Research And Development Manager

About Iberocrops

Iberocrops manages large-scale farmland platforms for institutional capital across Iberia. We combine local agronomic expertise with the discipline of professional investment and asset management — which means every decision we make in the field is measured, evidenced and tied to long-term asset value. Data-driven agriculture is not a slogan here; it is how we operate.

About the role

We are looking for an R&D Manager to drive our data-driven transformation: turning scattered operational data into one coherent evidence base, and turning that evidence base into field trials, agronomic decisions and strategic direction.

You will own the company's R&D agenda end to end — the trial programme, the data architecture behind it, and the statistical rigour that makes its conclusions defensible. The role also carries part of our ESG compliance agenda, because at Iberocrops research and sustainability are the same exercise.

Based at our Lisbon HQ under a responsible hybrid arrangement, you will also work from our farm offices and, above all, in the field: our trial network runs across all of Iberia.

What you will do

R&D and evidence

• Own the company's R&D agenda: design, prioritise and run the trial programme across crops and farms
• Guarantee field-trial integrity end to end — layout, treatments, controls, replication and quality control of every measurement
• Harmonise the platforms that capture our operational data into a single, trustworthy source of truth
• Build the collection protocols and analytical routines that make agriculture at scale measurable
• Process raw data from heterogeneous sources and apply advanced statistics: experimental design, mixed models, predictive modelling
• Translate results into recommendations for agronomy, operations and investment, and into platform-wide technical standards
• Convert validated findings into operating practice, and measure the impact on yield, quality, input use and cost per hectare
• Represent Iberocrops with universities, research centres, suppliers and funding programmes

R&D as ESG (typically 10–20% of your time)

Every gain in efficiency — less water, less plant protection product, less fuel, less waste per unit produced — lowers our footprint on the ecosystem while raising what we return to society in the form of nutritious food. Concretely, you will:

• Quantify the resource intensity of our operations — water, energy, nutrients, carbon — and set the improvement targets
• Direct trials at the levers where efficiency and environmental performance move together, from irrigation to IPM
• Own the technical side of ESG reporting and certification evidence, backed by data rather than narrative
• Support due diligence and investor reporting with credible impact metrics and a defensible methodology

What we are looking for

• Degree in Agronomy or Agricultural Engineering, with a Data Science or Statistics complement valued. MSc or PhD required, unless offset by exceptional field-proven experience
• 5+ years in positions of agronomic responsibility or data analysis in the agricultural sector
• A genuinely strong agronomic foundation: soil, water, plant nutrition, phenology and crop protection
• Full command of advanced statistics and end-to-end raw-data processing: Python or R, SQL, GIS and remote sensing
• A highly process-oriented mindset — you build the mechanism, document it and make it repeatable
• Fluent Portuguese and English; Spanish a strong advantage
• Willing to travel regularly between sites in Portugal and Spain

Nice to have

• Published or peer-reviewed agronomic research, or a track record with public funding programmes (PDR, Horizon Europe or similar)
• Experience in an institutionally-owned or fund-backed farming platform
• Hands-on work with ESG or sustainability reporting frameworks in agriculture

What we offer

• A central role with real ownership and impact in a growing company — the R&D agenda is yours to build
• Competitive salary and benefits, with genuine development opportunities
• A young, dynamic team that moves quickly
• The chance to shape how farmland is managed in the Iberian agriculture sector
• Data-driven agriculture at the core of everything we do