Sr. Research Manager: Gene Editing & Cell Biology

Job Details

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Job Purpose 

The Center of Excellence for Abiotic Resilience and Crop Genomics (ARC-Gen) is a partnership between Silal, the UAE’s leading agri-food and technology company, and Limagrain Vegetable Seeds (LVS), the world leader in Vegetable Seeds. This partnership is aiming to develop a world class research facility in UAE with state-of-the-art capabilities in plant physiology and gene editing, with the ultimate goal of enhancing crops’ ability to withstand extreme conditions such as heat, drought, and salinity.

As experienced scientific leader/manager you will drive innovation and excellence in Cell Biology and Gene Editing (GE). This role combines strategic leadership, team management, and scientific oversight to accelerate the development of a competitive GE pipeline for gene identification and editing to improve the abiotic stress resilience in plants in arid and desert-like growing conditions.

You will be responsible for ensuring the effective implementation and supervision of infrastructure, specialized equipment, technical and technological expertise, the CRISPR toolbox, technology licenses, and the regulatory and stewardship framework. The ultimate objective is to establish a successful Gene editing Research Unit at SILAL, with a strong emphasis on enhancing abiotic stress resilience in tomato and cucumber species.

Your work will contribute directly to global priorities such as food security, sustainable agriculture, and climate resilience.

Key Responsibilities

Scientific & Operational Excellence

• Oversee the GE and Cell Biology Discovery project portfolio and ensure timely delivery aligned with SILAL (ARC-GEN) governance and strategic roadmap.
• Develop and implement guidelines, processes, and KPIs to monitor progress, report efficiently, and provide transparency to SILAL (ARC-GEN) research management.
• Ensure scientific rigor through continuous monitoring, technology scouting, and adoption of cutting-edge methodologies in GE and Cell Biology.
• Drive cross-domain collaboration within Gene Editing labs and across global SILAL (ARC-GEN).

External Collaboration & Resource Management

• Build and maintain strategic partnerships with public and private organizations.

Compliance & Continuous Improvement

• Guarantee compliance with legal, safety, regulatory and sustainability standards across all activities.
• Promote continuous improvement of protocols, processes, and cost-effectiveness.

• Manage team budgets and resource allocation in alignment with ARC-GEN management team.
• Contribute to CAPEX, OPEX, and PERC planning for domain activities.

• Lead and mentor a team of Genome Editing and Cell Biology scientists, ensuring onboarding, goal setting and performance reviews.

• Translate the SILAL (ARC-GEN) strategy into actionable objectives and plans for your team, with an initial focus on setting up the GE pipeline.

• Promote cross-functional collaboration and develop an innovative work environment.

Stakeholder Management

Key Internal Stakeholders

Key External Stakeholders

• All Sectors, Departments and Offices 

• Any other concerned internal stakeholders as required

• Concerned government, semi-government and private sector entities 

• Any other concerned external stakeholders as required. 

Required Qualification

Professional Experience

• PhD in Biological Sciences (Genomics, cell biology, molecular biology, or related fields). 

• Fluent in English 

• Professional Experience of a minimum of 15+ Years. 
• 5+ years in people management within an international/cross-cultural environment.
• Deep knowledge in Genome Editing, Cell Biology, Molecular Biology, or related domains.
• Strong analytical skills and ability to synthesize and present complex scientific results.
• Proven ability to lead and develop scientific teams, manage budgets, and drive strategic initiatives.
• Skilled in project management and resource optimization.
• Ability to introduce new ideas and lead changes effectively.

Competencies

Technical Competencies

Competency

Proficiency Level

Expert

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