Career Opportunities
in Bringing Plant
Potential to Life
Who is Syngenta? Joining Syngenta in the UK is your chance to take a pivotal role in answering the exciting future challenges for agriculture.
Syngenta is a fast-moving global agribusiness and one of the world's leading companies, dedicated to our purpose: Bringing plant potential to life. Through world-class R&D, science, global reach and commitment to our customers we help to increase crop productivity, protect the environment and improve health and quality of life. The company employs more than 25,000 people in over 90 countries worldwide.
Unleashing your potential Working for Syngenta is a rewarding experience. You would expect a world leading organisation to offer plenty of opportunities for personal development, but we take it further… We aim to create a stimulating work environment that nurtures your talent and creativity, stretches your skills and recognises your achievements. Whatever your role you’ll have the satisfaction of contributing to the success of our business and playing a part in solving some of the world’s biggest agricultural challenges. At Syngenta we offer strong support for learning and development, encouraging employees to take personal responsibility. We are committed to developing our people. Everyone has their own individual development plan, with appropriate coaching and advice from both their manager and others within the organisation about future opportunities.
The diverse range of Syngenta businesses and functions within the UK – Integrated Seed and Crop Protection, Turf and Landscape, Flowers, Research & Development and Manufacturing - offer exciting opportunities in a wide variety of roles. Commercial Careers in Syngenta Our field force is responsible for delivering products and solutions to our customers in the market place, across virtually all areas of the UK and Ireland. Our state of the art offices at Fulbourn near Cambridge, place us in the heart of the UK arable farming industry. Marketing, regulatory and customer service experts are critical to the success of our commercial offers and maintain close links to regional and strategic developments. In all areas our technical expertise provides the customer with maximum benefit from our products.
We actively encourage our people to realise their personal and professional potential. It is at the heart of our culture.
The Syngenta Graduate Training programme - the spring board to your future career path The graduate training programme lasts for two years. Approximately 50% of your time will be spent working with and supporting the existing trialists. Spraying and assessing a range of different trials looking at areas such as disease control, herbicide activity and varietal traits, this aspect of the training programme will familiarise you with both Syngenta’s and the competitors’ agrochemicals and seed varieties that commercial farmers are using now and in the future. Through secondment to other departments the other 50% of your time will be spent developing your own skills, experiences and knowledge of the Syngenta business. You will learn about how products are sourced and distributed whilst working with the Supply Chain department. Discover how new products are registered with the Regulatory department.
How we publicise our products in the Marketing department. And learn about the customer facing side of Syngenta, spending time with the local Area Managers, meeting farmers to discuss crop programmes, attending demonstration days where we showcase our products and grower solutions, and meeting distributors to give them the technical support and best use advice for our products. Throughout the programme training will be paramount. Beyond the external qualifications including your spraying licenses (PA1, 2 and 6) and BASIS accreditation, allowing you to give advice to farmers about agrochemical use. You will also receive training in presentation and sales techniques, IT training for the Syngenta trials and customer relationship databases, as well as other personal development opportunities and specific crop training courses. As you progress through the programme you and your mentor will identify areas of strength and interest to allow you to start your formal career in Syngenta in an area that benefits you, your career aspirations and Syngenta.
The incredible diversity of the Syngenta business in the UK creates the great flexibility and opportunities to move within business areas and across business functions - to further the development of your career.
Hear what some of the people who work for us say about their experience
Ian Holmes
Melanie Wardle
Field Technical Manager (North)
Campaign Manager Cereals (Customer Marketing UK & Eire)
It’s a great team of people. From day one I was impressed with the willingness of everyone to pitch-in and support each other and to offer a helping hand; it really helped with settling in as a 22 year old trainee! I have always been motivated by the ability to be field-based; able to run my own job day-to-day and being able to get my boots dirty in the field with growers and agronomists. The level of training facilitated by Syngenta has been excellent to develop my technical knowledge across a wide range of crops. I have been really pleased with the way Syngenta have allowed me to develop my own career, in a way that feels right for me. Ian Holmes joined Syngenta in November 2005 from Harper Adams University College as a Field Force Commercial Trainee, working alongside established Area Managers to learn about the business, our products and how we work with customers. In July 2006 he was promoted to his own area in Nottinghamshire and South Yorks, providing technical and commercial information to customers and developing business relationships with growers. With many customers involved with root and vegetable crops, Ian began to specialise in this area within the Speciality Crops Campaign Team, before taking over his current role providing technical support and training for the Northern Region’s Area Managers. Career path ---> Trainee ---> Area Manager ---> Field Technical Manager --->
The size and global reach of Syngenta was what really impressed me at first and it was clear there would be plenty of future opportunities. My first role, working in the trials department offered an attractive mix of a science based career but without spending all of my time in a laboratory! As time went on I realised I was keen to move to a more customer facing area of the business. My role in marketing is incredibly varied, being creative and innovative with marketing messages one day, and dealing with sales targets commercial strategy the next. It’s a fast paced environment and always busy – but that’s what makes it fun! That and the fantastic group of people I work with. Mel Wardle studied a BSc in Biology and Psychology at De Montfort University in Leicester. After a year travelling Mel joined Syngenta in December 2003 as a Fields Trials Officer working in the Research Field Trials department at our Jealott’s Hill site. In October 2005 Mel moved into marketing to cover maternity leave as Advertising and Promotions Manager. The opportunity arose for Mel to stay in this role then in 2007 Mel was successfully promoted to Communications Manager. Mel continued to progress within marketing and in 2011 became Campaign Manager Cereals. Career path ---> Fields Trials Officer ---> Advertising and Promotions Manager ---> Communications Manager ---> Campaign Manager Cereals
How to Apply:
To find out more about careers with Syngenta in the UK and globally: www.syngenta.co.uk/careers www.syngenta.com/careers facebook.com/syngentaUK Syngentabuzzuk youtube.com/syngentauktv
Syngenta Crop Protection UK Ltd Registered in England No. 849037. CPC4, Capital Park, Fulbourn, Cambridge CB21 5XE Tel: 01223 883400 Fax: 01223 882195 Website: www.syngenta-crop.co.uk ŠSyngenta September 2012. GQ 03121