Agricultural Science Technician

Job Title

Agricultural Science Technician

Pepsi Co is a major food enterprise sourcing a variety of raw materials of agricultural origin such as tuber, grain, and fruit & vegetable crops around the world. A creative, results-oriented breeding technician is required to execute breeding activities primarily across potatoes and oat, with potential of expansion to other crops at a Pepsi Co breeding facility in Rhinelander, WI.

This Agricultural Science Technician is responsible for assisting the breeding programs, leading projects, and working within the breeding programs to drive the improvement of raw agriculture materials important to Pepsi Co. This position will work closely with existing assistant breeders to execute breeding operations as set by the manager but is also expected to make independent decisions in order to meet project objectives.

Breeding operations are in greenhouses, large walk-in growth chambers, fields, and phenotyping building.

The position sits in the Agricultural Science function within Pepsi Co foods R&D. This position is located at the Pepsi Co research facility in Rhinelander, WI and will report to the breeders on site.

Work with oat breeders, assistant breeders, and other technicians to work in the greenhouses, growth rooms, fields, and phenotyping facilities.

Support phenotyping activities in breeding trials and research nurseries. This includes in-season field data collection, operating UAVs as trained, raw potato grading at harvest, oat milling and grain quality assessments, and processing trait evaluations.

Work with breeders and assistant breeders to support field activities including seed packaging, planting, sampling, harvesting, organizing breeding materials, and preparing materials for shipment. Ensure accurate records are taken and entered in a timely fashion.

Support greenhouse and growth room operations including growth area preparation, seed pulling, planting, crop maintenance, pathogen testing, crossing, seed extraction, inventory management, and harvest activities.

Utilize barcoding and inventory software to track and store seed, tuber, plant, and seed samples.

Monitor, troubleshoot, and promptly report challenges with breeding operations while proactively identifying potential solutions.

Continuously identify opportunities for improving efficiency and quality of breeding operations, including efficiencies in processes, techniques, and flow.

Comply with local EHS requirements, including but not limited to prevention, incident reporting, and remedial actions.

Adapt to unexpected delays and changes in workflows to maintain overall productivity.

The expected compensation range for this position is between $54,700 - $82,050. Location, confirmed job-related skills, experience, and education will be considered in setting actual starting salary. Paid time off subject to eligibility, including paid parental leave, vacation, sick, and bereavement. In addition to salary, Pepsi Co offers a comprehensive benefits package to support our employees and their families, subject to elections and eligibility:
Medical, Dental, Vision, Disability, Health, and Dependent Care Reimbursement Accounts, Employee Assistance Program (EAP), Insurance (Accident, Group Legal, Life), Defined Contribution Retirement Plan.

BS preferred in Plant Breeding, Horticulture, Agronomy, Biological Systems Engineering, Biology, or related discipline. Relevant experience in an active breeding/genetics program, agriculture, leading teams, data analysis, or inventory tracking is preferred, but all qualified applicants will be considered.

Attention to details and accurate record keeping.

Ability to organize projects, lead teams, keep people motivated, and drive for results in any situation.

Demonstrated experience in collecting data from plants and curating them for consistency and quality prior to uploading in company databases required.

Demonstrated ability to manage activities within assigned resources/budgets.

Can quickly separate the mission-critical from the nice to dos and the trivial; quickly senses what's the next most useful thing to…