The IS Graduate Program March 2011
For application and further information, please visit www.syngenta.com
© Syngenta Crop Protection AG, Basel, Switzerland
*Our work matters
Build your career in the
Information
Systems organization
while helping to meet the worlds
increasing agricultural challenges / needs *
The IS Graduate Program
As global demand for food and fuel continues to rise, we are dedicated to our purpose: Bringing plant potential to life. Syngenta is one of the world’s leading companies with more than 25,000 employees in over 90 countries.
We work in a collaborative environment where personal contribution is rewarded and growth and development are at the heart of our culture.
Through our world-class science, global reach and commitment to working with our customers, we help to increase crop productivity, protect the environment and improve health and quality of life.
There’s never been a more important time to join Syngenta.
Content
Become an IS professional today. ... 3
Introducing the Information System function. ... 4
Grow with Syngenta. The IS Graduate Program. ... 6
Discover exciting roles in the IS Graduate Program ... 8
Meet Syngenta IS professionals ... 10
Become an Information Systems Professional today.
Dear graduate,
Congratulations! You worked hard for this very exciting time in your life by successfully completing your university graduation. Your next step is an extremely important one. At Syngenta, we offer you exciting career opportunities in a dynamic environment.
With Syngenta you are choosing a world-leading company focused upon agribusiness, playing a critical role in feeding a rapidly growing popula- tion with an increasing demand for whilst reducing pressure on increasingly precious resources (land and water). At Syngenta we are passionate about addressing these challenges in a sustainable way whilst recognizing that the resources are diminishing.
A career in the Information Services (IS) function is fascinating because of its contribution and influence across Syngenta and our Crop Protection, Seeds and Lawn & Garden businesses and across functions such as Sales and Marketing and Finance.
At Syngenta, IS not only helps drive business forward with efficient ways of working achieved through process excellence, but also by partnering up with Research and Development to empower the business and its innovation.
In Syngenta IS, we constantly leverage value for the business by utilizing leading industry practice in external sourcing and technology delivery such as cloud computing.
Overall, Syngenta has many company-wide programs that support the career development plans of our employees. Specifically in the IS organization we value diversity and pay attention to individual development planning that encourages employees to have conversations with their man- agers around capabilities and behaviors that can be developed both in their current role and for the future.
I would like to invite you to come and explore the full potential of the Syngenta IS Graduate Program. We are looking forward to introducing you to Syngenta and to giving you an insight into a possible career in our global company
Martin Walker, CIO
Contributing to addressing some of the world’s greatest challenges. Introducing the Information Systems function.
Plants are the food we eat, the air we breathe, the environment we enjoy. Plants are essential for life.
They continually renew many of the earth’s re- sources. They provide food, oxygen, fuel, shelter, clothing, medicine and more. Unlocking the full potential of plants will help the world overcome crucial challenges. With global population increas- ing rapidly, growers have more and more people to feed. Natural resources such as land and water are limited. So, agriculture has to raise its yields of quality crops. Syngenta today provides a unique combination of modern technology to help growers meet that challenge – from seeds to crop protec- tion products.
Some more food for thought – did you know?
• By 2030, the global population will rise by about a third to 8 billion people – but global calorie demand will increase by 50%
• 40% of the world’s food would not exist without crop protection products – that is why the world can produce enough food to provide every person with more than 2,700 calories per day
• 20 billion liters of Europe’s beer come from Syngenta barley. So do 70% of Scotch Whisky and 50% of every Guinness
• 1 in 7 tomatoes in the world come from Syngenta
• Syngenta introduces 100 new ornamental varieties every year
• Some 4,000 Syngenta employees work in Research and Development – we spend more than $2 million per day on R&D
Values that add value
Our knowledge and technology improve the pro- ductivity of agriculture worldwide, and contribute to the environment and the quality of life.
We do this through our values:
• Innovation. We are passionate about always seeking better ways.
• Intensity. We speak our minds. We listen.
We act.
