Director, Texas A&M AgriLife Foundation Seed

Location: Based at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center in Vernon, Texas. Work takes place in office, field, seed-processing, warehouse, and agricultural environments, with travel within Texas and occasional travel outside Texas.

Company

Texas A&M AgriLife Research is a public agricultural research organization supporting plant breeding, variety development, and agricultural innovation.

What you will do

• Provide statewide leadership and strategic direction for the Foundation Seed program.
• Oversee seed production, field inspection, harvesting, conditioning, storage, inventory, and distribution.
• Manage seed quality assurance and compliance with certification standards, regulations, licenses, contracts, and institutional policies.
• Collaborate with plant breeders, Texas A&M Innovation, producers, licensees, commodity organizations, and industry partners on variety release, licensing, commercialization, and market adoption.
• Manage budgets, revenue generation, cost recovery, financial forecasting, facilities, equipment, and operational efficiency.
• Recruit, supervise, and develop personnel while representing the program at institutional, industry, producer, and outreach events.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in agronomy, seed science, plant science, crop science, agricultural business, business administration, or a related field.
• At least 10 years of related experience in seed production, agricultural operations, variety commercialization, or a closely related field.
• Experience supervising personnel and managing budgets, business operations, programs, or organizational units.
• Working knowledge of seed production systems, seed quality management, certification standards, and regulatory requirements.
• Strong leadership, financial management, problem-solving, organizational, and communication skills.
• Ability to obtain and maintain any required driver’s license and pesticide applicator licenses or endorsements.

Nice to have

• Advanced degree in a relevant agricultural or business discipline.
• Leadership experience in foundation seed, seed certification, agricultural research, commercialization, licensing, or seed-industry operations.
• Experience with cultivar release, intellectual property, royalty management, market development, or industry partnerships.
• Familiarity with Texas cropping systems, seed markets, producer organizations, and stakeholder networks.

Culture & Benefits

• Work within a land-grant institution focused on public agricultural research and service.
• Collaborate with scientists, producers, commercialization professionals, public agencies, and industry partners.
• Lead a culture of safety, accountability, service, teamwork, integrity, and operational excellence.
• Competitive benefits and retirement package.
• Work outside normal business hours may be required during planting, harvest, processing, or other time-sensitive periods.

Hiring process

• Submit a cover letter, curriculum vitae with three references and contact information, and a two-page Foundation Seed vision statement.
• Applications will be reviewed beginning November 16, 2026; the position remains open until a suitable candidate is identified.
• Employment is contingent on credential verification and completion of a criminal history check.