Senior Greenhouse Research Associate

State College, PA

Full Time

Mid Level

WE ARE MINDFUL, ORIGINAL, & BOLD
Phospholutions, Inc. is an award-winning and venture-backed agtech start-up company enhancing global phosphorus use. Phospholutions is experiencing exponential growth with the recent launch of their proprietary RhizoSorb® technology helping reduce the environmental impact of fertilizers and helping growers achieve more from their crop inputs.

Headquartered in State College, PA, Phospholutions is growing their team to support the commercial launch of RhizoSorb® technology following multiple years of successful field trials, three decades of academic research, and backed by leading industry investors, with a Senior Greenhouse Research Associate in State College, PA.

If you are an experienced, self-motivated research professional seeking a new career opportunity executing day-to-day research and greenhouse tasks, passionate about improving nutrient use efficiency and sustainability, and have success planning and executing greenhouse trials, we highly encourage you to apply for this position!

JOB OBJECTIVE
We value energy, passion, authenticity, creativity…and results! The individual hired for this position will assume ownership of and perform a diverse range of tasks, becoming an indispensable business partner to the Research & Development (R&D) team, helping to manage, implement, and achieve critical research and development objectives and strategies. The Senior Greenhouse Research Associate also serves as a liaison to internal colleagues regarding greenhouse studies/projects.

Among other responsibilities, this position provides research and development support by planning and executing greenhouse and raw material experimentation, evaluating raw materials, crop varieties, growing media, fertilizers, and/or growth conditions, managing and maintaining greenhouse environment setting and recommending improvements as needed, preparing, setting up and tearing down all materials and supplies for lab experiments and greenhouse trials, monitoring and identifying pests and diseases in the greenhouse and working with third-party greenhouse staff to implement pest and disease prevention measures and ensure smooth greenhouse operations. Work assignments are often performed with limited direct supervision and often, where only limited standardization exists; therefore, the Senior Greenhouse Research Associate must have the skills and abilities to identify and implement process and/or system improvements to achieve a defined outcome. This role will manage data collection, record observations, execute soil and tissue sampling while maintaining accurate records during trial and experiments. This position also performs other tasks to support the R&D team and other staff, including, but not limited to organizing, maintaining, and managing small-scale laboratory and greenhouse equipment, performing quality control tests and performing quantitative and qualitative analysis on raw materials, and translating/communicating research findings and complex statistical information within the company.

KNOWLEDGE/SKILLS/QUALIFICATIONS/ABILITIES
The successful candidate will be able to demonstrate core competencies in the following areas:

Demonstrated success prioritizing and managing work requests from multiple sources and in meeting deadlines; superior time management skills and attention to detail are essential
Ability to exercise ethical, prudent judgment and problem-solving in the absence of direct supervision
Ability to communicate, collaborate, and build strong working relationships with others, especially using digital, phone, and video technologies
Ability to work independently, learn new skills quickly, and take initiative
Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, performance-driven environment and assume personal ownership of R&D activities and outcomes
Excellent verbal, written and presentation communication skills, including mastery of correct grammar, spelling, punctuation, syntax and tone
Ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram, or schedule form
Strong knowledge of plant and soil science
Strong math skills including the use of statistic, formulas, charts, and tables

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

Master’s degree in Agronomy, Plant Science, Soil Science, Chemistry, Biology or related physical science field from an accredited university or college OR a Bachelor’s degree in one of these fields plus four years of related experience outside a school setting
2 to 3 years greenhouse and laboratory research experience
“Day-1 Expert-level” proficiency in Microsoft Office applications (Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint, and Word)
Proficient in statistics and graphing software(s)
Demonstrated experience with greenhouse experiment design and set up
Valid driver’s license and ability to travel to multiple work locations as needed
Background checks (criminal/education/employment/reference/credit/DMV) will be performed; results must be satisfactory to the company.
If hired, must adhere to all company policies and procedures and other prescribed best practices/industry standards

OTHER REQUIREMENTS

Must be able to lift 50 to 60 pounds as needed
Frequent sitting, standing, moving forward/back/side-to-side, and working around greenhouse and laboratory equipment is required; where exposure to electrical currents, vibrations, fumes, odors, dusts, gases, chemicals, oils, sealants, solvents, and other compounds is possible
Ability to work in an area where pesticides are used

DESIRED EXPERIENCE, KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & ABILITIES (THESE ARE A PLUS!)

Basic analytical chemistry (qualitative and quantitative analysis) as well as spectrometry, spectroscopy, spectrophotometry, and microscopy is preferred
Experience with computer programming

TO APPLY
Tell us why you are interested in this position and your desired salary in the cover letter section of this posting. Include your resume, answer a few questions, then click submit. It’s that easy to apply right now!

This is an IMMEDIATE opportunity, BUT we are looking for an awesome new team member, so the position will remain open until filled.
Applicants must be currently authorized to work in the United States. This company does not sponsor applicants for work visas.
Our company utilizes E-Verify to verify employment eligibility. You can learn about this program by visiting the E-Verify website.
This position is located in State College, PA
The Company reserves the right to alter, change, modify and/or terminate this job posting at any time without notice, or obligation. No recruiters, please; principal applicants only.

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Phospholutions, Inc. provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, familial status, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

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Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential job functions. If you need a reasonable accommodation because of a disability for any part of the employment process, please send an e-mail to [email protected] and let us know the nature of your request and your contact information.

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This is an immediate job opportunity in State College, PA. This is not a remote work opportunity. If hired, will you be able to report to work in State College as described in the job posting?* I understand this is not a remote work position and I am able to report to work in State College, PA as described in this job posting.No, I am not able to report to work as described in State College, PA. I understand this means I do not meet a basic job requirement.

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Senior Greenhouse Research Associate

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