About us

California Berry Cultivars, L.L.C. is an independent and private grower-focused breeding company developing competitive strawberry cultivars. Our mission is to provide superior cultivars to growers in the California, U.S., and international strawberry industry. We are focused on the rapid development of productive, quality, and disease resistant cultivars that will meet the current and future needs of our commercial customers.

Summary Description

California Berry Cultivars is looking for a Plant Pathology Project Lead to expand our disease screening activities for the strawberry breeding program. The Plant Pathology Project Lead will be responsible for the overall execution, physical operation, and management of our pathology program. This will include, but not be limited to, laboratory management and operations, inoculant preparation, disease diagnostics, greenhouse project management, and data collection. The successful candidate will have a background in wet lab work, be familiar with microbiology and laboratory protocols required to grow fungal inoculums and have a general familiarity with plant disease ratings.

Essential Job Duties/Responsibilities

· Cross-functional applied research and operations management in the areas of plant disease diagnosis, pathogen detection and identification and integrated disease management.

· Collaborating with Plant Breeder Assistants and the Director of R&D, to design and manage growing systems per business needs and in compliance with regulations and phytosanitary restrictions.

· Oversee and participate in the building of the disease screening greenhouse, laboratory, and other facilities needed to fulfill the role of Plant Pathology Development Lead.

· Plan research, budget, and manage resources to make the Plant Pathology development project and the laboratory effective.

· Travel to other locations around California for data and sample collection will be required, with several overnight trips per year.

Qualifications

· Master’s degree in plant pathology or microbiology with a strong background in laboratory skills, or bachelor’s in similar field with at least 5 years of relevant experience.

· Experience in applied plant pathology (inoculum preparation and other wet lab techniques) and molecular biology techniques (DNA extraction, PCR, qPCR, ELISA, and relevant techniques) in agriculture research.

· Experience setting up and running a plant pathology lab in compliance with local, state, and federal regulations.

· Experience, passion, and excitement in the greenhouse or indoor growing space.

· Knowledge and confidence to use hand tools and power tools as needed.

· Basic knowledge of hydroponic farm systems/greenhouse irrigation systems.

· Creative thinking around problem solving, flexibility, and comfort dealing with evolving problems.

· Data-driven and able to seek out resources needed to be successful.

· Exceptional communication skills.

· Self-driven, and capable of driving projects with minimal oversight.

· A passion for improved strawberries, intellectual curiosity, and bias for action.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $70,000.00 - $90,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• 401(k) matching
• Dental insurance
• Flexible spending account
• Health insurance
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Parental leave
• Professional development assistance
• Relocation assistance
• Vision insurance

Physical setting:

• Office

Schedule:

• 8 hour shift
• Monday to Friday
• Weekends as needed

Education:

• Bachelor's (Required)

Experience:

• Laboratory: 5 years (Preferred)
• Plant Pathology: 5 years (Preferred)

Language:

• English (Required)

Work Location: In person