• Health. We want to help, and are motivated to make a difference.
• Performance. We don’t shy away from challenges, we relish them.
Information Systems is an essential part of running our organization. Syngenta IS ensures that Syngenta has the operating systems, processes and applications they need in place and the critical information needed to drive our business forward.
Along with the mission to ‘Accelerate Syngenta through Information,’ the IS team works towards consistent quality delivery and equipping Syngenta for the Information Age.
4
*Our work matters
I implement
standardized business
processes to ensure simple and
efficient sales interactions
Juan Pablo Arce, BPL Seeds Sales & Order Management
Become an IS Professional
Our three year rotational program is based in Basel, our global and European headquarters. The program is designed to develop your career path in a way that meets your individual needs. You will experience three rotations giving you the opportunity to gain experience in different areas of IS and you will have a unique opportunity to network with a wide variety of people which will be invaluable in your future career development at Syngenta.
As a participant in our IS Graduate Program, you will spend three years in highly focused and collabora- tive teams. You will also benefit from various training and development.
From day one of your 3-year rotation you will be contributing to business objectives by:
• planning and delivering complex international IS projects
• taking accountability for the integrity of the operational end-to-end service
• managing strategies to get the highest value for the annual IS spend
• working with external partners to manage service level agreements
• participating in business process and governance management
• delivering master data management
• contributing to business architecture
• providing IS leadership and expertise to support the business strategy
Throughout your rotations you will have continuous support from a mentor in the IS organization and you will benefit from the breadth of experience from your new colleagues. This 3-years experience aims to be a balance of leading and learning.
Who are we looking for?
We are looking for individuals with a broad range of skills who will be able to take advantage and add value to the different areas of our rotational program.
We recruit individuals with a strong academic record (e.g. Masters Degree) in a relevant Com- puting Science disciplines. You may have recently completed your degree and are looking for your first position; or you have been working for up to three years post-University and want to broaden your skills. In addition, we are looking for adapta- ble, committed and enthusiastic people with dem- onstrated leadership skills who are willing to step out of their comfort zone and take on new challenges.
Relevant skills include good oral and written communication in English. Speaking an additional language would be an advantage.
Lastly, due to the global nature of our business and the roles you will take, you will need to be flexible and open to working with various cultures across different geographies. At the end of your three-year rotation opportunities may arise in differ- ent locations around the world, a flexibility to work internationally in the future would also be
an advantage.
Does this sound like you? Then we very much look forward to receiving your application.
For applications and further information, please visit www.syngenta.com
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Grow with Syngenta. The IS Graduate Program.
Designed to lead everyone who completes the IS Graduate Program into rewarding
positions within our company, each assignment will be built to develop your career
path in a way that meets your individual needs. From day one of the program you will
contribute to business objectives through your involvement in international projects and
the day-to-day IS work.
Junior Business Architect:
Experience to be gained in this role:
• Develop the capability to translate business strategy into IS systems architecture
• Gain good understanding of the business process landscape within the company
• Build strong partnerships with other IS teams and external partners
• Develop deep systems and business under- standing to advise on the right architectural designs for solutions to business problems
• Work with multidisciplinary project teams, Syngenta architects and management teams
Junior IS Supplier Manager Experience to be gained in this role:
• Gain exposure to strategic supplier management
• Develop a relationship with Syngenta’s strategic suppliers and stakeholders for IS
• Support IS Service Managers in their work with suppliers
• Be involved in the definition of strategic services and contracts with suppliers
• Build an understanding of how procurement processes work at Syngenta
Junior IS Service Manager Experience to be gained in this role:
• Ability to translate Service Level Agreements into business value
• Gain direct experience in interacting with on site business contacts and stakeholders
• Develop an understanding of the end to end service delivery approach
• Basic understanding of how business processes operate
• Experience in stakeholder management and communication best practices
• Appreciate the value of global process standardization
• Operational supplier management
Junior IS Business Partner Experience to be gained in this role:
• Advice business colleagues on how to best leverage IS value for their area
• Understanding of how commercial processes influence the IS solutions needed
• Basic understanding of our business architecture at Syngenta
• Develop an understanding of end to end processes
• Develop a sound understanding of the business area you are supporting
• Involvement in strategy development
Junior Business Process Analyst Experience to be gained in this role:
• Working with a global business process management team that supports Crop Protection, Seeds and Lawn & Garden
• Managing the interfaces with business and IS stakeholders
• Contribute to transforming high-level business process requirements into specifications and delivery of a solution
• Performing all tactical aspects of process management such as defining, documenting, simulating and optimizing processes by using defined metrics and success indicators
• Exposure to project, change management and transformation support during business process management projects
Discover exciting roles in the IS Graduate Program.
