, Biology, Plant Sciences, Biotechnology or
related areas, with a PhD in crop protection areas.
• Minimum of 8 years of relevant industry experience with proven success
creating and implementing innovation strategies.
• Experience in scientific methods, experimental designs and data analysis.
• Experience in agriculture and crop protection (preferably with biological control
methods) is highly preferred.
• Experience and skills in project management, team management and budget
management.
• Strong leadership skills with the ability to get favorable results.
• Demonstrated ability to balance strategic planning with operational execution.
• Ability to share your experience in multidisciplinary and international teams.
• Excellent communication skills, writen and verbal in English and preferably also
in Spanish.
What skills do you have?
• Problem solving.
• Result-oriented.
• Proactive and independent.
• Skills for teamwork and team coordina3on.
• Critical thinking.
• Flexibility; Changing and adapting quickly is your strength.
• Ability to multitask.
• Organizational skills, both for yourself and for your staff, as well as budget
management.
• Ability to work independently and effectively with minimal supervision while
meeting performance metrics.
• Advanced experience in developing, implementing and measuring innovation
strategies.
• Excellent interpersonal communication skills.
• Positive and open-minded attitude.
• Ability to travel (air and ground) up to 25% of the time.
What can you expect from us?
• Our organization is growing, and you will work in an international family
business with an excellent working environment.
• No day is the same and dynamism and progress are paramount.
• You will have plenty of space with us to contribute your ideas and plans.
• At Koppert we invest in the development and growth of our employees.
You will receive:
• A competitive salary according to international Koppert standards, depending
on your knowledge and experience.
• An annual variable bonus scheme of until 15% of the gross salary.
• 25 days of annual leave, consisting of 22 vacation days and 3 additional leave
days.
• Private medical Insurance.
• Flexible working hours and up to 1.5 days of remote work per week.
• A pension scheme, with Koppert covering 100% of contributions.
Why Koppert?
Koppert is the worldwide market leader in integrated pest management. Every day, we
help growers and farmers around the world to combat crops pests and diseases in a
natural and sustainable way while limiting the dependency on pesticides. In this way,
we make an active contribution to a sustainable society, with safe food in sufficient
quantities to feed a rapidly growing population. Our Innovation has frequently been
the source of biological solutions, which have been subsequently adopted worldwide.
Koppert Spain, as the base of the Innovation Manager SEU-MEA, employs more than
140 employees and Koppert globally, approximately 3,000 employees worldwide. Visit
www.koppert.es and www.koppert.com for more information.
Send us your CV and motivation letter:
marchano@connect-and-match.com
A personality questionnaire and interviews are part of the selection procedure.