Head CP Regulatory, India

Job Description

Role Purpose and Strategic Contribution

The role leads the India regulatory agenda for crop protection and relevant technologies, translating science, policy and business priorities into timely, compliant and commercially viable regulatory outcomes. It is accountable for building a future-ready regulatory pathway that accelerates responsible introduction, renewal, expansion and stewardship of products in one of Syngenta’s most complex and strategically important growth markets.

The incumbent is a member of the India R&D leadership ecosystem and acts as the primary senior regulatory advisor to commercial, R&D, supply, legal, public affairs and global functions. The role combines sound judgement with constructive risk-taking: advancing defensible options early, making clear trade-offs, and escalating material risks decisively so that delivery is not delayed by avoidable uncertainty.

Key Accountabilities

Regulatory strategy and market access: Own the integrated India regulatory strategy and multi-year registration pipeline, prioritising resources against growth platforms, portfolio value, launch readiness, licence renewal and risk exposure. Drive an acceleration mindset: establish critical paths, remove decision bottlenecks and secure fit-for-purpose evidence packages that enable faster, predictable time-to-market without compromising scientific integrity or compliance.

India regulatory execution: Lead high-quality submission, registration, renewal, amendment, import, label and post-registration processes with the relevant Indian authorities. Ensure robust dossier planning, data interpretation, documentation control and response management. Build proactive engagement plans for India-specific regulatory requirements, including evolving expectations under insecticides, seeds, biotechnology, environment, state-level implementation and product stewardship frameworks .

Business partnership and commercial acumen: Partner with Commercial, Marketing, Finance and Portfolio teams to convert regulatory intelligence into actionable choices on portfolio investment, launch sequencing, claims, formulation, pack and label strategy, pricing assumptions and lifecycle management. Quantify the business impact of regulatory scenarios and make transparent recommendations that balance market opportunity, cost, timing, probability of success and reputational exposure.

Leadership and talent: Lead, coach and develop a high-performing Regulatory Affairs organisation with clear accountability, technical excellence, resilience and a strong ownership culture. Set ambitious standards for delivery, encourage disciplined challenge and empower team members to take well-governed decisions at pace.

External influence and stakeholder management: Represent Syngenta credibly with regulators, industry associations, technical institutions, external experts and other stakeholders. Maintain constructive, ethical and transparent relationships. Anticipate policy direction and build trusted partnerships that position Syngenta as a science-led, responsible contributor to India’s agricultural productivity, farmer outcomes and sustainability agenda.

Risk, compliance and governance: Ensure full compliance with local legislation, licence conditions, company policies, anti-bribery requirements, data integrity expectations and product stewardship commitments. Maintain a visible regulatory risk register, define mitigation owners and triggers, and lead decisive cross-functional interventions for high-impact issues, including adverse regulatory decisions, product restrictions, data gaps and public scrutiny.

R&D and scientific integration: Connect India regulatory needs with global and regional R&D, Product Safety, Field Solutions and Development teams to ensure locally relevant trial design, data generation and technical evidence. Champion early regulatory-by-design in innovation projects so India development choices are commercially relevant, technically credible and ready for submission at the required pace.

Operational excellence: Establish disciplined regulatory portfolio governance, dashboards, key performance indicators, vendor oversight and continuous-improvement routines. Use digital tools, standardised workflows and forward-looking analytics to improve submission quality, transparency, cycle time and resource productivity.

India Market Context and Required Focus

• •Navigate a diverse and dynamic federal–state operating environment, where regulatory interpretation, enforcement and market conditions can vary across geographies.
• •Shape responses to India’s evolving policy environment for crop protection, residue standards, environmental safety, imports, local manufacturing.
• •Build credible local scientific evidence and external partnerships that address Indian crops, pests, climates, use patterns and smallholder farming realities.
• •Lead with courage and integrity in situations involving ambiguous guidance, compressed timelines or competing stakeholder priorities; never compromise compliance, safety or Syngenta’s ethical standards.

Performance Outcomes / Success Measures

• •Delivery of priority registrations, renewals, extensions and amendments against agreed critical paths and business launch commitments.
• •Improved regulatory cycle time, dossier quality and predictability of approval outcomes, supported by clear portfolio governance.
• •Value protected or created through regulatory decisions, including timely launches, portfolio continuity, label optimisation and risk avoidance.
• •Demonstrable strength of regulatory compliance, inspection readiness, data integrity and product stewardship performance.
• •A capable, engaged and accountable India regulatory team with strong succession, cross-functional credibility and delivery discipline.
• •Constructive, ethical regulatory and policy engagement that enhances Syngenta’s reputation as a science-based partner to Indian agriculture.