Director, Texas A&M AgriLife Foundation Seed

About the role

Texas A&M AgriLife Research seeks a dynamic, strategic, and experienced leader to serve as Director of Texas A&M AgriLife Foundation Seed. Located at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Vernon, the Director provides statewide leadership and strategic, operational, fiscal, and personnel oversight for the Foundation Seed program. This position is separate from the Director of the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Vernon. The Director supports AgriLife Research plant breeding programs by leading production, quality assurance, commercialization, marketing, and distribution of genetically pure, high-quality seed of publicly developed varieties. The Director works closely with AgriLife Research faculty, Texas A&M Innovation, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, seed producers, licensees, commodity organizations, and other stakeholders to facilitate variety release, licensing, market adoption, and sustainable program growth. The position advances the land-grant mission by helping move improved, well-adapted varieties from research programs into agricultural production for the benefit of Texas agriculture and beyond. The position is based at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Vernon in Vernon, Texas. Work is performed in office, field, seed-processing, warehouse, and related agricultural environments. The position requires travel within Texas and occasional travel outside Texas to support production, partnerships, professional engagement, marketing, and outreach. The position may require work outside normal business hours during planting, harvest, processing, or other time-sensitive operational periods.

Responsibilities

• Provide leadership, vision, and strategic direction for Texas A&M AgriLife Foundation Seed, including development and implementation of strategic and business plans.
• Oversee foundation seed production and related operations, including production planning, planting, field inspection and rogueing, harvesting, conditioning, storage, inventory management, and distribution.
• Ensure effective quality assurance and quality control, including testing seed lots for viability, vigor, genetic purity, seed health, and other applicable quality standards.
• Ensure compliance with federal and state laws, seed certification standards, licensing requirements, contractual obligations, and applicable Texas A&M University System and AgriLife Research policies and procedures.
• Collaborate with AgriLife Research plant breeders and Texas A&M Innovation to support variety evaluation, release, intellectual property protection, licensing, commercialization, and deployment.
• Develop and maintain effective relationships with seed producers, licensees, seed companies, commodity organizations, public agencies, and other stakeholders.
• Lead market development, marketing, communications, and distribution strategies that expand the reach and impact of AgriLife-developed varieties and support sustainable program growth.
• Manage the