Senior Biologist
Vive Crop Protection
This is a remote role. The incumbent may be based anywhere in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, or California.
About Vive
Vive is a high-growth trajectory, sustainable agtech firm founded in 2006 and headquartered in Mississauga, ON. Our Made in Canada, patented Allosperse® delivery technology helps farmers do more with less. By bringing the power of Precision Chemistry™ to agriculture, Vive is connecting the lab to the field, enabling growers to cut costs and reduce their environmental footprint. We are fully commercial with established distribution across the US, and our products were used on over 1.5 million acres in 2024.
We were recently selected as part of the inaugural cohort of the Government of Canada’s Global
Hypergrowth Project, and we are well on our way to becoming Canada’s leading anchor agtech firm. Our global expansion ambition has started with our first product Canadian registration in spring 2023. We’ve received several awards for innovation, been named the SDTC Changemaker of the Year, and ranked #196 on the list of the fastest-growing companies in the Americas. With over 100+ patents, and a vision of having a Vive solution on every acre, we’re looking for passionate, growth-minded individuals to join us on our journey!
At Vive, our core values are the foundation of everything we do and are a guiding force for all the exciting and unique experiences you will have when working with us.
- We are grower-focused
- We succeed through collective genius
- We are building something real
- We are confident and adaptive owners
- We are data-driven
If you’re looking to build something real with a team of smart, confident, and adaptive owners (and like to have LOTS of fun along the way), keep reading to learn more about the Product Manager role and the role you will play in helping us reach our goals!
Mission
Your core mission as part of the Product Development team is to lead the development and execution of field trials as well as well as analysis and interpretation of results related to assigned tasks. This includes:
- Performing research and development activities with the expected scientific rigor and knowledge of an expert in the field.
- Ensuring the accuracy of calculations, completeness of data, and adheres to prescribed methods when applicable.
- Helping to develop strategies/methods/SOPs to test and achieve the deliverable of a project.
Specific Duties & Responsibilities
- Leads the Western Region small plot field trial program and provides support for trials in other regions as necessary and with oversight from the Sr. Field Development Manager.
- Delivers technical protocols, agronomic summaries and/or detailed reports to Vive’s corporate clients, partner organizations, or team members.
- Maintains external contacts with customers/consultants involved in the projects, including project leads and other partner organizations, suppliers and independent researchers for joint and third-party research. Participates in professional meetings when required.
- Provide regular updates to team members and/or more senior staff on status of projects and/or scientific activities.
- Maintain up‐to‐date working records, such as lab notebooks and sample reports (sample data pages, data summary tables, etc.).
- Provides technical assistance to other functional groups as necessary and works with other scientists towards a determined goal/deliverable.
- May be involved with the hiring of new employees in the functional group.
- Involved in the preparation and review of annual budgets (with senior management)
- Maintains contact with all levels of staff, and collaborates with other scientists, team leads, managers and senior management.
- Recommends methods and equipment improvements as appropriate. Suggests new methods, method validation, and new equipment as appropriate. Develops new methods and SOPs for novel experiments and instruments and improves existing ones.
- Follows all applicable employment, health and safety legislation. Demonstrates corporate values in the performance of the work and interactions with others. Performs other job‐related duties as necessary.
Skills & Experiences
- MSc. or Ph.D. in a related discipline such as Crop Science, Agriculture, Agronomy, Biology or related field.
- 5+ years related experience in a relevant field such as Crop Protection, Crop Science, Agronomy. Direct field research experience is an asset.
- Excellent literature and experimental research skills; data analysis and statistical skills; proficient in Office programs and applicable software applications such as ARM.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, creativity and innovation, organizing and planning skills, ability to work under pressure, good oral and written communication skills, very good interpersonal skills, team skills, propensity to continuous learning and experimenting.
- Personal attributes: sense of goal, self‐motivation, pride in work, objectivity, cooperativeness, approachability, positive outlook, enthusiasm, and adaptability to changing business requirements.
Work Environment
- The majority of the work is performed in a remote home office environment with 30% of time spent travelling to field trial sites, CROs, and professional meetings. Travel to Head Office (Mississauga, Ontario, Canada) will be required on at least a quarterly basis.
- Some of the work is performed in a field environment where exposures to physical, chemical, and biological hazards may exist.
- Potential hazards may include noise, temperature extremes, biohazards and hazardous chemical products. Standard safety procedures will describe personal protective devices that are mandatory requirements of performing the work.
- Is accountable to Vive’s Vive’s Chief Technology Officer and senior management
- Can initiate new processes or take on additional responsibilities with the prior approval of their supervisor (ex. taking on additional project/experiments).
- Has some latitude to create and implement process improvements within the confines of achieving objectives of the role (ex. suggests new instruments or changes to methods that would increase productivity or improve data accuracy).
- Decisions beyond the scope of the role are generally validated or approved by their manager or more senior staff member.