Senior Crop Breeder Research Technician, Field Officer To manage a crop breeding programme with the objective of developing new superior crop varieties that are suitable for farmers to grow in order to increase their crop productivity and income, and supply the market with superior products for local processing and exports. 1. Manages the crop breeding programmes designed to develop new improved varieties of crop to enhance farm productivity
2. Plans crop hybridization programmes to incorporate desirable traits into new varieties
3. Ensures that Research Technicians and other staff are competent to manage the crossing and generation advance of new populations
4. Completes generation advance to an advanced stage of homozgosity and true breeding in order to enter replicated field trial evaluation
5. Plans and execute field trials for variety evaluation:  Collection, recording, analysis and reporting of research data is carried out
6. Completes sufficient variety evaluation to satisfy the minimum number of data points required by the government regulatory authority in order to be able to submit proposals for official release of the new variety(ies)
7. Successfully proposes, and have government approval of a new variety
8. Manages own and off station sites in the following areas: AGS, Harare, Mutare, Nagwaza (Zambia)
9. Manages the performance of subordinates
10. Performs any other duties as assigned by superiors
  Updates/reports
Field visits
Meetings
Hybrid Advance Meeting
Zambian program 
   Meetings
Field visits 
Work plan review
   Planning and executing all aspects of a plant breeding programme
 Planning hybridizations, evaluation, and critical field testing of new varieties
 Planning day-to-day activities and responsibilities of research technicians    B.Sc. Agriculture (preferably with major in Crop Science or Genetics or plant breeding    3-5 years   Must understand genetics to a high level;
 Must understand how a plant works and how this relates to yield;
 Must have a good grasp of trial evaluation and biometrical analysis;
 Must be competent in land and crop management practices;
 Must understand what the farmer/client wants in the company�s products ;
 Must understand production of the crops and how to make production easier for work peers;
 Must understand the problems and challenges being faced by the farmer in their everyday cropping programs in order to understand what direction to take to produce the best product for the market;
 Must have proven team leadership skills;
 Must be highly organised and able to lead different work team simultaneously;
 Must be able to coach and mentor employees
  Decides on the number of crosses to be made and the genotypes used in the hybridization programme
 Decides what populations to be carried through the generation advancement phase based on performance and satisfaction of the requirements of the objectives stated
 Decides when, where, and what genotypes to enter into replicated field trials
 Decides, based on performance over a number of years and locations, which genotypes are superior and may be considered for release
  Germplasm purity
 Physical purity
 Trial randomisation issues
 Seed storage issues
 Isolation issues
 Agricultural issues (weeds; pests; diseases; irrigation; labour etc.)


Job evaluation subgrade: D