Operations Specialist- Crop Breeding Support

Company Description

Syngenta is a global leader in agriculture; rooted in science and dedicated to bringing plant potential to life. Each of our 30,000 employees in more than 90 countries work together to solve one of humanity’s most pressing challenges: growing more food with fewer resources. A diverse workforce and an inclusive workplace environment are enablers of our ambition to be the most collaborative and trusted team in agriculture. Our employees reflect the diversity of our customers, the markets where we operate and the communities which we serve. No matter what your position, you will have a vital role in safely feeding the world and taking care of our planet. Join us and help shape the future of agriculture.

About Us

Through leading innovations, we help farmers around the world meet the challenge of feeding a growing population and taking care of our planet. We are currently seeking an Operations Specialist for the Seeds Development team in Nampa, ID.   

Job Description

• The purpose of Operations Specialist is to support the different breeding projects in delivering on project goals by running the greenhouse and open field operations, and supervising a crew of third-party contract labor.
• Support overall activities of the site Seeds Development operations team by leading the logistics, organization and execution of on-site crossing blocks and nurseries in greenhouse, and open field. Support field product evalution trials activities and data collection. Support seed cleaning, storage, shipment and testing.
• Follow and apply all HSE (Health, Safety, & Environment) and Stewardship practices, as well as to provide support to site management with the functional activities of a research facility.

Accountabilities

• Functioning as an integral member of operations team covering all activities from seed to seed process from sowing to harvest including but not limited to planning, request, sowing list, labelling,  plantation list, organize pollination plan, harvest list, seed health measures, seed cleaning and storage.
• Directly manage and supervise including but not limited to planning, seeding, sampling, planting, growing, note taking, harvesting, seed extraction and packaging of vegetable trials and vegetable breeding nurseries.
• Supporting efforts to maintain seed stewardship principles of inventory and performing tasks that include but are not limited to: seeding, sampling, planting, spraying, threshing and data collection.
• Use different phenotyping tools to secure trial data collection and data storage. Input and maintain data in database.
• Managing, coaching and training of third-party contract labor to ensure accurate results are achieved. Monitoring performance indicators for third-party contract labor.
• On-call for greenhouse emergencies or unscheduled work based on business needs or weather conditions (including weekends).
• Performing all tasks and behaving in a manner compliant with and in support of all safety and stewardship related company policies and practices, including completing all required company training courses and attending local safety meetings.
• Effectively communicating on a daily basis with peers, breeding teams and supervisor regarding the status of projects and work activities.
• Participate in research and process-improvement projects related to the growing and breeding of vegetable varieties.

Qualifications

Requirements: Critical knowledge

• Masters or BS with equivalent experience in plant breeding, agronomy, biology, or horticulture.
• A basic understanding of plant physiology and breeding is desirable.
• MS Office Suite and database management skills.
• Clear understanding of the practices and procedures that affect trial data precision and accuracy.
• Good ability to plan activities. Basic understanding of project management and planning.
• Excellent communication skills. Fluent in English. Spanish recommended

Critical experience

• Ability to use professional concepts and company policies and procedures to solve a wide range of problems in practical ways.
• Ability to operate seed laboratory equipment, like seed cleaners, seed counters, and other tools needed for agricultural research projects.
• Demonstrated ability to identify critical issues and engage with cross functional stakeholders to solve problems in timely manner.
• Ability and motivation to learn new technologies. Experience with data-management tools is a plus.
• Commitment to continuous improvement and operational excellence.
• Experience in electronic data collection, imaging or high throughput phenotyping too