General Manager – Research & Innovation
Bragato Research Institute (BRI) drives New Zealand’s grape and wine research, innovation and extension, ensuring New Zealand remains renowned for its exceptional wine. Located in the stunning Marlborough region, BRI focuses on delivering world-leading, innovative research that fills knowledge gaps specific to New Zealand’s current and future grape growing and winemaking needs. BRI is wholly owned by New Zealand Winegrowers, the national organisation for the grape and wine sector with over 1,400 winery and grower members.
From inception, BRI has emphasised building sustainable relationships with key research and industry partners, with a substantial pipeline of R&D activity that has been developed. This includes significant programmes of work approved for investment, submitted for investment decisions, or in development. The next phase of BRI’s evolution is to grow, through securing additional research investment and commercial revenue, to deliver more impact to industry.
To drive this growth, the General Manager – Research & Innovation (GM–R&I) is a new executive leadership role with significant science leadership and commercial accountability. Reporting to the Chief Executive, key responsibilities include building BRI’s internal research capability and providing leadership to the growing research team, helping them to develop as science leaders themselves.
The GM-R&I will shape and lead BRI’s research strategy, as well as the delivery of its research programme, to produce practical research outcomes that improve the commercial viability and economic productivity of winegrower members. Supporting the Chief Executive to articulate BRI’s value proposition, this role will take the lead in building a funding pipeline of key research projects over the medium to long term.
To be successful, you will be a strategic leader with the commercial acumen and research mana to grow BRI’s science leadership capability. You will also offer:
- Proven experience developing research strategies and managing an aligned portfolio of research activity
- A people leadership style that supports development of capability and performance
- A track record of building and running successful research programmes, with measurable commercial outcomes
- The ability to work collegially with a CE and Board to grow BRI’s brand and reputation
- PhD in an area relevant to BRI’s research interests, complemented by a substantial publication history
- An understanding of the competitive R&D investment environment in New Zealand.
The Marlborough region is the heart of the NZ wine industry and is a highly attractive place to live and work. BRI’s new research winery and corporate offices are based in Blenheim, although there may be the flexibility to work from its growing grapevine improvement lab in Lincoln.
Confidential enquiries and applications should be directed to Vishnu Nair at Ichor Leadership Search by 5pm on Friday 22 July 2022. Contact us at [email protected] or +64 4 499 8230.