Associate Plant Scientist
Fifth Season is creating a new category of fresh foods. Our cutting-edge indoor farms deliver a whole new experience of freshness and quality made possible by robotics and AI. We grow exclusively in local communities because we’re on a mission to create a new season where people are reconnected to their food and those who grew it.
Fifth Season is seeking a self-motivated Associate Plant Scientist to support and conduct applied plant science research in our hydroponic research and development farm in Pittsburgh. If you are excited about the opportunity to join and assist a collaborative team of scientists and engineers eager to change food production for the better, we want to hear from you. This role is not for the faint of heart, but is highly rewarding and essential to the growth of the company.
What you’ll work on:
General care and maintenance of plants
Accurately collecting and entering data into our system software
Setup, implementation, and tear down of experiments
Following and eventually designing protocols for various farm and research tasks such as system checks, investigating crop health, sowing seeds, harvesting plants, mixing fertilizers and other plant growing inputs, application of treatments, and reporting.
Assists other cross-functional groups (such as engineering & facilities) and projects as needed
Maintain confidentiality of information
What we’re looking for:
MS in Horticulture (or related field); or, Bachelors with 3+ years of relevant research and/or production horticulture experience. Applicants with relevant advanced degrees are also encouraged to apply
Ability to apply general horticulture knowledge to a crop production and understanding of the drivers for plant health and yield improvement
This is an entry-level position on our science team, but previous research experience is preferred
Strong organizational and prioritization skills
Strong attention to detail and process orientation
Strong and effective communication skills
Working knowledge of G-Suite and MS Office products
Ability to quickly adapt and work in a dynamic, evolving environment
Ability to work some weekends and holidays
Ability to lift 50 lbs. and work in an agriculture-like environment with industrial equipment, agrichemical products, and loud sounds, while maintaining strong work ethic and attention to detail
Characteristics – You can be described as someone that:
Has a strong desire to build and launch a lasting product that benefits the world
Seeks creative and better-than-current solutions
Has a passion for the pace at a high-growth company
Has the desire to grow in role and responsibility as the organization scales and new facilities are built
Enjoys the application of technology in both personal and work life
Has a continuous desire to objectively answer the question “why?”
Fifth Season’s Mission – Your impact:
Fifth Season is revitalizing people, communities, and the world by bringing healthier, higher quality, hyper local food to market – truly ushering in a new era of fresh foods. Our unique, patented technology platform is fully autonomous and allows us to produce much more efficiently, all while using 95% less water, avoiding top-soil degradation, and never causing runoff pollution. Our chemical-free produce is sold to supermarkets, regional distributors, and select restaurants under the brand name Fifth Season.
This is an opportunity to have a substantive impact and help make the world a better place than we found it. We’re excited for you to work alongside the researchers building technology at Fifth Season.
This full-time position includes competitive pay, valuable stock options, and benefits.