Department of Plant Breeding
The Faculty of Landscape Architecture, Horticulture and Crop Production Science (LTV) at SLU in Alnarp is seeking a Head of Department (the formal manager and leader of a department within a university) for the Department of Plant Breeding. Are you a visionary leader with a passion for plant breeding and a drive to shape the future of agriculture? If so, then you may be the person we are looking for.
About the position

The Head of Department (HoD) will play a key role in strategically leading, unifying and developing the department’s research and education efforts while contributing to the growth of the department, faculty, and university. With a focus on sustainable leadership, the HoD will monitor external trends and foster an engaging and supportive environment where faculty, staff, and students thrive. The HoD is responsible for the department’s staff, finances, and work environment, which, among others, means to promote a positive and creative environment. The HoD will form a management group at the department and will have access to a Deputy Head of Department, Human Resources and economic support staff. The HoD will also participate in faculty- and university-level leadership through meetings with the dean, vice-chancellor, and other HoDs.

The HoD is responsible for ensuring compliance with laws, regulations, and institutional policies. The working languages are Swedish and English, both spoken and written. 

Traveling is required in the form of professional representation and collaboration.

Competence development is offered internally through courses in management and leadership.

The faculty applies a shared leadership (Head of Department and Deputy Head of Department) at all departments.

Your profile

Requirements and qualifications:

The HoD must have:

• PhD degree in a relevant field.




• Strong written and verbal communication skills in both Swedish and English.




• Experience from work with academic research and education.




• Proven leadership skills, including the ability to listen, drive development, manage change, and communicate strategic decisions.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in leadership roles within complex, knowledge-intensive organisations.




• Experience in managing staff, budgets, and operations.




• Insight into plant breeding or related subject areas.




• Access to national and international networks within the department’s research areas, including connections to both private and public sectors.




• Experience in leading or coordinating large-scale research applications and research projects.

Personal suitability will be a key selection factor.

About us

With a changing climate and a growing global population, we face major challenges in supplying food, industrial raw materials, and energy. Meeting the increasing demand for food and bio-based raw materials requires making plant production more environmentally friendly and energy-efficient. At the Department of Plant Breeding, SLU Alnarp, we perform research, education, and innovative extension work that is strategically important for solving the abovementioned challenges. We use a wide range of conventional and modern breeding technologies, ranging from field experiments and evaluation of genetic diversity to methods within genetics, biotechnology, biochemistry, and physiology as well as studying post-harvest effects and product processing.

The department maintains a strong connection between basic research and applied plant breeding and has close collaboration with leading research groups worldwide as well as with industrial partners. In addition, the department has extensive SIDA-funded collaboration with universities in Africa, Latin America, Southeast Asia, and Central Asia.

The department has approximately 80 employees and a turnover of 130 mSEK.  

For more information about the department or division visit: https://www.slu.se/en/departments/plant-breeding/

Read more about our benefits and working at SLU by visiting: https://www.slu.se/en/about-slu/work-at-slu/

Location:

Alnarp

Form of employment:

Fixed-term leadership role (Head of Department), combined with a permanent full-time position at SLU. The fixed-term leadership is for 3 years, with the possibility of renewal.

Scope:

100%

Start date:

As agreed.

Application:

Please submit your application before deadline 21 April 2025. You can submit your application by clicking the button below.

Required documents:

-A statement on leadership philosophy and refections on past leadership experience ( max 2 pages)

-Application must be written in English and Swedish.

Union representatives:

https://internt.slu.se/en/my-employment/employee-associations/kontaktpersoner-vid-rekrytering/