Breeder Assistant

Description:

To assist the breeding team with developing innovative and competitive products.

Requirements:

Duties and responsibilities

• Help to maintain a well-organized breeding program for watermelon.
• Accurately count, package, and weight breeder seed of parent lines and hybrids.
• Help setting up crossing blocks to maximize efficient use of greenhouse space and pollinating crew time.
• Help in the analysis of disease screens, visual assessments and molecular markers to select desirable plants and fix traits.
• Work with greenhouse and farm managers to help achieve breeding tasks with greatest efficiency.
• Perform other incidental and related duties as required and assigned.

Position Dimensions and Qualifications

Educational Level and Focus: High School Diploma or GED and working towards a degree in an agriculture or biology related field.

Skills and Abilities:

Technical and Analytical: Knowledge of: Microsoft Word; Microsoft Excel; Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Power Point. Analytical mind to work with available genotyping and phenotyping technology to use in development of new products. Requires great attention to detail. Analytical mind to examine problems and find the best solutions. Be able to work with detailed project schedules and foresee potential problems and solutions.

Physical Demands: Ability to do repetitive work for several hours at a time. Must be able to work in the office and fields/greenhouses under extreme weather conditions, be physically fit to walk, bend, kneel, squat, bend your neck, and lift up to 50 lbs