Expert Grower, Recipe Development

Oishii • Jersey City, NJ

3d • $90,000 - $100,000

About The Position

We grow the world’s BEST Strawberries & our Expert Growers are a major reason why! As part of our Research & Development Team an Expert Grower at Oishii contributes to our exceptional product development, and plant health by working cross-functionally to ensure the success of short term and long-range goals in both production farms and R&D farms. Expert Growers serve as subject matter experts to our production teams monitoring & problem solving for plant health, diseases, pest, environmental stresses, quality and yield opportunities and often oversee projects or experiments in various farms to improve growing systems and to characterize plant responses in controlled environments. The role is hands-on and strategic with a large portion of time spent in the farm with our plants.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in horticulture, plant biology, plant physiology, soil science, or a related degree or field professional experience
• 8+ years of experience as a strawberry grower in a greenhouse, vertical farm, and/or large-scale traditional or research farm
• 8+ years of experience in team and production or experiment farm management
• Experience in experiment design, cultivation recipe development, and execution
• Proven ability to communicate experimental outcomes and translate them into recipe proposals
• Strong expertise of plant growth, environmental control, cultivation systems (e.g., UTR), and pest and disease management (IPM)
• An open-minded and adaptable leader who actively listens to diverse perspectives of team members and other cross-functional leaders to translate those perspectives into practical action
• A big-picture thinker who connects plant biology, environment condition, operations efficiency, and equipment performance to optimize the whole system
• Ability to independently identify on-site cultivation challenges, plan relevant experiments, collect and analyze data, and propose and implement actionable solutions
• Data-driven decision maker with a strong foundation in experimental design and results interpretation
• Demonstrated ability to work hands-on in a fast-paced, R&D startup environment
• Ability to lift up to 30 lbs
• Ability to climb a ladder
• Ability to crouch or kneel
• Ability to reach and stretch
• Hand dexterity
• Comfortable in an active, non-sedentary role for lengths of up to 5 to 6 hours at time
• MUST NOT be allergic to bees

Responsibilities

• Lead experiments analyzing cultivation data, timelines and outcomes to identify growth characteristics and root causes, contributing to recipe improvement on a daily and weekly basis
• Own defining and prioritizing cultivation challenges and plan experiments accordingly as it relates to yield and quality targets (KPIs)
• Oversees experiment execution by directing team members, recording plant status weekly, assessing experiment continuation, and wrapping up findings in ~2 weeks
• Maintains full compliance with safety and IPM protocols throughout all operations
• Under minimal supervision, tests and proposes optimal parameters (light, fertilizer, irrigation, CO2, etc.) by cultivar and irrigation method, and proposes base recipes
• Facilitate cross-functional projects (e.g., equipment retrofits) with Engineering, Maintenance, etc., including planning, to-do management, and coordination
• Manage and develop the senior growers, junior growers and R&D operators that report to you
• Develops 1–2 year experiment roadmap under guidance, and leads optimization of recipe development processes and strategic workflows

Benefits

• Salary of $90K-100K and Equity
• Medical/Dental/Vision Insurance
• 100% Employer Paid Life Insurance + Long Term Disability Insurance
• EAP Access
• Pet Insurance
• 401(k) Retirement Plan (Roth & Traditional)
• Paid Parental leave
• Office social events including happy hours, parties, and community service projects
• Employee activity groups for basketball players, Yoga Enthusiasts, runners

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Number of Employees: 101-250 employees