R&D Scientist (CCA)

With approximately 100,000 planted acres in California's San Joaquin Valley, Wonderful Orchards is the world's largest grower of almonds, pistachios and pomegranates. Wonderful Orchards is a part of The Wonderful Company, a privately held $5 billion global company dedicated to harvesting health and happiness around the world through its iconic consumer brands which include Wonderful Pistachios, Wonderful Halos, POM Wonderful, FIJI Water, Teleflora, and JUSTIN Wine.

Summary of Position 

As a member of R&D team which is responsible for validating and creating farming innovations, R&D Scientist implements daily, seasonal, and yearly technical and research tasks at their base location and as needed across all farming locations.   Responsible for understanding complex problems and designing and implementing field studies, quickly delivering high impact findings that lead to business success of economically improved yields and quality.  Must be able to work independently and remotely under field, lab and office conditions.  Must be able to navigate in a widely divergent work environment, interacting with academic professionals as well as farming operations staff.  Activities include applied experiments in agronomy, irrigation, cultivars, farming systems, crop protection and crop physiology.   

Duties & Responsibilities 

Functions include but are not limited to the following. Must be able to move freely between tasks depending on work load, season, etc. 

Key responsibilities include but are not limited to:  

• Establish and implement initiatives with supervision of Director of Research. 

• Coordinate and conduct applied agricultural field and laboratory experiments while supporting numerous sequential and overlapping activities. 

• Enhance the robustness of experimental activities through continuous vigilance for precision and accuracy of tasks, including trial design, data analysis, and reporting of results. 

• Engage in Wonderful’s corporate culture, participating in organizational and individual activities that deliver on principles of a growth mindset for success.  

• Oversee activities by skilled internal (interns, work crews) and external (academic or vendor) personnel, under field and/or lab sites. 

• Interact and collaborate with public (academic) and private (vendor) technical experts to explore existing and future farming improvements. 

• Creation of budgets as well as cost tracking for applied field and lab experiments. 

• Provide technical consultation to Farming Directors, Crop Managers, Pest Control Advisors, Spray Operations, Irrigation Managers, and field personnel. 

• Seek out and implement opportunities to improve workplace efficiency and safety. 

• Other duties as assigned. 

Qualifications Requirements 

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily.  The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, shall, and / or ability required.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential function. 

EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE: 

• Master’s Degree (with research thesis) in field of Plant Science, Crop Science, or Agricultural Sciences AND 4 years of post-degree agricultural research experience OR  

• Bachelor’s Degree in field of Plant Science, Crop Science, or Agricultural Sciences AND 8 years of post-degree agricultural research experience 

• Direct research experience with Wonderful Orchards crops is preferred but not required 

SPECIFIC KNOWELDGE, AND SKILLS: 

• Track record of identification and testing of improvements, with successful implementation / commercialization resulting in business impact 

• Multi-year / multi-crop experience with trial design, implementation, data collection 

• Statistical analysis using SPSS, RStudio or Excel Data Analysis Toolpak 

• Innovation-oriented, seeking to address current and future challenges with inquisitiveness and dedication to detail 

• Customer-oriented focus, serving the needs of farming operations as an adjunct member of farming teams 

• Digitally proficient, prepared for paperless work environment 

• Understanding of public and private ag research landscape 

• A team player, flexible, consistent, and reliable, able to work with minimal supervision 

• Ability to communicate effectively both in writing and orally for justifying innovative change to various audiences (executives, farm management teams, farming personnel) 

• Knowledge and experience with horticultural crop farming, with preference on orchards or permanent crops under scientific studies 

• Understanding of commercial agricultural conditions and practices, with previous experience relating to conducting scientific studies with grower / farmer cooperators 

• Ability to have safety, productivity, and attention to detail as daily objectives 

• Assess changing workplace conditions and confidently make adjustments within the context of assigned tasks 

• Prior experience with budget estimates and cost tracking for field scientific studies 

• Bilingual English/Spanish preferred 

LICENSES, AND/OR CERTIFICATIONS: 

• Valid California Driver’s License with reliable transportation to and from work. 

• Holding or appropriate education / experience to obtain PCA and CCA certifications is recommended but not required. 

Pay Range: $92,000 to $105,000. Final compensation will be dependent upon skills & experience

​​​Why choose Wonderful?

Wonderful Nurseries and Wonderful Orchards are part of The Wonderful Company, a privately held $5 billion company, which also has other No. 1 brands such as Wonderful® Pistachios, FIJI® Water, Wonderful® Halos®, JUSTIN® Wine, and Teleflora®. To learn more about The Wonderful Company, visit www.wonderful.com, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. To view the current Corporate Social Responsibility report, visit www.wonderful.com/csr.

• We nourish, naturally - We believe that what you put into your body matters. The most nutritious -- and best-tasting -- foods are those from nature.
• We play to win - Our employees set ambitious goals and meet challenges with unified purpose and unmatched energy.
• We act differently - With courage and fearlessness, we are relentless in our quest to inspire healthier. food and beverage choices. As a privately held organization, we have the freedom and the power to make quick and effective decisions.

Wonderful Orchards and The Wonderful Company is an Equal Opportunity Employer and with opportunities for advancement. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected categories.

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