Job Purpose
As Product Development Area Manager Italy, you will be responsible for managing and overseeing the Product Development (PD) Specialists and Trialing team within Italy. This role ensures the effective implementation of crop strategies while driving excellence in all PD processes, digitalization, operational excellence, and innovation in product development efforts.
Contributing significantly to the Regional PD community, the PD Area Manager collaborates closely with the Head of PD.
Major Tasks & Responsibilities
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Leadership, Coaching and Team Development: Lead, mentor, and develop a motivated PD Specialist and Trial team dedicated to achieving business objectives and delivering exceptional customer service. Build and coach a professional team that consistently delivers efficient and effective results, ensuring the operational needs of the crops are met to successfully implement their PD plans.
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Strategic Planning and Execution: Oversee the design and implementation of PD activities that align with crop strategies and regional business priorities, ensuring efficiency and effectiveness in all PD efforts.
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Data Governance Overseeing: Ensure accurate collection, analysis, and transformation of data into actionable insights to support robust elevation proposals and drive informed decision-making.
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Value Proposition Development: Guide PD Specialists in defining and communicating clear value propositions and market positioning for varieties to enhance competitive advantage.
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Best Practice Exchange: Exchange best practices across areas and functions within the area.
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Customer Engagement and Demand Generation: Drive customer engagement initiatives in partnership with the sales team to create demand for new varieties and strengthen customer relationships.
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Budget Management and Resource Allocation: Manage the PD & Trial budget and allocate resources efficiently to support crop strategies and business priorities within the area.
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Collaboration with Stakeholders: Work closely with Country Managers, PD Crop Leads, Head of PD, R&D functions and other stakeholders to foster innovation and develop actionable strategies and increase PD output.
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Cross-Functional Collaboration: Act as a functional link with other departments to ensure PD processes are well-integrated across functions and continuously improved.
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Change Management: Lead change management initiatives within the PD Specialist & Trial team, fostering a culture of excellence, collaboration, and innovation.
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Excellence & Innovation in Trialing: Drive efforts towards efficient and effective trialing while developing excellence, digitalization, and innovation throughout the Trial organization to enable better elevation decisions and successful variety introductions.
Required Profile - Job Requirements
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BSc (in relevant discipline) with 10 years or MSc with 8 years or PhD with 6 years of relevant experience.
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Demonstrated professional expertise in:
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Leading and coaching and developing diverse teams to achieve business objectives.
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Strategic planning and execution of product development initiatives.
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Exchanging and implementing best practices across functions.
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Managing projects, budgets and allocating resources efficiently.
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Building and maintaining strong stakeholder relationships.
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Facilitating cross-functional collaboration.
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Valuing differences and fostering an inclusive work environment.
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Driving results and delivering on targets.
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Managing complexity in dynamic business settings.
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Leading change management initiatives.
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Demonstrating accountability and ownership.
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High proficiency in both English and Italian.
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Residence in the Bologna area is a plus, but applications from other areas of Italy will also be considered.
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Willing and available to travel frequently within Italy and abroad.
What’s in it for you?
Adding value to our customers begins with adding value to you. At BASF | Nunhems we believe that people are the key to our long-term success and that talent is in everyone. That’s why we empower you with the tools, guidance, and opportunities you need to advance and succeed in work and life. We offer you:
Responsibility from day one in a challenging work environment and "on-the-job" training as part of a committed team.
Competitive compensation including attractive benefits as well as excellent career opportunities in an international company.
Giving you the support that you need to be your best and fulfill your personal ambitions is what helps us achieving our ambitions. After all, our success is linked to yours. Whatever path you envision, BASF | Nunhems is a great place to build a rewarding, successful career.
We promote an inclusive culture that accepts the diversity of people, experiences, and capabilities. By embracing talents and abilities of all kinds, we aim to boost creativity and motivation and enhance our teams’ performance.
We need you. Become part of our formula for success and create the future with us, in a global team that values diversity and offers the same opportunities to everyone, regardless of gender, age, origin, sexual orientation, disability or belief.
Interested to join us?
Do you recognize yourself in this job description and do you have the right interpersonal skills, experiences, and competencies to be successful in this challenging international position within BASF| Nunhems? Then we invite you to apply for this job and upload on the Careers Nunhems Page your motivation letter and CV via the “Apply” button. Please apply before 28th April 2026.
If you have any questions about the position, you can contact our Local HR Business Partner: Tatiana Pancaldi (tatiana.pancaldi@basf.com).
WELCOME to BASF | Nunhems
It is our ambition to make healthy eating enjoyable and sustainable by offering vegetable solutions in line with consumer demands. Our breeders and researchers are constantly working on the development of improved varieties in our laboratories, greenhouses and fields. We look at the needs of vegetable growers and the value chain and we thoroughly investigate what consumers want. By working together with partners, we actively contribute to improve vegetable consumption with innovations that are healthy, tasty, and sustainable.
Personal Data
When processing your personal data during the applicant’s procedure, Nunhems Netherlands BV adheres to the applicable law and regulations, amongst others the General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”).
For more information about the processing of your data and your rights, we would like to refer you to our privacy notice for applicants on our website www.nunhems.com .