Who we are
In Silal, our mandate is to diversify food sources and stimulate manufacturing and distribution in the agri-food sector in the UAE and beyond. As a part of ADQ, one of the region's largest holding companies, Silal is emerging as one of the sector's leading and most ambitious players.
Position Overview
The Program Manager will lead and oversee the end-to-end program lifecycle: from capacity building and research infrastructure setup to joint IP development and commercialization. The role combines program management expertise, scientific understanding, and strategic coordination across academic, industrial, and governmental stakeholders to ensure the successful delivery of this landmark initiative.
Position Responsibilities:
Key Responsibilities as Program Manager, Crop Genomics will include the following:
- Translate the ARC-GEN vision into structured workstreams with defined milestones, KPIs, and governance mechanisms.
- Lead and coordinate the execution of Program A under Phase 1.
- Oversee the development of experimental protocols for plant response evaluation under abiotic stress conditions.
- Manage collaboration with our Party on germplasm screening, genotype evaluation, and data exchange for selected tomato and cucumber lines.
- Coordinate field and controlled-environment trials at Silal's R&D Center in Al Foah, ensuring scientific rigor and traceability.
- Establish cross-functional collaboration among Silal scientists, agronomists, and external researchers to ensure integration of results.
- Prepare technical and progress reports for Steering Committee reviews (Silal Parties Stakeholders).
- Define IP frameworks and manage alignment with Legal and R&D Governance teams.
- Support the transition to Phase 2 (Joint Venture setup) by ensuring delivery of Phase 1 milestones and identification of validated candidate genes.
- Represent Silal in all program-related meetings, events, and external communications.
Position Requirements:
In order to be successful in this role, you should have
- Bachelor's degree in Industrial or Process Engineering or related field from a recognized and accredited university.
- 8 years of experience managing complex, multi-stakeholder programs, ideally in innovation, R&D, or technology development.
- Minimum 5 years of experience in program or project management, ideally in innovation, R&D, or technology incubation environments.
- Demonstrated success in delivering programs involving cross-functional teams, external partners, and governance frameworks
As Silal's Talent Acquisition team, we encourage all interested candidates to review the key responsibilities and qualifications for each role and apply for any positions that match their skills and capabilities. All qualified applicants will be reviewed, however due to the high volume of applicants, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
