Our people and shared passion make Royal Van Zanten unique. We aim to pass on our passion for flowers, plants, and the growth of our company.
To elevate our Alstroemeria breeding program, we’re looking for a
SENIOR BREEDER, a breeder with a passion for cytogenetics
Your responsibilities
As Senior Breeder, you play a key role in the development of commercial varieties and genetic material in our strategic crop Alstroemeria. You’ll collaborate closely with the breeding team, trait development team, TC technology team, and commercial departments to develop innovative, winning varieties.
You create a long-term breeding vision and strategy, based on market developments and leveraging advanced breeding and data technologies. In collaboration with cross-disciplinary teams, you lead breeding trials and make data-driven decisions. You report on genetic progress and performance of selections under development.
You work in international and multidisciplinary teams, including colleagues from sales, marketing, production, and external research institutes. Since our trials are conducted globally, travel is part of the role. You report to the Breeding Team Lead, with your base in Rijsenhout, The Netherlands.
You are unique
We are looking for someone who shares our passion for flowers and plants. You thrive in multidisciplinary teams, communicate effectively, and also work well independently. You are proactive and collaborate easily with international colleagues in research, sales, and production.
You’re enthusiastic, motivated, and have a strong affinity with cytogenetic techniques.
Your analytical skills enable you to translate complex breeding challenges into market-driven breeding programs. You are well-versed in both classical and modern breeding technologies and know how to implement them effectively. You are comfortable with IT tools, quantitative data analysis, and project management.
What we look for
We’re seeking candidates who have:
- MSc or PhD in plant breeding, biology, genetics, or plant sciences
- At least 5 years of experience as a plant breeder
- Expertise in cytogenetics, population genomics, data science, and digital phenotyping tools
- Experience analyzing phenotypic and genotypic data
- A strong ambition to become a ‘rock star’ in plant breeding (experience in vegetables and/or ornamentals is a plus)
- have a good command of English and Dutch and be willing to travel within the Netherlands and internationally (approximately 3-5 times per year);
- have experience and affinity with the Dutch floriculture sector and growers in this industry;
- Willingness to travel nationally and internationally (approximately 3–5 times per year).
Royal Van Zanten has much to offer
We offer you a career and ongoing opportunities to develop yourself and your work. Our strategy includes continuous investment in our people, products, processes, and overall quality.
We are ambitious, and we hope you are too. You’ll receive a competitive salary aligned with the responsibilities of this exciting role, strong secondary benefits, and—most importantly—a passionate team of colleagues who make working at Royal Van Zanten a daily joy and adventure.
You’ll have the opportunity to work internationally, while being based in the Netherlands. International and domestic travel is part of the role.
Our generous benefits include holiday allowance, travel expense reimbursement, a bonus scheme, pension via BPL, 25.5 days of annual leave, a cycling plan, company physiotherapy, collective health insurance, and more.
Excited to join us?
We’d love to hear from you. Send your application to sollicitatie@royalvanzanten.com.
For questions about the position, contact Joost Kos, Director of Breeding & Development, via j.kos@royalvanzanten.com or +31 6 51989693.
