Assistant Crop Technician

Who they are

At Wild Bio they are radically enhancing crops to feed the world sustainably and promote a wilder planet

Wild plants have had half a billion years to evolve natural solutions for thriving in almost every environment on Earth. Their proprietary genetics platform harnesses these wild innovations to enhance the world’s most important crops. Wild-enhanced crops would simultaneously boost farm yields and promote gigaton-scale carbon mitigation strategies. If you’re looking for a start-up that has enormous potential for impact on growers, consumers and the planet, please read on.

Wild Bio is a well-funded, fast-paced Oxford University spin-out working from state-of-the-art labs and offices at Milton Park, Oxfordshire. They are about to enter an exciting phase of growth and are looking for a driven, and curious Research Associate or Scientist (DOE) to join them and significantly contribute to delivering the change they believe in.

Their values

Their work is guided by three core values that define who they are and how they approach their mission:

• Curiosity: They fuel their desire to explore the unknown, pushing the boundaries of knowledge and sparking innovation. They ask questions, seek answers and embrace lifelong learning
• Community: They believe in the strength and support gained through collaboration and inclusion. As part of a global community, they nurture connections to drive meaningful impact for both people and planet
• Courage: They face challenges head-on, take calculated risks and stand up for their beliefs. Their bravery propels them to take action, even in the face of adversity.

If these values resonate with you, they invite you to join their team of passionate scientists and innovators working at the cutting edge of bioscience.

Benefits

• Group life cover x 3 of base salary
• Pension
• Private medical insurance
• Enhanced maternity and paternity pay
• Regular company socials
• Complimentary refreshments throughout the week
• Team meals including breakfast on a Monday and lunch each Friday, creating opportunities for informal networking and team bonding
• Training and development opportunities
• Flexible working opportunities
• Opportunity to work with cutting edge science.

Location

They’re headquartered in Milton Park, a business and technology park in Oxfordshire. They are a small, fast-paced team working on cutting-edge science, and they believe the relationships forged and the work they do in-person will be crucial for their success. For this reason, they are asking that applicants be able to work on-site.

The successful candidate will be required to provide proof of eligibility to work in the UK.

Job Description

They are looking for a skilled and motivated Assistant Crop Technician to work within a team of technicians developing and implementing plant care across a range of common crop types with the use of controlled environment growth chambers.

Detailed responsibilities

• Working with a team of technicians to develop and implement plant care across a range of common crop types including Wheat, Soybean and Maize
• Lead in keeping the growing areas clean and tidy to ensure the team is always operating in a safe environment, particularly with regards biosafety for which training will be given
• Support other members of the team to maintain and implement improvements in our growth facilities and systems. This includes fitting irrigation systems, fixing systems when they go wrong and contacting the appropriate external contractors for more specialist work to ensure they attend the job timely
• Assist with implementing and executing crop trials in controlled environment growing conditions
• Propagate crops regularly for the needs of the wider team for a range of purposes, including preparing soil and filling up large numbers of pots
• Carry out routine maintenance on equipment and facilitate basic facility improvements
• Assist the company’s goods in process – receiving and distributing deliveries to the appropriate storage spaces, sometimes including bulky and heavy items.

The ideal candidate

• Demonstrable experience working with plants in Controlled Environment settings and show understanding of experimental design in the propagation of crops
• Demonstrable experience working as part of a larger team, acting as an enabler for different projects and show a willingness to engage and help where needed
• Familiarity with plant propagation techniques such as irrigation systems, nutrient application, soil mixing techniques and plant support structures
• Familiarity with the use of Microsoft Excel
• Flexible with working hours outside of office hours where needed, including travel to research institutes within the UK
• Ability to respond quickly to emergencies with access to Milton Park being no more than 1 hour from Home
• Well organised and able to keep your workspace tidy and clean
• Experience of growing more than one target crop is highly desirable
• Familiarity handling data from experiments and the ability to process and present data clearly
• Experience growing at least one of the target crops (Wheat, Soybean, Maize)
• A practical mindset to fix things and problem solve difficulties.