Research Associate, Crop Production

About Plenty
We are on a mission to grow plenty of fresh food for everyone, everywhere. We are building the world’s largest, most technologically advanced, indoor vertical farms. Using a fraction of the land and water outdoor farms need, our farms are designed to secure our food future.
Our people and teams are how we make our mission possible. 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. Join us as we rewrite the rules of agriculture, and we’ll bet our berries you’ll be rewarded with innovative and collaborative teammates, a supportive environment, diverse career opportunities and meaningful work.
About The Role
Plenty is looking for a Research Associate, Crop Production to join our Plant Science team. The Plant Science team conducts research trials to develop new ways of growing plants in our unique indoor vertical systems and to optimize yield for a better food future. In this role, you will play a key role on our Crop Development team by contributing to a range of projects focused on production and characterization of fruits and vegetables. You will work cross-functionally with Plant Scientists to design and execute experiments in horticulture, physiology, engineering, and production. You will work across project phases: planning, implementing and executing projects to completion and reporting out the results. You 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 also require this person to stay up to date on advancements in CEA (controlled environment agriculture) Production and Plant Science.
What You'll Do

• Establish collaborative relationships with other researchers in the field through attendance of conferences, symposia, and workshops
• 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
• Review literature and recent discoveries relevant to CEA and conceptualize how they can benefit Plenty
• Supervise technical staff to assist in research efforts as needed
• Others duties as assigned
• Integrate existing and new methods to drive yield, quality, and plant health
• Travel up to 5% of the time
• Monitor, collect, analyze, and report on experiment data on an ongoing basis
• Collaborating with other departments including Engineering, Data Science, Operations, and Project Management
• Participate at all levels of trial management, from concept through completion
• Investigate strategies to translate bench scale findings into production solutions

What You'll Bring To The Table

• Strong research, analytical, and communication skills
• Confident working independently
• Demonstrated ability for production at research scale, execution of horticulture trials, and completion of research projects
• Ability to work in a startup environment with rapidly evolving goals and timelines
• Masters and 2+ years of research experience in Horticulture, Plant Science or related field OR Bachelor’s and 5+ years of research experience
• Comfortable performing basic lab analyses using scientific equipment
• Passion for finding a new way of growing clean, nutritious food
• Background in controlled environment agriculture

Type of role
Full-Time; Onsite
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
• Grow together; learning & development opportunities including unlimited access to our Upstart University platform, LinkedIn Learning, lunch & learns, training certifications, and more
• 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?
• 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
• 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
• 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

Food & Safety Requirements

• All applicants must be 18 years or older to apply
• Comply with all Plant, State and Federal OSHA, EPA, FDA, HACCP, and SQF regulations