Celery breeder

Job Title: Celery Breeder

Location: Cobham Surrey, UK

Candidates must have the right to work in the UK.

Position Summary:

Tozer Seeds seeks a dedicated and passionate Celery Breeder to work alongside our Senior Celery Breeder, facilitating critical knowledge transfer to develop premium, innovative F1 hybrid celery varieties. This role focuses on field trials, pedigree breeding, data analysis and supporting market-leading product innovation.

As a global leader in celery breeding, the candidate will improve agronomic traits such as bolt tolerance, disease resistance and flavour, working between field trials and laboratories to meet international market needs, following our tradition of excellence.

Key Responsibilities:

• Knowledge Transfer: Work closely with the Senior Celery Breeder to learn specific breeding methodologies, pedigree selection and disease resistance strategies.

• International Collaboration: Work with teams in the UK, Spain and USA to tailor varieties to varied climates and customer needs.

• Field/Glasshouse Trials: Manage all aspects of celery field trials, including sowing, planting, screening and harvesting.

• Breeding Programs: Support the creation, management, and selection of new celery hybrids and inbred lines through both traditional plant breeding techniques and utilisation of lab-based technologies. Focus on enhancing traits such as yield, disease resistance (e.g., Fusarium and Septoria), bolt tolerance, holding ability and flavour.

• Field & Lab Evaluation: Conduct trials, evaluate germplasm and screen for desirable traits, including working at the UK headquarters’ innovation centre and liaising with external academic collaborators.

• Data Management: Utilize molecular technologies and statistics to maintain accurate records, analyse trial data and report on progress.

• Collaboration: Coordinate with colleagues in seed quality, seed production, product development and sales to ensure new varieties meet market requirements.

Required Qualifications & Skills:

• PhD or MSc in Plant Breeding, Genetics, Horticulture, or a related field.
• Proven experience in vegetable breeding, preferably with hybrid crops.
• Strong understanding of genetics, plant pathology and agronomy.
• Excellent data management skills and experience with breeding software.
• Ability to work in international teams and travel to field sites.
• Strong interest in celery breeding and a desire to learn from a senior expert.
• Experience in field trials or plant breeding (ideally with vegetables).
• Ability to work in both field and lab environments.
• Excellent organisational and data-management skills.

How to Apply:

If you are interested in this position, please send your CV to our HR team at:

About Tozer Seeds:

Tozer is a respected leader in vegetable breeding, focusing on high-quality, innovative products. We offer a collaborative environment focused on research and market-leading innovation.