Project Manager – Genomics and Sequencing Technology Development

Limagrain is an international agricultural cooperative group specialized in seeds, owned by 1,300 farmers in Auvergne, France. Operating in 49 countries with more than 9,300 employees, Limagrain is the world’s 4th largest seed company, focused on breeding, producing, and marketing field seeds, vegetable seeds, and agri-food products.

Limagrain Vegetable Seeds (LVS) brings together three major brands—HM.CLAUSE, Vilmorin-Mikado, and Hazera—offering a portfolio of more than 40 vegetable species worldwide. Technological innovation, strong relationships with growers, and a partnership-driven culture are at the core of our strategy.

Role Overview

Lead and develop strategic projects in structural genomics and next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies to support innovation in vegetable seed breeding. The role combines team management, technology-driven project leadership, and strong scientific expertise.

Key Responsibilities

By reporting to the Genomics & Metabolomics Team Lead you will:

• Lead strategic genomics and NGS projects, from objective definition to scientific and budgetary reporting.
• Manage and develop a team of engineers, ensuring prioritization, skill development, and collective performance.
• Develop and deploy robust molecular biology and sequencing methods adapted to plant species.
• Supervise high-throughput sequencing projects (Illumina, Oxford Nanopore, PacBio) and coordinate associated bioinformatics analyses.
• Work closely with Genetics, Bioinformatics, Metabolomics, Pathology, Research Application and Breeding teams to enable multi-omics data integration and genotyping technologies optimization.
• Maintain active technology scouting, propose innovative approaches, and contribute to scientific visibility (presentations, patents, conferences).

The position interacts closely with trait genetics, bioinformatics, pathology, genome editing, and research application & breeding teams.

• PhD or engineering degree in molecular biology, genomics with a minimum of 5 years’ experience (plant, human, and/or animal biology).
• Proven expertise in bioinformatics analysis of NGS data (QC, preprocessing, mapping, variant calling, de novo assembly, annotation).
• Proficiency in Unix environments and bioinformatics pipelines.
• Demonstrated experience in scientific project management and team supervision.
• Strong knowledge of NGS technologies (Illumina, Oxford Nanopore, PacBio).
• Familiarity with plant systems and the seed industry is a plus.
• Excellent organizational, communication, and leadership skills.
• Fluent French and English required.