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Employment type:
Full time
Experience required:
Intermediate
Salary
Salary not provided
About the company:
We are a team of growers, plant scientists, engineers, artists, foodies and plant romantics working to improve the lives of plants, people, and the planet. We currently operate in South San Francisco, CA, and Laramie, WY. Our new Compton, CA site set to open in 2021 will be the world’s first, high-capacity indoor vertical farm.
Plenty believes food justice is social justice. Equal access to healthy, nutritious food is fundamental to a quality life. We build farms in communities that need better access to food and jobs. Plenty provides living-wage, year-round jobs along with flavorful, nutrient-rich food to the communities we serve. We use automation and robotics so machines do the backbreaking labor while people perform new kinds of skilled agricultural, science and high-tech jobs.
Now is the time to help Plenty achieve its mission to feed the world healthy food in a sustainable way. We are a start-up with expanding career growth opportunities.
We are actively seeking those who embody our core values: find a way, down to earth, & grow together. These values guide how we work together as teammates, approach innovation and engage with customers. Does this sound like you? Join the mission as we improve human and planetary health by increasing access to craveable fruits and vegetables.
About Plenty
Plenty is on a mission to make fresh, pesticide-free fruits and vegetables more accessible to everyone. Our cutting-edge indoor, vertical farms produce extraordinary yields using a fraction of the land and water outdoor farms need. Nutrient-rich, mouth-watering and locally grown, our crops help people, communities and our planet to be healthier and more resilient.
The people and teams who make up Plenty are at the core of how we do this. We are a collaborative and innovative bunch. We are passionate about our contributions to Plenty, the communities around us and our planet, but never take ourselves too seriously. We’re down to Earth, we grow together, and we always find a way. Most importantly, we’re here to improve the lives of plants, people and our planet.
About Role
Plenty is looking for a Research Associate (RA) who will work cross-functionally with scientists to design and execute experiments in horticulture, physiology, engineering, and production. This role will work across project phases: planning, implementing and executing projects to completion and reporting out the results. This role will be critical in identifying, implementing, and documenting R&D’s best practices for integration into system design, production research, and cultivation practices. Success in this role will require the individual to stay up to date on advancements in CEA production and plant science. The Research Associate will be critical to maintaining and meeting Plenty’s commitment to our mission of Plants, People, Planet.
What You’ll Do
- Investigate strategies to translate bench scale findings into production solutions
- Monitor, collect, analyze, and report on experiment data on an ongoing basis
- Integrate existing and new methods to drive yield, quality, and plant health
- Participate at all levels of trial management, from concept through completion
- Develop, review and maintain Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), train and keep colleagues up to date on new protocols, keep an up-to-date digital notebook
- Collaborating with other departments including Engineering, Data Science, Operations, and Project Management
- Review literature and recent discoveries relevant to controlled environment agriculture and conceptualize how they can benefit Plenty
- Establish collaborative relationships with other researchers in the field through attendance of conferences, symposia, and workshops
- Supervise technical staff to assist in research efforts as needed
What We’re Looking For
- Masters plus 4 years of research experience in Horticulture, Plant Science or related field
- Demonstrated ability for production at research scale, execution of horticulture trials, and completion of research projects
- Background in controlled environment agriculture
- Confident working independently
- Comfortable performing basic lab analyses using scientific equipment
- Strong research, analytical, and communication skills
- Ability to work in a startup environment with rapidly evolving goals and timelines
- Passion for finding a new way of growing clean, nutritious food
- Experience with statistical and environmental models for plant growth and development is a plus
- Experience with commercial plant production is a plus
Type of role
Full-Time
What we can offer
- Compensation: we’ll pay you a competitive wage, give you a stake in the company via equity and contribute toward your 401K
- Health & well-being: we’ll invest in your physical and mental well-being with comprehensive medical, dental, & vision benefits from day one, in-office gyms, and an Employee Assistance Program to help with mental health, financial & legal matters
- Food: in-office lunches, snacks and access to our leafy greens & new produce in development -- are you up for a side gig as a taste tester?
- Grow together: learning & development opportunities including unlimited access to our Upstart University platform, LinkedIn Learning, lunch & learns, training certifications, and more
- Equipment: we’ll provide you with the equipment you need to be successful, including $75/month toward your phone bill and $250 every 2 years to upgrade your phone
- Paid time off: we know you’ll do your best if you’re taking time to recharge, so we offer 2 weeks of paid time off + 6 days of paid sick leave per year in addition to the paid holidays we observe
- Parental leave: 12 weeks off for all new parents - fully paid so you can focus your energy on your newest addition
Food Safety Requirements
- Comply with all Plant, State and Federal OSHA, EPA, FDA, HACCP, and SQF regulations
- All employees must show proof of COVID vaccination before starting work, other than in limited circumstances where the law requires an exception
- Comply with GMP/GAPS in the Facility
- Conduct monitoring activities to assure finished product comply with food safety and quality specifications
- Assist in the maintenance of Food Safety and Quality system
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