Plant Breeder

Department: Breeding

Division: Research & Development

Reports to: Director of Research

Location: Star® Roses and Plants, Cochranville, PA

Schedule: Monday–Friday, 8:00 am–4:30 pm

Position Type: Full-time, exempt

The opportunity.

Do you excel at using research, creativity, and your own personal expertise to find solutions? Are you energized by discovery and propelled by the hidden gems found in trial-and-error, data, and keen observation? If this sounds like you and you are experienced in plant breeding and horticulture, please apply for our plant breeder position!

As our plant breeder, you will ensure the effective and efficient operation of the breeding department by assisting the breeding director with research projects and management of lab and field activities. Your mission? Developing commercially successful hybrids.

Your efforts to develop new and improved plant varieties will be aligned with the research and company initiatives of Star® Roses and Plants, so you can be confident there is a full team working alongside you. You can expect to execute independent research and prepare breeding plans for both major and minor genera, gather information on published or un-published breeding, and implement technologies for the development of novel hybrids. We’ll need your help evaluating and recommending new varieties as well as the determining the direction of our breeding program. To do this, you should have a good understanding of market trends and national trial performance and be committed to the company-wide goals for developing plants.

In addition to executing the assigned breeding programs as led by the director of research, 10% of your time is allotted for you to propose new product ideas and proof of concept proposals. We want you to have the creative and experimental liberty to use all your talent and help your research come to life (literally!)

One more thing you should know. We’re big on collaboration here, so you’ll be expected to help build a strong, functional team with other breeding managers and supervisors, including research & development, production staff, and Ball Helix (our parent company, Ball Horticultural, manages our lab.) As a leader, you will be responsible for the parental stock management for your breeding programs and will implement and monitor compliance of company policies on safety, health, and the environment. Your further assistance in additional capacities may be requested.

The environment & physical demands.

You will be working in a standard office environment, lab, greenhouse, and outdoors in our trialing fields. Inside, you will be seated for long periods of time and need the ability to operate standard office equipment. You’ll need a normal range of hearing and the ability to lift up to 20 pounds. While performing lab duties, you may be exposed to toxic material and will occasionally be required to use a microscope. Outside, you’ll often be standing and walking for long periods of time and may be exposed to temperature extremes, humidity, various weather conditions, and toxic material. You should have the ability to occasionally lift up to 50 pounds. You’ll need the dexterity to continually use your hands and fingers to handle and feel objects, tools, and controls. Specific vision abilities required for this position include close, distance, and color vision, as well as the ability to adjust focus and use depth perception. Color vision and sense of smell are important for evaluating plants.

This is not a lab position. This position works in a greenhouse, fields and office setting.

A few logistics.

Travel requirements are minimal (10–25%) to attend national, international, regional, and local trade shows, trial sites, industry events, and meetings with breeders, customers, licensees, brokers, and growers. You must have a valid driver’s license and a driving record that meets the requirements of our insurance company.

You have this.

• Ph.D. in Plant Breeding /Plant Sciences or similar field or MS degree with 5 years of relevant experience in a breeding capacity.
• Knowledge of advanced plant breeding tools and techniques.
• Must have experience with classical plant breeding including marker assisted selection, plant pathology, embryo rescue, ploidy manipulation, and mutagenesis.
• Experience in woody breeding preferred.
• Effective communication skills, attention to detail, and high level of organization.
• Proficiency using computers and related software.
• Must be legally authorized to work in the United States.

We have this.

• Medical, dental, and vision offered to employees and their families
• HSA + FSA
• Paid time off + paid holidays
• STD, LTD, and Life Insurance
• 401(k) retirement plan + company match + profit sharing
• Employee growth and development
• Tuition reimbursement

To perform this job successfully, you must be able to perform each duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed are representative of the knowledge, skills and/or abilities required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.