Foundation Seed Director

Job Title

Director, Texas A&M AgriLife Foundation Seed

Agency

Texas A&M Agrilife Research

Department

Research Director Management

Proposed Minimum Salary

Commensurate

Job Location

Vernon, Texas

Job Type

Staff

Job Description

Position Description

Director, Texas A&M AgriLife Foundation Seed

Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center, Vernon, Texas

Position Overview

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.

Position 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 unit’s financial operations, including budget development and oversight, revenue generation, cost recovery, cost containment, financial forecasting, and reporting. 

• Identify opportunities to strengthen the program’s business model, revenue, expand partnerships, and improve operational efficiency while maintaining service to public plant breeding programs. 

• Recruit, supervise, develop, and evaluate Foundation Seed personnel and foster a culture of safety, accountability, service, teamwork, and operational excellence. 

• Oversee facilities, land, equipment, information systems, and capital improvement needs associated with seed production, processing, storage, and distribution. 

• Coordinate with AgriLife Research leadership and the Vernon Center Director on shared facilities, personnel, resources, safety, and other site-based administrative matters. 

• Represent Texas A&M AgriLife Foundation Seed in institutional meetings, professional organizations, industry events, producer meetings, outreach activities, and stakeholder engagements. 

• Perform other duties necessary to advance the mission and effectiveness of Texas A&M AgriLife Foundation Seed. 

Administrative Relationships

• Reports to the Director of Texas A&M AgriLife Research or the Director’s designee. 

• Works collaboratively with AgriLife Research faculty and leadership statewide; Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service specialists and agents; the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Vernon; Texas A&M Innovation and related commercialization offices; seed producers, licensees, and industry partners; commodity organizations; and other public and private stakeholders. 

Operational oversight, budgeting, personnel management, and performance evaluation will be conducted in accordance with agency policies and leadership direction.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in agronomy, seed science, plant science, crop science, agricultural business, business administration, or a related field. 

• Ten years of related experience.

• Demonstrated professional experience in seed production, seed operations, agricultural operations, variety commercialization, or a closely related field. 

• Demonstrated experience supervising personnel and managing budgets, business operations, programs, or organizational units. 

• Working knowledge of seed production systems, seed quality management, certification standards, and applicable regulatory requirements. 

• Demonstrated ability to work effectively with scientists, producers, industry partners, licensees, and other internal and external stakeholders. 

• Strong leadership, organizational, financial management, problem-solving, and written and oral communication skills. 

• Ability to obtain and maintain any driver’s license required for assigned job duties. 

• Ability to obtain and maintain the pesticide applicator license, categories, and endorsements required for assigned job duties. 

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced degree in agronomy, seed science, plant science, crop science, agricultural business, business administration, or a related field. 

• Progressively responsible leadership experience in foundation seed, seed production, seed certification, agricultural research, variety commercialization, licensing, or seed-industry operations. 

• Experience working within a land-grant university, public agricultural research organization, seed certification organization, or seed company. 

• Experience developing and implementing strategic plans, business plans, or market-development strategies. 

• Experience managing a revenue-generating or cost-recovery agricultural program. 

• Experience with cultivar release, intellectual property, licensing, commercialization, royalty management, or industry partnership development. 

• Familiarity with Texas cropping systems, seed markets, producer organizations, and stakeholder networks.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Ability to lead complex, geographically distributed agricultural operations involving multiple crops, programs, and stakeholders.

• Strong financial and business management acumen, including the ability to evaluate operational performance and identify opportunities for sustainable growth.

• Ability to build productive relationships among plant breeders, commercialization professionals, seed producers, licensees, industry partners, and commodity organizations.

• Ability to balance the public-service mission of a land-grant institution with sound business practices and responsible stewardship of resources.

• Effective interpersonal, written, and oral communication skills.

• Demonstrated ability to lead teams, manage change, resolve problems, and make timely, evidence-based decisions.

• Commitment to safety, integrity, accountability, service, and operational excellence.

Location and Work Environment

• 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.

Additional Information:

Texas A&M AgriLife Research: https://agriliferesearch.tamu.edu/

Texas A&M AgriLife Research & Extension Center-Vernon https://vernon.tamu.edu/

Compensation 

Commensurate with qualifications and experience. Texas A&M AgriLife Research offers competitive benefits and retirement package. Final compensation will be determined in accordance with applicable agency policies and approvals. 

Application Procedure

Applicants must upload a

• Cover letter (two-page limit)

• Curriculum vitae including a list of three references and their contact information within the CV

• Vision statement for Foundation Seed, Vernon, Texas (two-page limit).

The search committee will begin reviewing applications on November 16, 2026. The position will remain open until a suitable candidate is identified. The anticipated start date is September 1, 2027.

Questions: Questions should be directed to: 

Amir M. Ibrahim, Search Committee Chair | Associate Director and Chief Scientific Officer, Texas A&M AgriLife Research 

Email: [email protected] | Phone: (979) 321-5929 

All positions are security-sensitive. Applicants are subject to a criminal history investigation, and employment is contingent upon the institution’s verification of credentials and/or other information required by the institution’s procedures, including the completion of the criminal history check.

Equal Opportunity/Veterans/Disability Employer.