The type and content of roles within the IS Graduate Program will be designed by the needs of the business and also the skills and capabilities of the graduates. This could include the following roles.
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Meeting Syngenta IS professionals.
Gain insight.
Worldwide, Syngenta employs more than 500 IS professionals. They cover our businesses such as Crop Protection, Seeds, Lawn & Garden and all the functions such as Finance, HR, Global Supply, etc. They partner within the businesses to add value, every day. Meet IS professionals and IS Graduate here.
Armin Hagner, Enterprise Data Warehouse Program Manager
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*Our work matters
Working in
partnership with our suppliers
help me to build
scalable IT solutions
Kumiko Maillard IS Graduate
I joined Syngenta one year ago after studying electricity in Japan and obtaining my PhD in Computer and Communication Sciences in Switzer- land. My wish was to experience the business world after the academic one, working for an international and interdisciplinary company and act as a mediator of different countries and different disciplines. The IS graduate program was a perfect start of my career for two reasons:
• Syngenta is a worldwide leading company where the IT platforms are best in class and used to support all business areas worldwide.
• The program offers great learning opportunities moving around several IT related positions.
My first role was Junior Business Process Analyst in HR Master Data Management. Right from the begin- ning, I got the opportunity to be the project manager for a challenging project, in which I gained precious experience to initiate successfully my career. My second role was Junior Strategic Supplier Manager in IS Sup- plier Management, where I enormously developed my IS understanding and strategic thinking. In both positions I really appreciated all the support from my team, managers, mentor and stakeholders. Now I just moved to a new role as Junior IS Business Part- ner and I am enthusiastic on further self-improvement and contribution to the company.
Rob Crowe
Service Delivery Manager, R&D IS, England
I joined Syngenta directly out of Uni- versity in 1999, after working for the company as a student in 1997. It is exciting to work for a young company with a strong history which is growing and changing. Syngenta IS is full of people who like to work together and help each other across countries and businesses, and I have always found that my colleagues have taken the time to explain things to me when needed.
I have been successful in keeping an informal network of contacts within the organization and benefited from great training and development opportuni- ties. I believe that to be a success in Syngenta IS you have to be flexible and openminded with no fear to chal- lenge ideas and proposals. I started my career in Syngenta Switzerland and I am currently working in Syngenta UK.
Thomas Stebler IS Graduate
I joined Syngenta directly after gradu- ating from the University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland.
Since then, I have been working in different IS-related areas. Each chal- lenge has given me experience and new opportunities in developing my skills.
I started in the infrastructure team, after that I have been involved in a important project to gain experience in project management. I am now focusing on supplier management in this same project. Internal training courses have helped me to gain spe- cific knowledge as well as understand the bigger picture. The different as- signments do not only support personal development, but also offer a great opportunity to gain some first- hand experience of working in dif- ferent business areas within the first three years after joining Syngenta.
All this is supported by a personal mentor who gives guidance and ad- vice which makes it easier to adjust to the different areas, especially in the beginning.
Another important aspect to me is the truly global work environment. Being Swiss, it shows that you do not have to go far to experience interactions with people from all over the world.
This multicultural work environment is a real enrichment to the daily work.
