About KWS:

KWS is one of the world’s leading plant breeding companies. Nearly 5,000 employees in more than 70 countries generated net sales of around €1.68 billion in the fiscal year 2023/2024. A company with a tradition of family ownership, KWS has operated independently for almost 170 years. It focuses on plant breeding and the production and sale of seed for sugarbeet, corn, cereals, vegetables, oilseed rape and sunflower. KWS uses leading-edge plant breeding methods to continuously improve yield for farmers and plants’ resistance to diseases, pests and abiotic stress. To that end, the company invested more than €300 million last fiscal year in research and development.

Help shape the future of plant breeding - through trait discovery in sugar beets, cereals, and protein crops!

We are hiring a

Scientist (m/f/d) in Quantitative Genetics for Trait Discovery

to join our Breeding Technology Application team at KWS SAAT SE & Co. KGaA in Einbeck, Germany. This is a full-time, permanent position involving collaboration with global breeding and research teams.

• Advance trait discovery and integration in KWS breeding programs.
• Apply cutting-edge methods for identifying, fine mapping, and validating traits.
• Incorporate heterogeneous datasets (e.g., omics) into trait discovery.
• Utilize secondary and tertiary gene pools for new traits.
• Manage and steward data to support an AI-enabled research infrastructure.

Your tasks:

• Conduct quantitative genetic analyses, integrate multi-omics data, perform association mapping, and prioritize genomic regions and germplasm for fine mapping and candidate gene identification.
• Develop, optimize, and automate data analysis pipelines in collaboration with genomics and digital product teams.
• Prototype innovative computational methods to enhance genomic interpretation, support experimental design, and streamline molecular breeding workflows.
• Stay current with emerging literature and contribute to collaborative research with public institutions.

• Ph.D. in agricultural sciences or data science with a focus on plant breeding and quantitative genetics or equivalent
• Few years of postgraduate experience in a relevant field (e.g. marker-trait association)
• Strong capabilities in data management, pipelining and documentation
• Passion for data analysis and ability to work with large data sets
• High proficiency in Python programming; experience with VIBE coding is a plus
• Strive for value-added solutions in multidisciplinary teams
• Project management and good communication skills
• English is a prerequisite, professional knowledge of German would be a plus

• As a Scientist (m/f/d), you will contribute significantly to the success of the breeding department and the development of excellent varieties.
• As a family-owned company, we live a culture based on the values of team spirit, closeness and trust, independence and foresight.
• True to our motto "Make yourself grow", we encourage individual professional and personal development.
• We create the right environment for you: Capital formation benefits, company pension plans, Christmas and holiday bonuses, childcare allowance, company bike.