Expert Grower, Recipe Development

Oishii; Jersey City (NJ); On-site; USD 90,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Salary and Equity

Medical/Dental/Vision Insurance

Life Insurance & LTD

EAP

Pet Insurance

401(k) Retirement Plan

Paid Parental Leave

Office social events

Employee activity groups

Job summary

Oishii is seeking an Expert Grower in Jersey City, NJ to drive cultivation experiments and recipe development across production and R&D farms. You will lead teams, manage experiments, and ensure safety and IPM protocols while advancing plant health, yield, and quality targets.

The role blends hands-on farming with strategic planning, overseeing cross‑functional projects and developing a multi‑year experiment roadmap under guidance.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in horticulture, plant biology, plant physiology, soil science, or a related degree.
• 8+ years of experience as a strawberry grower in greenhouse, vertical farm, or large-scale traditional or research farm.
• 8+ years of experience in team and production or experiment farm management.
• Experience in experiment design, cultivation recipe development, and execution.
• Proven ability to communicate experimental outcomes and translate them into recipe proposals.
• Strong expertise of plant growth, environmental control, cultivation systems (e.g., UTR), and IPM.
• Open-minded and adaptable leader who actively listens to diverse perspectives.

Responsibilities

• Lead experiments analyzing cultivation data, timelines and outcomes to identify growth characteristics and root causes.
• Own defining and prioritizing cultivation challenges and plan experiments accordingly as it relates to yield and quality targets (KPIs).
• Oversees experiment execution by directing team members, recording plant status weekly, assessing experiment continuation, and wrapping up findings in ~2 weeks.
• Maintains full compliance with safety and IPM protocols throughout all operations.
• Under minimal supervision, tests and proposes optimal parameters (light, fertilizer, irrigation, CO2, etc.) by cultivar and irrigation method, and proposes base recipes.
• Facilitate cross-functional projects (e.g., equipment retrofits) with Engineering, Maintenance, etc., including planning, to‑do management, and coordination.
• Manage and develop the senior growers, junior growers and R&D operators that report to you.
• Develops 1–2 year experiment roadmap under guidance, and leads optimization of recipe development processes and strategic workflows.

Skills

Experimental design

Team leadership

Cross-functional collaboration

Data analysis

Communication

Problem solving

Adaptable leadership

Education

Bachelor’s degree in horticulture/plant biology/plant physiology/soil science or related field

Job description

Job DetailsLevel: SeniorJob Location: Jersey City, NJ 07305Position Type: Full TimeSalary Range: $90,000.00 - $100,000.00 SalaryTravel Percentage: NoneJob Shift: DayJob Category: Farm Research & DevelopmentWe grow the world’s BEST Strawberries & our Expert Growers are a major reason why!

As part of our Research & Development Team an Expert Grower at Oishii contributes to our exceptional product development, and plant health by working cross‑functionally to ensure the success of short term and long‑range goals in both production farms and R&D farms. Expert Growers serve as subject matter experts to our production teams monitoring & problem solving for plant health, diseases, pest, environmental stresses, quality and yield opportunities and often oversee projects or experiments in various farms to improve growing systems and to characterize plant responses in controlled environments.

The role is hands‑on and strategic with a large portion of time spent in the farm with our plants.

What you’ll be responsible for:

• Lead experiments analyzing cultivation data, timelines and outcomes to identify growth characteristics and root causes, contributing to recipe improvement on a daily and weekly basis
• Own defining and prioritizing cultivation challenges and plan experiments accordingly as it relates to yield and quality targets (KPIs)
• Oversees experiment execution by directing team members, recording plant status weekly, assessing experiment continuation, and wrapping up findings in ~2 weeks
• Maintains full compliance with safety and IPM protocols throughout all operations
• Under minimal supervision, tests and proposes optimal parameters (light, fertilizer, irrigation, CO2, etc.) by cultivar and irrigation method, and proposes base recipes
• Facilitate cross-functional projects (e.g., equipment retrofits) with Engineering, Maintenance, etc., including planning, to‑do management, and coordination
• Manage and develop the senior growers, junior growers and R&D operators that report to you
• Develops 1–2 year experiment roadmap under guidance, and leads optimization of recipe development processes and strategic workflows

Physical Requirements:

• Ability to lift up to 30 lbs
• Ability to climb a ladder
• Ability to crouch or kneel
• Ability to reach and stretch
• Hand dexterity
• Comfortable in an active, non-sedentary role for lengths of up to 5 to 6 hours at time
• MUST NOT be allergic to bees

Qualifications

Who will love this job: Individuals who identify with our Core Values and exhibit skills within those values will thrive at Oishii.

One Team, One Fight!

• Ability to quickly shift priorities to meet deadlines and effectively communicate, both verbally and in writing, clearly, concisely and with purpose.
• Ability to work cross functionally and collaborate understanding that expert growers are functional experts but not always the decision makers.

Focus.

• Ability to remove obstacles in order to prioritize which could include problem solving, working through ambiguity and using fact based or sound judgment.

GSD (Get Sh** Done!)

• A bias for action! Ability to hold yourself accountable and take ownership of driving results that impact company outcomes.

What we look for in an Expert Grower:

• Bachelor’s degree in horticulture, plant biology, plant physiology, soil science, or a related degree or field professional experience
• 8+ years of experience as a strawberry grower in a greenhouse, vertical farm, and/or large‑scale traditional or research farm
• 8+ years of experience in team and production or experiment farm management
• Experience in experiment design, cultivation recipe development, and execution
• Proven ability to communicate experimental outcomes and translate them into recipe proposals
• Strong expertise of plant growth, environmental control, cultivation systems (e.g., UTR), and pest and disease management (IPM)
• An open-minded and adaptable leader who actively listens to diverse perspectives of team members and other cross‑functional leaders to translate those perspectives into practical action
• A big-picture thinker who connects plant biology, environment condition, operations efficiency, and equipment performance to optimize the whole system
• Ability to independently identify on‑site cultivation challenges, plan relevant experiments, collect and analyze data, and propose and implement actionable solutions
• Data‑driven decision maker with a strong foundation in experimental design and results interpretation
• Demonstrated ability to work hands‑on in a fast‑paced, R&D startup environment

Perks at Oishii:

• Salary of $90K-100K and Equity
• Medical/Dental/Vision Insurance
• 100% Employer Paid Life Insurance + Long Term Disability Insurance
• EAP Access
• Pet Insurance
• 401(k) Retirement Plan (Roth & Traditional)
• Paid Parental leave
• Office social events including happy hours, parties, and community service projects
• Employee activity groups for basketball players, Yoga Enthusiasts, runners

About Us:

Oishii (which means “delicious” in Japanese) is the innovative company behind the world’s largest indoor vertical strawberry farm. On a mission to transform the agriculture industry through the power of smart farming, Oishii harmoniously marries nature with state‑of‑the‑art technology to create the ideal elements—rain, air, heat, light, nourishment and natural bee pollination—for growing in‑season produce all year round. Oishii’s beloved Omakase, Koyo and Nikko Berries are grown in pesticide‑free vertical farms in the U.S. and proudly bear the Non‑GMO Project Verified seal. Founded in 2016, Oishii’s investors include SPARX Group, NTT, Yaskawa, McWin Capital Partners and Resilience Reserve. Oishii was recognized as one of Fast Company’s “World’s Most Innovative Companies” in 2022.

Today, Oishii operates farms and research facilities across the United States and Japan, bringing together expertise from both countries to advance the future of agriculture. As a Japanese‑founded company with global ambitions, we are building a world‑class team dedicated to transforming how premium produce is grown and delivered. For more information, visit www.oishii.com.