Associate Research Grower
Plenty
Laramie, WY, USA
Posted on Thursday, September 7, 2023
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 an Associate Research Grower 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. The Associate Research Grower will assist the Research Operations Grower in managing the seed start and propagation, transplanting, growing and harvesting process for multiple research streams and environments. You will work with the Science Operations team to execute on Plant Science research plans.
What you'll do
- Hands-on role, including the harvesting and transplanting of crops, monitoring and controlling plant nutrition, and managing the high-intensity plant production equipment
- Help strategically coordinate plant response within the confines of system performance and trial treatment effects
- Coordinate with Test Engineering teammates to conduct 24-7 grow cycle scheduling and coverage to ensure no farm disruption
- Assist the Senior Grower in a variety of farm-wide activities including:
- Germination, propagation and growing processes to generate reliable high yield
- Coordinate equipment, raw materials, processing tools, training and resource balancing to meet daily seeding, transplanting and harvesting schedules
- Monitor and adjust irrigation, nutrient, lighting and climate to minimize farm environment variation and optimize plant health and output
Establish and maintain a food safe environment including daily cleaning with staff and farm associates - Lead food safety program compliance (Program: Primus and or SQF)
- Travel up to 10% of the time
- Other duties as assigned. Schedules will be reviewed periodically and are subject to change based on business needs
What you'll bring to the table
- Bachelor of Science degree with 2+ years of relevant experience, experience can be substituted for education
- Understanding of plant science, horticulture and plant materials, propagation, pest management, and crop production
- Experience in a manufacturing (or similar) environment with disciplined process, product quality, on-time deliveries and attention to cleanliness
- Experience supervising and leading teams
- Understanding of safe work practices, tools, cleaning techniques, and personal protective equipment to meet food safety requirements
- Experience with data collection, analysis and documentation tools
- Collaborative problem solver that can communicate well with other managers, team leads and associates
- Ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts and draw valid conclusions
- Ability to implement and manage multiple projects simultaneously
Excellent organizational skills, strong decision-making and execution skills - Familiarity with MS Office Applications (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, etc). Ability to perform basic functions and updates to spreadsheets and word documents
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
- 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 applicants must be 18 years or older to apply