Seed Production & Quality Control Specialist

Seed Production & Quality Control Specialist

Illinois Foundation Seeds Inc. (IFSI) is an independent company delivering the leading research, product development, licensing, and production for the seed industry's sweet corn and field crops. Our core values of integrity, excellence, dedicated, collaborative, and driven are the foundation of our success. We seek a Seed Production & QC Specialist who embodies and upholds these values in their daily work. At IFSI our brand purpose is "Growing Together." We believe in fostering growth not only in our research to our customers, partners, team members and the environment, creating collaborative efforts that benefit everyone involved.

General Purpose: The Seed Production & QC Specialist is expected to be a self-starter with a strong sense of determination, taking a leadership role in this crucial part of our business. In this position, you will be responsible for assisting in overseeing the highest standards of seed quality by conducting tests and maintaining quality control systems throughout seed production.

Essential Duties/Responsibilities:

• Assist with seed counts, moisture testing, seed sampling, and shipping of samples
• Assist in planning and plant projects requiring (ETRs) within parental seed fields
• Assist with the collection and recording stand counts and flowering dates, and other evaluation note sheets for field data collection and electronic filing
• Harvest and evaluate (HP) seed and ETRs from parental seed fields
• Apply for and assist with phytosanitary certificate applications
• Assist with planting of parent seed fields and selfing in parental seed fields
• Assist with checking production fields
• Assist with parent seed PL's, phytos, and shipments
• Assist with inventory and sampling of parent seed
• Conduct seed quality or production improvement studies
• Monitor seed quality through various laboratory tests and evaluations
• Evaluate bean and pea stock seed plots
• Inspect tags and seed during conditioning and final fit processes
• Help monitor corn dryers
• Assist in the management of time dock and assist/manage data in the TG application
• Assist with entering data into production systems
• Assist In determining screen recommendations for sizers
• Assist in providing tares for Mills
• Assist with sample submissions
• Collect data on seed quality and production performance
• Assist with field data collection for stand counts, flowering dates, and other evaluations
• Maintain accurate records of all QC tests and evaluations
• Collaborate with the Seed Production team to ensure quality standards are upheld during production
• Assist with Quality Assurance (QA) testing of selfing and crossing block seed lots
• Plan and order supplies for nursery and selfing projects

Qualifications/Knowledge Needed:

• Previous experience in seed quality control, seed production, or related fields
• Bachelor's degree in Agriculture, Crop Science, or a related field is beneficial
• Proficiency in data collection, reporting, and analysis
• Strong attention to detail and accuracy in task execution
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office
• Valid driver's license
• Ability to work in both office/lab environments and on-site during the growing season.
• Capability to lift and carry seed samples and materials, generally up to 50 lbs.
• Ability to stand for extended periods during field visits and inspections.

Benefits:

• Employees can expect to be paid between $50 - $60K
• Additional compensation may include a bonus (if relevant).
• This salary range is merely an estimate and may vary based on market data/ranges, an applicant's skills and prior relevant experience, certain degrees and certifications, and other relevant factors.
• Additional benefits include health care, vision, dental, retirement, PTO, sick leave, etc.
• Company provided vehicle

Reporting:

• Reports to the Seed Production & Quality Control Specialist II