Sr. Manager, Agronomy

About Pairwise

Pairwise is agriculture’s gene editing powerhouse, building a healthier world through partnership and plant innovation. Co‑founded by CRISPR pioneers, the company’s Fulcrum® Platform accelerates the development of climate‑resilient, nutritious, and sustainable crops that are easier to grow and better to eat.

Founded in 2017 and based in Durham, North Carolina, Pairwise partners with global leaders and nonprofit institutions to help breeders move faster and transform food and agriculture for farmers, consumers, and the planet. The company collaborates with partners and licenses its Fulcrum® CRISPR tools to diversify breeding programs and bring innovations to market faster—from developing the world’s first pitless cherry to improving staple crops such as corn, soy, cacao, yam, and rice.

Backed by leading investors including Deerfield, Aliment Capital, Leaps by Bayer, Temasek, and Corteva Catalyst, Pairwise has raised $155 million in total funding. In 2025, the company was recognized as one of MIT Technology Review’s 10 Climate Tech Companies to Watch and named to Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies in Agriculture, while also earning “Best Ag‑Bio Company” honors in the Triangle Business Journal’s Life Sciences Awards.

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Pairwise is entering an exciting phase of growth as we scale our berry program from early field trials to commercial production across the Americas. To support this expansion, we are seeking a Senior Manager, Agronomy to build and lead our agronomy function, delivering scalable technical expertise across pre‑commercial trials and commercial grower partnerships while accelerating the successful adoption of Pairwise berry cultivars.

Reporting to the Director of Technical Development, this role serves as a key technical leader, partnering closely with cross‑functional teams and external stakeholders to ensure agronomic strategies support both product performance and commercial success. The ideal candidate is an experienced agronomy leader with a proven track record of managing commercial agronomy programs, developing high‑performing teams, and driving operational excellence.

This is a highly visible leadership role for someone who thrives in both strategic and hands‑on environments. You are equally energized by mentoring and developing people, building scalable processes as you are rolling up your sleeves to solve complex agronomic challenges in the field. As the agronomy organization continues to grow, you will play a critical role in establishing best practices, expanding technical capabilities, and shaping the future of Pairwise’s commercial agronomy program.

This is a unique opportunity to help build an emerging function at an innovative company transforming agriculture through breakthrough genetics and delivering meaningful impact for growers, consumers, and the future of fresh produce.

Note:

This role can be based either out of Durham, NC or for the right candidate, East Coast remote near an international airport.

• Lead, manage, and develop a team of field agronomists supporting commercial growers and nursery partners across the U.S. and Latin America, including hiring, performance management, coaching, and professional development
• Execute and continuously refine the agronomy support strategy for pre‑commercial and commercial production sites, guiding growers from field trials through full‑scale production to drive successful adoption of Pairwise varieties
• Develop, maintain, and continuously improve a comprehensive Best Management Practices (BMP) library covering fertility, irrigation, pest and disease management, pruning, trellising, and environmental controls for Pairwise berry cultivars
• Design and implement standardized reporting systems, decision‑support tools, and field visit templates to enable consistent, scalable agronomic support across sites and regions
• Partner with the Commercial team to support grower onboarding and evaluate prospective production sites for technical readiness and long‑term success
• Provide hands‑on agronomic support to nursery and commercial production sites through regular field…