Biomedical Sciences Blog

Date: Jun 2, 2011

Location: Slater, IA, US

Division: Syngenta Business Service (SBS)
Function: Information Systems
City: Slater
State/Province: Iowa [IA]
Position Title: Business Analyst-Quantitative Genetics
Job ID: 2297

Role Purpose/Accountabilities:
Role purpose

- Responsible for investigating business processes related to marker assisted breeding, identifying options for improving business processes and bridging the needs of the business with the use of IT
- Provide analytical skills for Research and Development Information Systems (RDIS) projects in the area of marker assisted breeding, including requirements analysis, and business process analysi
- Responsible for identifying and articulating current and future Information Systems (IS) demand arising in the R&D business in the area of marker assisted breeding

Accountabilities:

- Investigate IS requirements on project basis; map or propose business process for specific IS need.
- Own deliverables (as appropriate) such as business process maps, requirements documentation and user acceptance specifications.
- Help support strategic initiatives such as landscapes, roadmaps, and business process models in the context of the IS need and as required by the management
- Provide a key liaison into the business during the completion of projects and provide continuity in the development of future systems landscape in the area.
- Provide resource and expertise in the areas of requirements gathering, stakeholder management and business process design and re-engineering for large projects


Knowledge, Skills & Experience:

Critical knowledge:

- A good grasp of the culture and working practices of Molecular Marker Assisted Breeding and Marker: Trait association methods
- A working familiarity of business processes and science of Marker Assisted Breeding and Marker: Trait association methods.
- QTL mapping, Association mapping, Bulk Segregant analysis, Genome Wide Association mapping using Next gen sequence analysis
- Marker assisted trait selection, QTL selection, recurrent selection and back crossing.
- Able to interact with genetics, genomics and bioinformatics scientists
- Genotypic, phenotypic and environmental data integration
- A working familiarity with describing and documenting business processes
Critical experience

- At least 4 years experience in working within or close to R&D within Syngenta or other life science organizations.
- Minimum Masters degree in genetics, molecular biology, biological sciences, or masters degree in IS with strong biological background
- Experience or aptitude in working on information systems and/or information management processes associated with a commercial organisation.

Critical technical, professional and personal capabilities:
- Strong personal presence and ability to influence at senior levels.
- Strong networking skills across cultures
- Excellent communication skills and capabilities
- Compelling vision of what business and IS success look like and the ability to communicate this widely
- Ability to challenge requests for new solutions to ensure investments are made in the right areas to drive strategic growth

Critical Success Factors & Key Challenges:
- Perform set of tasks and techniques to work as a liaison among stakeholders in order to understand the science, structure, policies, and operations of an Syngenta’ Marker Assisted Breeding Program, and to recommend IT/ IS solutions that enable the Syngenta to achieve its goals
- Work with stakeholders to establish key relationships within Syngenta to increase knowledge of the business, maintain appropriate governance and understand wants and needs to provide effective change
- Develop and participate in the governance of Quantitative Genetics IS area and provide a key liaison point into the business during the completion of the design and as a point of continuity through the build, test and roll-out phases of RDIS projects
- Balance conflicting interests (e.g.of different business units) to come to a harmonized design


Additional Information:

- All applicants must be eligible to work in the US.