Program Head, Emerging Innovation for Growth  

Job Summary: Leads, directs, manages, and oversees programs, projects, and activities related to the development of Searca's flagship projects on agricultural innovation, covering cross-cutting concerns on open innovation, technology transfer, and business incubation.

Responsibilities:

1. Strategic and Innovation Leadership: Spearhead in developing Searca's innovation agenda aligned with its strategic goals and thrusts for the Southeast Asian region;
2. Project Ideation and Development: Lead in identifying and developing programs and projects related to agricultural innovation, specifically on open innovation, technology transfer, business incubation, and other cross-cutting initiatives both for internal and external funding;
3. Stakeholders and Partnerships Engagement: Lead in coordinating and networking with experts, institutions, development partners, and other stakeholders for the development and implementation of collaborative programs, projects, and initiatives related to technology benchmarking, business matching, scaling-up modalities, extension and adoption, etc.
4. Programs and Projects Coordination and Monitoring: Oversee activities and initiatives on project development, open innovation, business incubation, and technology transfer within Searca, its partners, networks and target clienteles across the Southeast Asian region; and
5. Managerial and Operational Leadership. Monitor cross-functional teams through the entire innovation lifecycle – from ideation and concept development to execution, scaling, and impact measurement. This includes managing budgets, timelines, and resources effectively.

Basic Skills:

1. Strategic and Leadership Competencies: Visioning and strategic planning, knowledgeable in emerging trends (digital agriculture, AI, etc), and can inspire and guide multidisciplinary teams towards innovation outcomes
2. Technical and Sectoral Expertise: Deep knowledge of agricultural systems (production, agribusiness, food systems, etc.), innovation systems thinking (interactions across research, policy, extension, and market)
3. Research, Innovation and Technology Competencies: Deep knowledge of R&D management (design and implementation), technology adoption and scaling, and monitoring and evaluation (M&E)
4. Stakeholder and Partnerships: Proven experience in multi-stakeholder engagement (farmers, startups, academe, private sector, government, etc), in building co-investment initiatives for R&D and deployment, and in translating research into actionable policy recommendations
5. Managerial and Operational Competencies: Proven skills in program and budget management and monitoring, digital literacy (data platforms, AI in agri-tech, GIS, etc), and in coaching and building capacities of staff and partners.

Qualifications:

Education:

Doctorate Degree in Agriculture, Agricultural Economics, Economics, Engineering, Environmental Science, Agribusiness Management, Entrepreneurship or related fields.

Work Experience:

With 10 years of relevant work experience, 3 years of which in a managerial capacity, and experience in a similar development organization is an advantage. Within this experience, 3 years of progressive hands-on experience working in innovative technologies focused on learning systems design and implementation, and educational technologies, and demonstrated exposure at the regional and international level.