Job Title: Director, Collaboration for Plant Pathogen Strain Identification (CPPSI)
(UC Davis title equivalent: Museum Scientist)
 
Location: Seed Biotechnology Center, Department of Plant Sciences, University of California, Davis, CA
 
Job Qualifications:

Education: Bachelor's + 10 years experience; Master's + 5 years of experience; PhD + 3 years of experience in Plant Pathology, Agricultural Science and/or related field in the Biological Sciences

Experience: program management, team leadership, technical writing, vegetable seed business, plant pathology, biological research, budget management and web site management.
 
Job Summary
Manage and lead all aspects of CPPSI, a collaborative effort of industry, government and academic partners to identify, collect, maintain and distribute differential plant host sets, reference plant pathogen strains and informative white papers, collectively referred to as Reference Materials.  Sets of Reference Materials are used to identify plant pathogen strains and races through the pattern of susceptible and resistance reactions across a set of differential hosts by the pathogen in question. 

The successful candidate will work closely with an Advisory Council comprised of representatives of CPPSI seed industry sponsors, a Technical Working Group of seed industry scientists, Collaborators and Stakeholders to provide the leadership and operational direction to facilitate the development of Reference Materials.  The successful candidate will manage the systems, procedures and partnerships required to maintain and grow a successful and sustainable CPPSI program that receives continued support from industry, governmental and academic partners. 

Collaborate with members of the American Seed Trade Association (ASTA), American Phytopathological Society (APS), the International Seed Federation (ISF), Asia Pacific Seed Association (APSA) as well as agencies and institutions, such as GEVES-MATREF (France) and Naktuinbouw (NL) in support of CPPSI operations and Reference Materials development.

Supervision
The candidate is an employee of the University of California at Davis, is based in the Seed Biotechnology Center and reports to a supervisor in the department of Plant Sciences. 

Job Responsibilities
55% Program Development

• Lead and organize the collective efforts of the CPPSI technical working group members in the development of Reference Materials. 
• Draft White Papers: coordinate reviews, edit, and publish on CPPSI website.
• Document processes for seed and pathogen deposits with the USDA, steps for development of Reference Materials, budget reports, tracking website use and Reference Material distribution analytics
• Work with collaborators and develop formal relationships to support the goals of CPPSI
• Grow program scope and increase financial base

35% Operations Administration and Management

• Manage development timeline of each set of Reference Materials in the production pipeline
• Schedule and organize calendars, meetings, working sessions, conference calls and perform initial research as requested 
• Take and distribute minutes from all meetings with the technical working group
• Differential host set seed inventory management (USDA GRIN)
• Reference pathogen strain/race inventory management (USDA GRIN and cooperating suppliers)
• Insure legal requirements are met
• Manage Finances
• Manage and update www.cppsi.ucdavis.edu as needed.

10% Outreach

• Serve as liaison and ambassador for CPPSI
• Attend conferences and meetings as appropriate to report about and promote CPPSI
• Represent CPPSI to other collaborating groups
• Communicate with collaborators, advisory council and stakeholders
• Identify, secure and maintain relationships with collaborators and stakeholders as related to the CPPSI mission

Desired Qualifications:

• Experience in program administration with demonstrated leadership and management skills in project planning, analysis, organization, conflict resolution and decision making.
• Skills to interact effectively with all types and levels of stakeholders in academia, industry, government and regulatory agencies, professional and trade associations, interest groups and growers.
• Demonstrated ability to conduct a thorough logical analysis of a situation, task or program, including the identification of issues, challenges, barriers as well as possible solutions. Evaluate outcome pros and cons, then positively resolve situations.
• Excellent communication skills to support client relations and maintain the highest level of quality customer service. This includes the ability to communicate effectively and professionally before groups of stakeholders.
• Familiarity with web page management.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Ability to multitask and prioritize projects.
• Knowledge and experience in data collection, management and analysis.
• Proficiency in electronic communications, including e-mail and the internet.
• Publication, printing and production knowledge and skills.
• Publicity/promotion/media skills.
• Familiarity with USDA Plant Pathogen permitting system and seed import/export Phytosanitary regulations.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Excellent writing and editing skills.
• Demonstrated computer skills to use and maintain databases, spreadsheets and word processing using programs such as Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Experience developing, managing, tracking and reporting on inventories and projects.
• Experience in working with disease resistance, differential plant host sets and reference plant pathogen strains and Phytosanitary permits.
• Demonstrated skill and experience in desktop publishing and image processing.
• Familiarity with the seed industry and general agricultural crop practices.

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