Pioneer Hi-Bred, a DuPont business, is currently seeking a Research Associate to provide day-to-day support for the maize breeding programs at Garden City, Kansas. These programs develop inbreds and hybrids for the central and western Corn Belt. Responsibilities include planning and effectively managing breeding nurseries, yield test locations, data collection, supervision of seasonal and temporary employees, checking data quality, analyzing data, and other task related to the breeding program. In addition, the assembly and analysis of trait and molecular characterization data are an important part of the responsibilities.

Duties/Responsibilities:

• Manage the execution of day-to-day Non-Regulated maize development activities at the Research Center by collaborating with senior staff and exercising independent judgment to set priorities and develop operational plans.
• Effectively manage field research activities from experiment planning through final data collection.
• Provide leadership in mapping experiments to field testing sites, including all aspects of appropriate regulatory requirements.
• Provide leadership for all data collected from assigned experiments, including uploading to central database in a timely manner.
• Maintains, organizes and summarizes results of experiments providing updates or reports as appropriate.
• Apply appropriate agronomic process and crop scouting on assigned yield test locations.
• Stay informed on new technologies as they impact the operation of the Garden City Research Center.
• Assist with nursery, transgenic, and disease locations during peak activities. Supervise assigned staff and seasonal workers using effective performance management, task training, and safety training to support a team-based approach to accomplishing Research Center goals.
• Coordinate the procurement, lease and use of material resources to achieve program requirements related to areas like computer systems, seed handling, field plot management, planting, pollinating, records management, and harvest.

Qualifications:

• Requires a Bachelor’s degree in agronomy, biology, plant breeding or scientific related field and 0-2 years experience or equivalent.
• Expertise in Agronomy, Plant Breeding and/or Plant Science preferred.
• Corn research experience or agronomy field experience, with plant breeding and field agronomics (e.g., tillage, weed and insect control, fertility management, field data collection, equipment operation and readiness) preferred.
• Demonstrated competency in team leadership, effective supervision and written / verbal communication skills.
• Demonstrated competency in multi-tasking, planning for complex projects and effective time management.
• Knowledge of experimental design and statistical analysis.
• Proficiency with PC hardware and software for data collection and analysis, word processing, communications, spread sheets, and relational data bases.
• Must have or be able to obtain a Commercial Drivers License (CDL).
• Must obtain a Kansas Commercial Pesticide Applicators license.
  
  Problem Solving Skills:
• Determination of data quality, as a result of environmental occurrences;
• Determine when meaningful data can be collected from field experiments (e.g., differentiating levels of a disease infection);
• Identify equipment to be repaired and/or replaced.
  
  Decision Making Skills:
• Appropriate planting and harvest dates;
• Division of labor and time, most data collection activities are very time dependent, thus the need for an adequate balance and planning of labor and time; and
• Determining how to manage temporary labor most effectively across multiple experiments once in the field.

Apply online at www.pioneer.com/careers. Submit to job 14752BR.

EOE