R&D Project Lead – Fresh Produce

Our Client is a key player within the Fresh Produce sector, supplying fresh produce products to major retailers. They are well versed in growing & supplying a strong portfolio of fresh produce crops. We offer a new opportunity within their team as an R&D Project Lead.

The R&D Project Lead needs to be someone who really sees the value of and enjoys working with data and can communicate the results of this to drive performance across the business, from trial preparation, growing of crops, data collection, and analysis.

Key areas of responsibility

• Record, review, and compare R&D across all departments
• Document, report, and drive environmental sustainability practices across all departments
• Actively seek external funding opportunities across the business
• Provide support to all departments to create and use data review models allowing for periodic KPI reporting
• Actively seek and communicate internally the latest sustainability technologies and best practices from across the CEA industry
• Support the Head of Technical through any required tasks in completing external sustainability and environmental impact reports/surveys
• Support the Head of Technical in championing customers' environmental and sustainable agendas through continual gap analysis, recommendations, and presentation creation

We require:

• Graduate caliber with knowledge in plant science / commercial horticultural research
• Evidence of experience working in a comparable Data, Research, Development role, preferably within a fresh produce / research company
• Exposure to working with Breeders, growers, and Lab teams
• Strong report and data writing with excellent communication skills
• A full driving license is essential, due to travel required

Suitable candidates for this role would have a keen interest in data analysis and data trending, taking the results from consumer panels to identify trends and preferences which will have driven varietal development and placement of varieties in the future.

Salary: Competitive

Location: Suffolk, with UK travel

Hours: Monday – Friday / 8.00am – 5.00pm, with some flexibility required