Vice President, Plant Science

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 the role

Plenty is looking for a Vice President, Plant Science to join our Plant Science team.  In this role, the Vice President, Plant Science will build and lead an applied plant science organization responsible for discovery of new crops, phased development of new crops and products, fundamental research, farm and farm systems planning and design collaboration This work will be pursued in conjunction with other R&D teams (Engineering, Product and Applied R&D) as well as Deployment and Operations.  This role is heavily focused on yield and quality and system variables manipulation as levers to drive farm economics. 

What you'll do

• Articulate and implement a clear financial ROI based approach to R&D investment in Plant Science, that is coordinated closely with the broader R&D team;
  • For instance:
    • Drive yield improvement and flavor/quality improvement for plan of record and new crops and products with research and optimization processes
    • Drive cost down at the farm level with improved production methods and plant-centric design
  • Designing and organizing cross-disciplinary teams and recruiting high-caliber science leadership and individual contributors, across the applied and fundamental sciences
  • Champion company values and drive a mindset focused on speed, simplicity and high-performance
  • Collaborate and guide farm, equipment and component design by working closely with Engineering and Product - managing effectively across the geographic challenges of multiple sites to maintain creativity and avoid siloing.
  • Define values and drive mindset focused on speed, simplicity and high-performance applied science and science ops teams
  • Build career paths, foster professional development, and mentor junior scientists
  • Build strong organizational feedback loops between Plant Science and the rest of the R&D organization, Deployment and Operations to ensure that the products being designed are appropriate and reflect the experience and needs of the users/customers
  • Build strong teams and teams of teams. Be highly collaborative.
  • Shows an understanding of domain areas adjacent in R&D, for example, engineering and the inherent differences in world-view between scientists and other parts of the business. Be comfortable working at the biological-mechanical interface.
  • Author and implement strategic and tactical approaches for the Plant Science team to create more value, faster, for the organization.
  • Author Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) and KPIs that are effective for driving transparency, accountability, and clarity throughout the organization regarding plant science outcomes, from the strategic to the tactical
  • Drives operating philosophy research focus, approach and using science for value creation for the organization
  • Has an ability to communicate with other non-technical members of the executive team to demonstrate relevance and impact/risk of plant science decisions; also has the ability to step into discussions at the level of the board of directors.
  • Collaborate, guide, and test farm equipment and component design by working closely with Engineering and Product - managing effectively across the geographic and remote work challenges of the distinct sites in Plenty- specifically, managing creative processes and tendencies for teams to silo
  • Build career paths, foster professional development and mentor Plant Science members
  • Build strong organizational feedback loops between Plant Science and the rest of the R&D organization, Deployment and Operations to ensure that the products being designed are appropriate and reflect the experience and needs of the users/customers
  • Author and implement strategic and tactical approaches for the Plant Science team to create more value, faster, for the organization
  • Author Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) and KPIs that are effective for driving transparency, accountability, and clarity throughout the organization regarding plant science optimization and operations outcomes, from the strategic to the tactical
  • Drives operating philosophy, approach for applied science and science ops for value creation for the organization.
  • Has an ability to communicate with other non-technical members of the executive team to demonstrate relevance and impact/risk of plant science decisions; also has the ability to step into discussions at the level of the board of directors

What you’ll bring to the table

• The successful Vice President of Plant Science will have 15+ years of experience building, leading, and guiding applied science teams.
• Track record building and scaling a high-performance team, developing, and continuously improving robust processes and systems in a complex, technical/science environment.
• 10+ years of experience using science in industry to create measurable and definable financial value.
• Proven experience managing and executing complex design and science problems, defining and targeting improvements and creative, out of the box applied science is ideal.
• You will be creative but realistic and know how to manage the risks of improvement against performance/cost in other parts of the organization.
• Expertise and experience across a combination of the following disciplines will be important:
  • Plant and crop physiology
  • Optimization processes, structured research
  • Statistical designs and methods, data management
  • Full spectrum of research from discovery to exploitation of discovery
  • Modern and classical plant breeding approaches
  • Greenhouse growing and/or horticulture
  • Plant-mechanical interactions and industrial production
  • Recruiting and organization building
  • Strategic planning
  • Strong budget and program management capabilities to meet scope, schedule and budget parameters
  • Large team management, building and leadership experience
  • Cross-functional leadership of teams working with all science disciplines as well as non-science disciplines.
  • Executing large scale, complex projects on-time, on-spec and on-budget.
• Shows an understanding of domain areas adjacent in R&D, for example, engineering and the inherent differences in world-view between scientists and other parts of the business. Be comfortable working at the biological-mechanical interface.
• Has an ability to communicate with other non-technical members of the executive team to demonstrate relevance and impact/risk of plant science decisions; also has the ability to step into discussions at the level of the board of directors.
• Possess a high degree of emotional intelligence and an ability to drive more collaborative, relational thinking through the Plant Science and R&D Organization.

Type of role

Full-Time

What we can offer 

•  Compensation; we’ll pay you a competitive salary, 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, 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 don’t cap the amount of days you can take off 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.