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. For more information, visit www.pairwise.com.

About This Role:

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.

Essential Functions:

• 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 visits, evaluating crop performance, troubleshooting production challenges, and recommending best cultural practices
• Ensure the agronomy team provides effective support for the successful execution and management of R&D trial locations
• Collaborate closely with Commercial, R&D, and Quality teams to align agronomic recommendations with product development goals and commercial strategy
• Lead grower training programs, field demonstrations, and educational tours focused on best management practices across diverse production systems and growing environments
• Stay informed on industry trends, emerging technologies, and evolving regional pest and disease pressures impacting berry and specialty crop production, incorporating relevant insights into agronomic programs
• Develop, manage, and monitor the agronomy program budget and represent the headcount strategy
• Travel approximately 30–50% (domestic and international), with travel schedules driven by seasonal priorities and business needs

Required Education & Experience:

• BS in agronomy, horticulture, plant sciences, or a related discipline with 10+ years of relevant agronomy experience, including at least 6 years managing agronomy programs, teams, and budgets. An MS with 8+ years of relevant experience, including at least 4 years in program management, is also acceptable
• Demonstrated success managing agronomy or field operations teams across multiple growing regions
• Experience implementing agronomy support strategies, best management practices, and standardized tools for commercial crop production
• Strong foundation in pest and disease management, irrigation, fertility principles, and cultural practices for produce or horticultural crops
• Experience managing budgets and aligning agronomy programs with commercial business objectives
• Proven ability to work cross-functionally with commercial, R&D, and quality teams
• Fluency in English and Spanish (spoken and written) is required
• Valid passport with ability to travel internationally

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience with berry production systems
• Experience with both substrate and soil-based production systems
• Experience working with growers in Latin America, particularly Colombia or Ecuador

Offerings:

• Comprehensive Benefits Plan, including Medical, Dental, Vision, HSA/FSA, 401k, Life Insurance, Short-Term & Long-Term Disability, and more!
• Flexible PTO (use what you need, when you need it), in addition to company holidays
• Casual work environment
• Mission - driven organization focused on creating healthier fruits and veggies
• A cutting-edge, driven community looking to lead the industry in innovation and nutrition

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to sit and use hands to finger, handle or feel, and techniques that require fine motor skills and repetitive motions. The employee is occasionally required to stand and walk. The employee must frequently lift and/or move up to 10 pounds. The employee is regularly required to talk or hear. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus.

EEO Statement:
We're an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status.

Don’t meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At Pairwise we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive and authentic workplace, so if you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyways. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.