Laboratory Technician

Job title: Laboratory Technician

Location: Johnston, IA, 50131

Duration: 12 months

Shift: Monday to Friday, 7:30 AM - 4:00 PM

Description:

We are looking for a responsible and highly motivated worker to join the Controlled Environments Team.

Here, you will help us grow what's next. No matter what your role, you will be part of a team that is building the future of agriculture - solving the world's food problems through innovation, technology, and putting people first.

We have an exciting opportunity to join our company at our Johnston, Iowa research facility.

This position will primarily assist with preparation and execution of routine duties such as tissue sampling, seeding, transplanting, and data collection and handling, along with general greenhouse work while maintaining a professional, clean, and safe work environment and meeting all compliance standards.

We are looking for candidates who take initiative, love to learn, work hard, and have a stable work history.

Duties/Responsibilities:

• Punch or cut and store small samples of plant tissue and delivery for laboratory analysis. Carefully maintain sample identity for thousands of samples at a time while maintaining proper storage conditions.
• Seeding and transplanting of plantlets into flats/pots with attention to assignment detail
• Transferring plants from greenhouse to/from workstations for processing of tasks
• Assisting with experiments, collecting data, and maintaining records.
• Daily greenhouse plant care for corn, soybean, wheat, and other crops.
• Perform routine greenhouse sanitation tasks like discarding regulated material, destroying waste, cleaning, and sanitizing rooms.

Job Qualifications & Skills:

• High school diploma/GED required.
• Bachelor's degree in an agriculture, horticulture, plant physiology, molecular biology, or related field or three or more years of related experience or equivalent amounts of relevant education and experience is preferred.
• Ability to pay close attention to detail and follow standard operating and safety/ergonomics protocols is essential.
• Excellent communication and organizational skills, a high degree of self-motivation, a positive attitude, and the ability to work well independently as well as a team member with minimal supervision.
• Basic computer skills preferred, including MS Office programs (Word, Excel, Outlook), and ability to gain competency with internally-developed research software.
• Must be able to stand and sit for long periods of time and lift up to 30 lbs. Must be able to tolerate hours of repetitive work in a warm, humid greenhouse with pollen present year-round.