Career Center

Reporting to the Executive Director of The Salk Institute’s Harnessing Plants Initiative (“EDHPI”), this Ph.D. level plant biologist, geneticist, plant breeder and/or soil scientist will be responsible for the Science Delivery for all aspects of Salk’s Harnessing Plants Initiative (HPI) program focused on using plant biology to substantially increase plant derived durable soil and wetlands carbon sequestration and improved soil health.  The successful candidate will be responsible for tracking, coordinating, aligning, reporting, and facilitating the HPI related research activities in six world class Principal Investigator (“PI”) laboratories, spanning plant biology, genetics, epigenetics, biochemistry, genomics, soil science, and associated greenhouse facilities, and multiple academic and commercial collaboration partner relationships. 

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

Program Management (60%)

• Responsible for the organization and coordination of HPI’s Science Delivery working closely with the EDHPI, the PI’s, their labs and HPI’s collaboration partners to assure smooth efficient delivery of:
  1. Science and technical operations
  2. Program milestone and proof points towards the initial scaling efforts of HPI
  3. High experimental and field trial throughput
  4. Performance metrics tracking against milestone goals
  5. Human and capital resourcing and management
  6. Science budgetary management
  7. Writing of reports and contributing to grant proposals.
• Exercise project management skills and experience applied to HPI’s target applications including improved Salk Ideal Plant™ staple row crops and cover crops, wetlands, and Salk Ideal Plant™ applications such as rangelands, grasslands, and grazing lands.
• Responsible for taking row crop, cover crop, wetland plant, rangeland plants and grazing land plants or other Salk Ideal Plant gene discovery constructs from the laboratory through pollination and breeding, greenhouse, and field trial evaluations, through hand-offs to commercial partners.

 Scientific and Laboratory Operations and Coordination (40%)

• Responsible for scientific and laboratory operations and coordination, greenhouse facility and experimental design and implementation management, Salk Ideal Plant™ field trials across globally diverse soils, geographies and regions, assessment and measurement of soil carbon and soil health characteristics, plant polymer analysis using advanced technologies including at least Pyrolysis Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry and Solid State Nuclear Magnetic Resonance imaging, and coordinating and managing multiple collaborations.
•  Responsible for early identification and resolution of key staffing, and coordination and prioritization of lab, greenhouse and early field trial activities working closely with PIs; identification and resolution of critical program gaps and bottlenecks, further developing and implementing quality control and assurance measures for regulatory and Health, Safety & Environment requirements in lab, greenhouse and field operations and development and regular (at least monthly) meeting updates and/or reports providing transparent, granular and evergreen integrated plans and Gant Charts for lab, greenhouse and field activity in the HPI program.
• Responsible for the hiring and management of project managers reporting to the Program Manager.

 EXPERIENCE

 Required:

•  5+ years’ experience in commercial agriculture, preferably with one or more dominant global agriculture seed companies.
• Working experience in one or more of plant biology, genetics, and genomics.
• Strong soil science experience and skills helpful, as well as a passion for mitigating climate change through terrestrial, wetland and agricultural soil carbon sequestration.

 Preferred:

• Strong commercial crop breeding experience in major global row crops such as soybean, corn, wheat, rice, canola, alfalfa, and/or sorghum.
• Experience with diversity collection analysis, gene editing, CRISPR technologies, genetic modification, and traditional breeding.
• Experience preparing data packages for regulatory and commercial transaction purposes.

 EDUCATION

 Required:

• Ph.D. in related field.

SKILLS AND ABILITIES

 Required:

•  Strong leadership skills.
• Strong presentation and critical thinking skills.
• Excellent strategic thinking and advising skills.
• Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills.
• Ability to successfully facilitate cross-functional teams.
• Ability to effectively interact with all levels internally and externally to build credibility and relationships
• Ability to manage projects and priorities with exceptional organizational and time management skills.
• Proficient in advanced techniques with relevant software: MS Project, Excel, PowerPoint, Word, etc. in addition to experience working within shared work environments.
• Strong understanding of critical path activities.
• Ability to anticipate risks and proactively create contingency plans in collaboration with project teams.
• Ability to generate analyses of timeline, resource, and budget information that facilitates scenario planning, contingency planning, risk assessment and management, problem solving, and decision-making.

  SPECIAL CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT

•  Must be willing to work in an animal-related research environment.
• Satisfactory completion of the Institute’s background investigation.
• Willing to sign a confidentiality agreement

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS/MENTAL ACTIVITIES/ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS

This position will be constantly adjusting focus, grasping, hearing, keying, seeing, sitting, talking, analyzing, calculating, communicating, reading, reasoning, writing and working inside. 

Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities

The contractor will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor’s legal duty to furnish information. 41 CFR 60-1.35(c)