Position Title: Associate Plant Breeder Employment
Status: Exempt
Department: Oxnard Research Farm, Oxnard, CA

California Berry Cultivars, L.L.C., is an independent, private, grower-focused strawberry breeding company. Our current employees possess well over 100 years of strawberry breeding experience and the owners are multi-generation strawberry growers and nursery plant producers. The company mission is to provide superior cultivars to growers in California, the U.S., and the international strawberry industry. We are focused on the rapid development of productive cultivars with high quality fruit and disease resistance that will meet the current and future needs of our commercial customers.

Summary Description

The associate plant breeder will work closely with the Project Leader, the international breeding team, and outside agencies to develop superior strawberry cultivars. The associate plant breeder will report directly to the Project Leader and is responsible for the execution of the company’s vision and policies. Duties will include the management of personnel and company resources at the Oxnard Research Farm to accomplish the short and long term breeding goals as well as active participation in all tasks related to the breeding, testing, and selection of strawberry cultivars.
These duties will include and require substantial physical activity.
Domestic and international travel will be required.

Essential Job Duties/Responsibilities

• On-site management of all activities at the Oxnard Research Farm including management of the Oxnard Breeding Team and its various resources
• Plan for and assist in the execution of all greenhouse and field research required for the development of strawberry cultivars, in collaboration with the Oxnard Farm Manager
• Supervise and perform the collection and summarization of data as described by the Project Leader, in coordination with the Oxnard Plant Technician and Research Farm Manager
• Oversee all greenhouse activities, including performance of controlled crosses and seed germination
• Coordinate activities and operations with internal and external partners at the Oxnard location
• Maintain, secure, and care for as necessary, site facilities associated with the research test plot
• Actively participate in all aspects of the cultivar development program, including evaluation and selection, grower trials, nursery propagation, and cultivar registration; physical labor will be necessary to accomplish most components of the job

Qualifications

• Master's degree in Plant Breeding or related field, such as Horticulture or Plant Pathology
• Field-research experience, including the collection of field data
• Strong understanding of horticulture
• Excellent command of Microsoft Office applications
• Basic knowledge of statistics and statistical software, such as R or SAS
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills
• Strong work ethic, with a sense of urgency
• Experience in managing research teams is desirable
• Ability to communicate effectively in both English and Spanish
• Must possess a valid driver’s license and a clean driving record

Working Conditions:

• Car travel around the state of California will be required on a regular basis. Some domestic and international airplane travel will be required. Overnight travel will be required at a rate of approximately 10% of the year.
• Work under various outdoor climatic conditions, including those conditions typically encountered in field work.
• This position will periodically require long hours, including some weekends.

California Berry Cultivars, L.L.C. offers excellent benefits and a competitive salary.

Applications:

This position will be based in Oxnard, CA with travel to our other locations within CA. Applications will be collected until a suitable candidate is hired, with an ideal start date in the summer or fall of 2016. If interested, please send a cover letter detailing your experiences in relation to the essential job duties and responsibilities along with a resume in word or pdf format to Kyle VandenLangenberg: kyle@cbcberry.com

California Berry Cultivars, L.L.C. is an equal opportunity employer.