Commercial Development Manager

About Pairwise

Pairwise is agriculture's gene editing powerhouse, building a healthier world through partnership and plant innovation. Co-founded by CRISPR pioneers, the company's Fulcrum® Platform accelerates the development of climate-resilient, nutritious, and sustainable crops that are easier to grow and better to eat.

Founded in 2017 and based in Durham, North Carolina, Pairwise partners with global leaders and nonprofit institutions to help breeders move faster and transform food and agriculture for farmers, consumers, and the planet. The company collaborates with partners and licenses its Fulcrum® CRISPR tools to diversify breeding programs and bring innovations to market faster—from developing the world's first pitless cherry to improving staple crops such as corn, soy, cacao, yam, and rice.

Backed by leading investors including Deerfield, Aliment Capital, Leaps by Bayer, Temasek, and Corteva Catalyst, Pairwise has raised $155 million in total funding. In 2025, the company was recognized as one of MIT Technology Review's 10 Climate Tech Companies to Watch and named to Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies in Agriculture, while also earning “Best Ag-Bio Company” honors in the Triangle Business Journal's Life Sciences Awards. For more information, visit www.pairwise.com.

About This Role

Pairwise is moving from breakthrough genetics to commercial products, and we are building the commercial engine to match. Reporting to the Commercial Development Director, you will be the face of Pairwise to growers, nurseries, packer-shippers, marketers, and retail partners across the US. You will build and manage a pipeline from first conversation through signed agreement, negotiate license and supply terms, and stay engaged after the sale to make sure partners succeed. You will work hand in hand with the commercial agronomy team so that every grower who plants Pairwise genetics has the technical support to succeed, and so that acreage scales predictably season over season.

This role suits a commercially driven builder who is comfortable selling a new category. There is no established playbook to inherit—you will create the territory plan, the account strategy, and support the pricing and forecasting discipline behind it, working shoulder to shoulder with Agronomy, R&D, Marketing, Finance, and Regulatory. It is a rare chance to introduce genuinely new fruit to the market and shape how Pairwise goes to market for years to come.

This role is also part of the expansion engine for what is next as Pairwise lays the strategic and regulatory groundwork for market expansion in the coming years. You will be a close partner in these efforts by bringing commercial learnings to bear and becoming an internal reference for market entry planning and position yourself for commercial development as new geographies open. For someone who wants to help us build the category domestically and then take the playbook globally, this role is the on-ramp.

Scope of Work

• Partner with Commercial Development leadership on U.S. sales strategy and revenue targets for Pairwise genetics and licensed products, building a territory plan that identifies, prioritizes, and sequences target accounts
• Build and manage a qualified pipeline from prospecting through close, maintaining accurate forecasts, account plans, and activity records in the CRM
• Develop relationships across the fresh produce value chain—growers, nurseries, packer-shippers, marketers, distributors, and retail category teams—to create demand and secure production and commercial commitments
• Partner closely with the commercial agronomy team to onboard new growers, align planting and production plans with agronomic support, and scale up acreage of Pairwise genetics from pre-commercial plantings to full commercial production
• Negotiate license, production, and supply agreements alongside Commercial Development, Legal, and Finance, structuring terms that protect Pairwise IP while working commercially for the partner
• Support international commercial development by evaluating priority geographies, identifying and qualifying distributors and production partners, and helping stand up early commercial relationships outside the U.S.
• Serve as the voice of the customer internally, translating grower and retailer feedback into clear input for product development, pricing, S&OP, and product strategy
• Partner with Marketing to deliver sales tools, and category messaging that move deals forward
• Represent Pairwise at trade shows, grower meetings, field days, and industry events, delivering compelling technical and commercial presentations to a range of audiences
• Track competitive activity, category dynamics, pricing, and other developments in the US and across other key markets, and adjust account strategy accordingly
• Build and maintain the sales reporting cadence—pipeline reviews, forecast updates, and win/loss analysis—to give leadership a clear view of commercial progress
• Travel approximately 40–60% (domestic), with schedules driven by seasonal priorities, customer needs, and business priorities

Required Education & Experience

• BS in agribusiness, agronomy, horticulture, plant sciences, business, or a related discipline with 7–10 years of commercial experience in agriculture, fresh produce, or plant genetics, including direct sales or account management ownership

• Demonstrated record of meeting or exceeding revenue targets and closing complex, multi-stakeholder deals

• Experience selling into the fresh produce or specialty crop value chain, with established credibility among growers, nurseries, or packer-shippers
• Technical fluency in plant genetics and production agronomy sufficient to translate trait performance into commercial terms and partner with agronomists and growers in the field
• Working knowledge of production agronomy sufficient to partner effectively with agronomists and speak credibly with growers in the field
• Experience negotiating commercial agreements and working with Legal and Finance on contract terms
• Proficiency with CRM tools and disciplined pipeline management, forecasting, and reporting
• Proven ability to work cross-functionally with commercial, agronomy, R&D, finance, marketing, and regulatory teams
• Valid driver's license and valid passport, with ability to travel domestically and internationally
• Authorized to work in the United States

Preferred Qualifications

• Working proficiency in Spanish (spoken and written)
• Experience commercializing berries or other specialty fruit crops
• Experience developing international markets, including distributor or licensee management outside the U.S.
• Experience launching a new product or category where the market playbook did not yet exist
• Familiarity with plant variety protection, licensing models, or royalty-based commercial structures

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to sit and use hands to finger, handle or feel, and techniques that require fine motor skills and repetitive motions. The employee is occasionally required to stand and walk. The employee must frequently lift and/or move up to 10 pounds. The employee is regularly required to talk or hear. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus.