Associate Manager, R&D Operations

About Confluence Genetics 
Confluence Genetics develops soybean technologies and varieties that create value from farm-gate to feed, food and fuel end-markets by unlocking the natural genetic diversity of plants. The Company leverages their proprietary CropOS™ machine learning platform with proprietary germplasm data and speed breeding technologies in our Crop Accelerator facility to drastically accelerate and simplify the product development process. This platform allows for cost-effective and more efficient ways to analyze and make improvements in plant genetics. Confluence Genetics brings a unique and holistic approach to our product and platform development, as we span a broader workflow involving trait and seed development, genome editing, and breeding all the way to creating better ingredients and varieties that tap a strong customer demand. More information can be found online at https://confluence.ag/.

Our Purpose and Core Values 

Our Core Values are a set of common principles we share that are fundamental to our company's identity. Real. Inspired!

• Real. We show up with honesty, accountability, and purpose. We lead with integrity and speak with candor, knowing that trust and transparency drive performance. We challenge each other respectfully and stay grounded in what matters—our shared mission and one another.

• Inspired! We’re driven by possibility and energized by progress. With open minds and a bold spirit, we embrace change, take smart risks, and push boundaries. We stay curious, creative, and connected—to each other, our partners, and the future we’re building together

Department Overview 

The CropOS and Discovery Department leads the development of Confluence Genetics' crop design platform, CropOS^™ which combines machine learning and big data with advanced breeding methods, genome editing and plant biology to simplify and accelerate the product development process. The team partners with the Product Design & Product Development teams to build a portfolio of offerings (commercial product or platform related) that meet the needs of Confluence Genetics' business units.

Position Summary 

The Associate Manager, R&D will be responsible for managing the activities of the Genotyping team in a collaborative & cross functional manner with the indoor breeding and product development teams. Responsibilities include building & managing operational plans, achieving quality and volume KPIs, forecasting/budgeting work, and developing genotyping team members. The person will will also be responsible for working with the CropOS team on data management across genotyping, indoor breeding, and product development that align with the CropOS roadmap. The person will independently prepare technical & management reports to share with the product development team related to budgets, forecasts, workforce needs, and genotyping deliverables. 

You Will: 

• Manage the daily operations of the genotyping lab including participating in lab execution, data analysis as needed, and develop team members
• Achieve on-time delivery of genotyping data to customers while meeting quality KPIs
• Build short- and long-term operations plan in collaboration with Crop Accelerator and field breeding teams that achieve product development goals
• Manage the budget and forecast for genotyping in line with operations plans
• Identify areas of improvement across workflows and lead team members to improve operations, reduce costs, and increase data quality
• Collaborate on the development of LIMs and data analysis tools to streamline operations and achieve data quality outcomes
• Work with the CropOS team on data management tasks to support product development operations across functional teams
• Prepare technical reports and analyses to drive decision making within the product development leadership teams
• Perform other duties as assigned

 You Have:

(Competencies and Qualifications)

Education

• BS. with 6 years or M.S. . with 2-4 years or Ph.D with 1 years of plant molecular characterization experience  

Experience

• BS. with 6 years or M.S. . with 2-4 years or Ph.D with 1 years of plant molecular characterization experience 
• Experience preferably in high volume Crop genotyping laboratory in industrial setting 
• Familiarity with laboratory workflows in copy number qPCR, assay multiplexing , T-DNA junction analysis, genotyping Data 
• Excellent communication and organizational abilities 

 Software/Skillset

• Proficient in MS Excel, Powerpoint, Sharepoint, and Smartsheet 

• High familiarity with lab automation, software, and databases
• Some familiarity with Statistical analysis packages 

We have a Total Rewards Package at Confluence Genetics that consists of more than just your paycheck. Total Rewards at Confluence Genetics covers Pay (salary and bonus), Health (employer benefit contributions) and Wealth (investments). Some of the perks include:

• A Collaborative Environment 
• A flexible PTO program with a focus on work/life balance 
• Competitive medical, dental and vision benefits
• Retirement savings plan with a company match
• Education reimbursement 
• PAID parental leave