R&D Technician, Hydroponics Full Time

Location: Incumbent must be willing to relocate to Hamilton, MT facility upon hire.

Position: Local Bounti is seeking to hire an Entry Level R&D Technician for our Bounti Bitterroot facility.

Job Overview: The R&D Technician will work along side the Continuous Improvement – New Product Development team. The objectives of this team are to identify, test, and validate crops or methods of growing crops to advance new products to commercial production and or improve the profitability of existing products already in the market. This will be a hands-on role in our nurseries, greenhouses, and post-harvest production areas conducting activities such as planting, tracking, collecting daily measurements, taking plant weights, recording data, and assisting on the technical write ups of experiments.

Responsibilities

• Experiment Management: Responsible for the daily activities for each of the experiments in the production environment. This includes manually seeding, transplanting, and harvesting of small experimental batches.
• Maintain Integrity of Experiment: Ensuring accurate accounting of experimental variables are recorded in compliance with the Design of Experiment document.
• Quantitative Data Collection: Tasked with taking and recording daily measurements including: germination rate, volumetric plant size, plant weights, nutrient deficiencies, plant stress and their relation to how old the plant is and the environment in which it was grown.
• Qualitative Data Collection: Taking notes on general characteristics of the plants throughout their life, including but not limited to: ascetics, texture, color, perceived turgidity, or other factors that might be laid out in the DOE.
• Data Aggregation and Reporting: Maintaining a complete and accurate dataset for the entirety of the experiment and assisting the team to create a final analysis and related report.
• Professionalism and Teamwork: Arrive on time for every shift with a positive attitude. Treat all team members and visitors with respect. Display a strong work ethic and manage time appropriately. Work respectfully and productively with all members of the team.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Horticulture, Biology, Plant Science, or related degree.
• Demonstrated experience carrying out experiments in a controlled environment.
• Exceptional ability to accurately and repeatedly take and record precise measurements.
• Experience working within a team to solve complex problems.
• Ability to analyze and report out data and the resulting conclusions.
• Strong technical writing skills.
• Capacity to be on your feet for at least 6 hours and able to lift at least 25 Lbs.
• Experience working in a greenhouse or with hydroponics a plus!

Personal Attributes Desired for Success

• Ability to move and iterate quickly
• Not afraid to ask for help
• Flexibility to switch focus between multiple projects
• Willingness to contribute and help with activities outside of daily tasks
• Nimble
• Dependable and reliable
• Calm under pressure with the ability to problem solve
• Inclined to take initiative
• Works both independently and collaboratively
• Self-starter, motivated and proactive
• Verbal and written communication proficiency