Cocoa Breeding Expert
YOUR MISSION
You will contribute to the development, evaluation and delivery of improved cocoa varieties aligned with Nestlé’s business, sustainability and regenerative agriculture ambitions. You will work in close collaboration with internal teams and external partners across cocoa producing regions. You will lead projects to further develop or test methodologies in predictive breeding for cocoa.
A Day in the Life of a Cocoa Breeding Expert
* Define breeding objectives in collaboration with business, markets and project management teams
* Contribute to the design and execution of cocoa breeding strategies to improve yield, quality, resilience, disease resistance and climate readiness
* Manage and coordinate cocoa field trials and variety testing activities across internal and partner sites
* Analyze and interpret trial and phenotyping data, ensuring robust documentation and data integrity
* Support the development and release of improved cocoa varieties
* Contribute to scientific reports, variety registration dossiers and internal knowledge sharing
* Represent Nestlé Plant Science in international R&D collaborations and multi stakeholder initiatives
* Drive robust data, digital tools and knowledge management practices, ensuring effective use of breeding databases and digital phenotyping tools, with strong data stewardship, traceability and reproducibility
* Ensure safety, compliance and collaborative ways of working, adhering to Nestlé safety standards and Good Laboratory Practices, contributing to continuous improvement and fostering an inclusive team culture
ABOUT YOU
* Master’s degree or PhD with a specialization Plant Breeding, Genetics, Agronomy or a related field
* 5 to 10 years of experience in plant breeding, ideally in hybrid crops
* Strong expertise in predictive breeding, quantitative genetics, experimental trial design and advanced data analysis, with the ability to integrate these methodologies into a breeding program
* Proven experience working in project-based environments and/or leading scientific projects within structured project management frameworks
* Experience working in international, matrix and multistakeholder research environments
* Strong collaboration and communication skills, with the ability to represent Nestlé externally
* Fluent in English; French, Spanish or Portuguese are assets for field interactions
* Curious, solution-oriented mindset and ability to work autonomously under field conditions
WHAT WE OFFER
* Remuneration including a fixed salary over 13,75 months, a 10% performance bonus
* Flexible work policies in terms of core hours and working from home
* Stimulating work environment: You will work within a dynamic, multicultural team that promotes exchange and collaboration
* Genuine opportunities for career and personal development
* Modern “smart office” locations providing agile & collaborative workspaces
* Dynamic international working environment
* Attractive additional benefits
WHO WE ARE
Nestlé Research is based in Lausanne, Switzerland, employs approximately 1000 people and is comprised of five Nestlé Institutes: Food Sciences, Health Sciences, Food Safety & Analytical Sciences, Packaging Sciences, and Agricultural Sciences. Please have a tour of our facilities using this link or read more about Nestlé Research on our website. Please follow us on Nestlé R&D on LinkedIn. Learn more about the Institute of Agricultural Sciences here.