Head of Genetics – Summer Berry
Location: Chichester, UK preferred or Valencia, Spain , with flexibility for the right candidate
The Organisation
The Summer Berry Company is an international soft fruit business with growing operations and partnerships across the UK, Europe, Africa, Middle East and the Americas. Genetics and varietal development sit at the heart of its future growth strategy, supporting the development of strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and blackberries across an increasingly diverse range of production regions.
The business has invested significantly in building its Genetics function, with trials now operating across the UK, Portugal, Morocco, Egypt, Mexico and South Africa and further expansion anticipated. As the scale and complexity of the programme continues to grow, The Summer Berry Company is now seeking a Head of Genetics to strengthen the leadership of the function and help shape its next phase of development.
The Role
Working closely with the Genetics Director, the newly formed Head of Genetics position will be an active participant in identifying, evaluating and developing new varieties with the potential to support the company’s long-term commercial growth
A central part of the role will be developing relationships with breeders and genetics organisations around the world, understanding their programmes and securing access to promising new material. The successful candidate will assess how new varieties could perform across different production regions, growing systems, market windows and customer requirements, helping to determine which selections progress through The Summer Berry Company’s structured trials and commercialisation process.
The role will also provide leadership and oversight across an increasingly international programme and geographically dispersed team. As the function develops, the Head of Genetics will help introduce greater structure, coordination and focus, while enabling the Genetics Director to concentrate increasingly on longer-term strategy, partnerships and future opportunities.
The Candidate
We are seeking an experienced genetics, varietal development or breeding professional with a strong understanding of how commercial breeding programmes operate and how new varieties progress from early-stage selection through trials and into commercial production.
Soft fruit experience would be highly relevant but is not essential. Candidates may come from berries, stone fruit, grapes or another fresh produce category, or from a specialist breeding or genetics organisation. More important is the ability to understand genetic programmes, evaluate varietal potential and apply technical knowledge within a commercial production environment.
The successful candidate will be an experienced leader, capable of managing people and stakeholders across different countries and cultures. Strong relationship-building skills are essential, particularly with breeders and external partners, alongside the ability to develop long-term partnerships and support negotiations around access, licensing and exclusivity.
The role will involve significant international travel. Summer Berry have offices in Chichester, UK and Valencia, Spain either of which would be the preferred base. However, flexibility exists (within reason) for an exceptional candidate, particularly within the UK or Spain.
For further information, please contact Sophie Wood via info@edensearch.co.uk or 020 3795 7735. All applications and enquiries will be forwarded to Eden, who are exclusively retained by The Summer Berry Company on this project.