Head of Research And Development

Head of Research & Development
, 9five Integrated Nutrient Systems, Brits, North West Province, South Africa

Do you want to build our R&D department and lead the development of next-generation biological agricultural inputs?

9five Integrated Nutrient Systems is looking for an exceptional Head of R&D to lead the next stage of our scientific and product-development journey. We develop high-performance organic fertilisers, soil conditioners, biological extracts and growing media that improve soil health and support regenerative agriculture.

This isn't a conventional laboratory management role. We need someone who can turn scientific knowledge into better products, measurable plant performance, and commercially scalable agricultural solutions.

Full-time | Senior technical leadership role

• Build and lead a structured R&D programme spanning soil biology, plant nutrition, growing media and product formulation
• Design experiments that isolate the real drivers of plant performance - EC, nutrient form, microbial activity, physical structure, oxygen availability, and more
• Establish rigorous, replicated testing protocols - building on our early-stage trials to move toward fully evidence-based product development
• Build a network of universities, research institutions, agronomists and commercial farmers
• Connect field observations to lab experiments - and lab findings back to commercial field trials
• Build a proprietary scientific database that becomes a long-term competitive advantage.

A scientist who's also a problem solver, ideally with a background in Soil Science, Plant Science, Horticulture, Agronomy, Microbiology, Plant Physiology or a related field. A Master's or PhD is advantageous, but what matters most is your ability to design experiments, interpret complex biological systems and translate results into practical, sellable products.

You're scientifically rigorous, commercially minded, curious, hands-on, data-driven, collaborative and entrepreneurial.

You'll have real autonomy to shape our scientific direction and develop our R&D capability, working at the intersection of soil biology, plant science, nutrition, microbiology, and regenerative agriculture, with the ambition of proving, through rigorous science, that better soil biology means better crops.

Science that feeds the soil. Technology for a regenerative future.

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