As VP Open Field, you provide global leadership to a strategically important part of our business and hold overall responsibility for the growth, performance, and profitability of the crop segments within Open Field. You connect customer and market insights with innovation, portfolio management, production, and commercial execution, bringing multidisciplinary teams together to deliver sustainable and profitable growth. This is a unique opportunity to help shape the future of Open Field as a strategic leader within an international, innovative, and entrepreneurial family-owned company.
Make a difference as VP Open Field
The Open Field Business Dynamic consists of large-scale, mechanized, and volume-driven agricultural markets, where success depends on strong genetics, reliable supply, and cost-efficient execution.
As VP Open Field, reporting directly to the CEO, you are globally responsible for the performance, growth, and profitability of the assigned crop segments. You act as the strategic link between market needs and our internal capabilities, ensuring that customer insights, portfolio ambitions, R&D innovation, production and supply requirements, and commercial execution come together in one shared direction.
You will:
Define and execute the long-term strategy for the Open Field segments, including portfolio development, innovation priorities, and market positioning.
Ensure alignment between Business Dynamics and Functions, as well as alignment with Enza Zaden’s Executive Team and Board of Directors.
Lead the annual OGSM planning process for the Open Field segments and translate strategic objectives into concrete plans and measurable results.
Provide direction to a multidisciplinary team of Functional Managers and drive integrated planning and execution across the various crop segments.
Be responsible for the business performance of the Open Field segments and accelerate innovation and market success by translating market developments into opportunities and ensuring alignment between go-to-market activities, supply chain, and product development.
Influence the allocation of resources across Functions to ensure the right priorities, capabilities, and investments are in place to achieve sustainable and profitable growth.
In this highly strategic and international role, you are the connecting force between customer needs, crop segment strategies, and company-wide execution. In doing so, you help shape the future of the crop segments under your responsibility.
What you bring as our future colleague
As VP Open Field, you combine strategic insight, entrepreneurial leadership, and the ability to connect and inspire multidisciplinary teams around shared results. You are a strategic integrator: curious, analytical, collaborative, and driven to create impact across the entire value chain.
In addition, you bring:
A Master's degree and at least 15 years of international experience within complex, innovation-driven organizations.
Proven strategic and business leadership experience within the seed industry, including direct responsibility for core business activities and a strong track record of translating customer, market, and industry developments into strategic choices, portfolio priorities, and concrete plans for sustainable and profitable growth.
Excellent cross-functional leadership and collaboration skills, with the ability to influence without formal authority.
Strong vision, communication, and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to communicate complex strategic choices and trade-offs clearly and convincingly at senior leadership level, including towards the CEO and Board of Directors.
Strong customer and market insight, with the ability to place customer value at the center of decision-making and determine the direction of crop segments based on robust market and competitive intelligence.
Proven experience driving performance in growing and evolving organizations, ensuring clear objectives, governance, accountability, and decision-making.
Strong financial and business acumen, including experience with P&L management, investment decisions, and resource prioritization.
The ability to provide direction in situations of complexity, change, and ambiguity, including in environments characterized by long innovation cycles and evolving market conditions.
A strong focus on talent development and team effectiveness, helping others grow through coaching, exposure, and challenging assignments, even without direct people management responsibility.
High personal effectiveness and integrity, with strong self-awareness, adaptability, and the ability to make principled decisions under pressure. You build trust quickly and act as a role model for values-driven leadership.
Enza Zaden as your employer
Enza Zaden is an international family-owned company that has been developing innovative vegetable varieties since 1938. Together with more than 3,300 colleagues worldwide, we work on vegetable seeds that deliver better taste, higher yields, and stronger resistances. We do this guided by our mission: Breeding to Feed the World.
Every day, more than 480 million people eat vegetables grown from our seeds, something we are incredibly proud of.
We are passionate about what we do and care about one another. Great ideas are given room to grow, and together we continue to move forward. In this way, we keep growing and innovating, both as a company and as colleagues.
What you can expect from us?
We believe it is important that you can continue to grow in your career while feeling good about the work you do. That is why we invest in your development, wellbeing, and job satisfaction. Through our Great to Grow development program, our focus on vitality, and activities that bring colleagues together, we create an environment where you can continue learning and contribute with enjoyment and purpose.
In addition, you can expect:
A full-time position of 38 hours per week.
A gross monthly salary between €13,170.16 and €18,814.51 based on a full-time employment contract of 38 hours per week, depending on your knowledge and experience.
8.33% holiday allowance and an attractive bonus opportunity of 25% of your annual salary, depending on your role level and company performance.
25 vacation days, the option to purchase additional vacation days, and one paid vitality day per year, with additional days granted as you get older.
A laptop and mobile phone provided by Enza Zaden.
A company lease car.
A contribution towards accommodation costs when living further away from Enza Zaden. This arrangement applies to employees of Enza Zaden in the Netherlands with a commuting distance of more than 100 kilometres and a one-way travel time exceeding 75 minutes.
An attractive pension scheme, travel allowance for employees living more than 10 kilometres from their workplace, and a home-working allowance when partial remote working is agreed with your manager.
Opportunities for personal and professional development through our Great to Grow development program, training courses, and e-learning platform.
Plenty of opportunities to connect with colleagues outside your daily work, for example through social events organised by our Staff Association and inspiration sessions and networking events hosted by Young Enza. We also organise annual events such as our summer barbecue, Christmas market, and New Year's gathering.
Attention to your vitality and wellbeing through free fresh fruit, healthy lunch options at the office, a bicycle scheme, sports activities through enzActive, and mental wellbeing support through OpenUp.
Let's connect
Are you looking for a career that grows with you? Then apply via the application button no later than 6 September 2026. You will receive an automatic confirmation within minutes. Within 10 working days, we will inform you about the next step in the process.
Please note that this position cannot be filled on an interim basis.
If you have any questions about the role or the application process, please feel free to contact Ka Kyung Langstadt, Global Recruitment Manager, via [email protected].
Enza Zaden is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate based on background, identity, or personal characteristics.
Would you like to learn more about Enza Zaden? Visit our Careers Website.
