Senior Scientist / Principal Scientist – Plant Team

About Pivot Bio:  

Fueled by an innovative drive and a deep understanding of the soil microbiome, Pivot Bio is pioneering game-changing advances in agriculture. Our commercial products harness the power of naturally-occurring microbes to provide nutrients to crops.  We provide new and sustainable ways for farmers to improve yield as they work to help feed the world’s growing population. Read/Hear more about Pivot Bio on Forbes or PBS News Hour. 

Job Description:

We are seeking a detail-oriented Senior Scientist/ Principal Scientist to join our growing Plant Analytics team. This individual will be an integral part of our plant biology team and will be expected to develop novel tools and assays to quantify plant response to our product candidates. In addition, the successful candidate will collaborate within and across teams to generate and communicate data that support advancement decisions for our testing pipeline. 

Primary Location: Hayward, California with travel once a week to Berkeley Headquarters 

Responsibilities: 

• Manage a growing team of researchers responsible for screening and validation of Pivot’s microbial candidates using controlled environments, both greenhouses and growth rooms 
• Direct the development and optimization of  assays and procedures to generate reliable, quantitative data on plant growth metrics and product performance 
• Collaborate with internal and external partners to design and execute plant assays using controlled environments to validate new technologies 
• Prioritize daily tasks to meet the needs of all team members, and effectively communicate progress and results in a timely manner 
• Further develop and implement data curation/ QC and statistical analysis pipelines and visualization tools for real-time decision making 
• Develop and test models for plant growth outcomes based on measured microbial phenotypes 

Required Skills and Experience:

• Senior Scientist - PhD in biological sciences (plant biology, horticulture, or agronomy strongly preferred) with at least 8 years of relevant experience, master’s degree with at least 12 years of relevant experience, or equivalent related experience 
• Principal Scientist - PhD in biological sciences (plant biology, horticulture, or agronomy strongly preferred) with at least 12 years of relevant experience, master’s degree with at least 16 years of relevant experience, or equivalent related experience 
• Experience with plant care/greenhouse assays and previous work in maize, wheat, rice, or other row crops 
• Extensive experience in assay development and design of experiment  
• Advanced computer skills including data capture/ visualization as well as management and statistical analysis of complex data sets 
• Superior communication and teamwork, and ability to forecast time and resource needs 
• Experience managing projects across multiple teams 
  
  *Must be authorized to work in the U.S. 

What we offer: 

• Competitive package in a disruptive startup 
• Stock options 
• Health/Dental/Vision insurance with employer-paid premiums 
• Life, Short-Term and Long-Term Disability policies 
• Employee Assistance Program with free referrals and discounts 
• 401(k) plan, 3% Match 
• Commuter benefits 
• Annual Training & Development support 
• Flexible vacation policy with a generous holiday schedule 
• Exciting opportunity to work with a talented and fun team