Field Development Associate

We are hiring a Field Development Associate to join our Field Development Program and provide support to the Director of Field Development (FD) and the FD team in our crop-based research. The FD Program has the critical responsibility of supporting the Research, Agronomy, Sales/Marketing and Business Development departments with data and information required for the advancement and positioning of agricultural product and germplasm candidates toward commercialization. Fundamental to the Associate role will be supporting FD with the management of the contract research and seed partners and an extensive small plot and on-farm field trial program.  

This role reports to the Director of Field Development and can be based remotely across the United States. Travel expectations are extensive during the field trial season to effectively manage the network of contract research organizations (CRO), averaging 40, 50, 60% annually. Preference is for candidates to reside in the Midwest or Western US. 

Responsibilities

• Support the Director of FD by: 

1) managing, analyzing, and/or reporting field data from agricultural product and germplasm trials designed to achieve company-wide goals 

2) contributing to a comprehensive data management strategy for on-farm field trial programs 

3) managing relationships with CROs, university researchers, and other field trial partners involved as defined by the annual FD Program 

• Support the planning, coordination, and execution of small plot and on-farm field trials, including the identification of contract research partners and trial locations; trial planting, maintenance, data collection, and harvest
• Develop and maintain close working relationships and communication with CROs and university researchers, as well as tracking service bids, contracts, invoices and payments
• Coordinate and supervise the execution of small plot and on-farm field trial protocols (via digital tools and in-person by traveling up to 75% of the time during the busy part of the year) to field locations to monitor compliance with protocols, to ensure the timeliness and precision of treatment applications and the accuracy and of data collection
• Manage and/or participate in the quality checking, storage and/or analysis of agricultural product data
• Develop and maintain close working relationships and communication with CRO and university researchers, as well as tracking service bids, contracts, invoices and payments
• Prepare reports and presentations that summarize the analysis, conclusions, and interpretation of field trial results
• Conduct and/or coordinate field activities for seed production, seedling establishment, phenotypic measurements, and fruit collection in support of the on-demand breeding program 
• Support other FD related activities, such as, but not limited to, field days, trade shows, training sessions, and data entry.

Targeted Skills & Experience

• Demonstrated success managing crops in small plot and on-farm field trials for data collection and seed production.
• Demonstrated on-farm knowledge of agricultural and seed production practices associated with major agronomic and horticultural crops and of the use and application of agricultural chemical products including fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, chemical and microbial biostimulants, etc.
• Proficiency with software for protocol development and trial design, data collection, management and analysis.
• Ideal candidates will have completed educational coursework in Agriculture, Plant Sciences, Agronomy, Horticulture, Data/Computer Science, or related fields, or have equivalent work experience 

This role demonstrates our core values by:

• Boldness: Challenges conventional ways of conducting field research, seed production, and crop production to identify faster, more efficient, and more outcome-focused approaches. Challenges growers and researchers to adopt new approaches where appropriate.
• Ownership: Takes full responsibility for assigned areas of the FD program and ensures planning, execution, and follow up to ensure both scientific rigor and commercial meaning in results. 
• Respect: Drives knowledge of field development and seed and produce  production into Sound while respecting the work that the team has done to get us to this place.
• Creativity: Identifies new ways to work with growers and contract researchers that are nimble, fast, and digital-first.

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