R&D Scientist (CCA)

Wonderful Orchards; Lost Hills (CA); On-site; USD 92,000 - 105,000; Full time

Job summary

Wonderful Orchards is seeking an R&D Scientist to join the team in California's San Joaquin Valley. The role focuses on implementing field studies, designing experiments, and delivering high-impact findings to improve yields and quality.

You will work independently across field, lab, and office environments, collaborating with academic partners and farming operations to advance horticultural innovations while adhering to safety and cost controls.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree with a research thesis plus 4 years of post-degree agricultural research experience.
• Bachelor’s degree plus 8 years of post-degree agricultural research experience.
• Direct research experience with Wonderful Orchards crops is preferred but not required.

Responsibilities

• Establish and implement initiatives with supervision of the Director of Research.
• Coordinate and conduct applied agricultural field and laboratory experiments while supporting numerous sequential and overlapping activities.
• Enhance experimental robustness through vigilance for precision and accuracy, including trial design, data analysis, and reporting of results.
• Engage in Wonderful’s corporate culture and participate in organizational and individual activities that deliver on a growth mindset for success.
• Oversee activities by skilled internal (interns, work crews) and external (academic or vendor) personnel at field and/or lab sites.
• Collaborate with public (academic) and private (vendor) technical experts to explore existing and future farming improvements.
• Create budgets and track costs for applied field and lab experiments.
• Provide technical consultation to Farming Directors, Crop Managers, Pest Control Advisors, Spray Operations, Irrigation Managers, and field personnel.
• Identify and implement opportunities to improve workplace efficiency and safety.
• Other duties as assigned.

Skills

Field experimentation

Statistical analysis (SPSS/R/Excel)

Budgeting for field studies

Cross-functional collaboration

Bilingual English/Spanish

Independent work

Education

Master’s Degree in Plant Science, Crop Science, or Agricultural Sciences

Bachelor’s Degree in Plant Science, Crop Science, or Agricultural Sciences

Direct research experience with Wonderful Orchards crops (preferred)

Tools

SPSS

RStudio

Excel Data Analysis Toolpak

Job description

Company Description

With approximately 100,000 planted acres in California's San Joaquin Valley, Wonderful Orchards is the world's largest grower of almonds, pistachios and pomegranates. Wonderful Orchards is a part of The Wonderful Company, a privately held $5 billion global company dedicated to harvesting health and happiness around the world through its iconic consumer brands which include Wonderful Pistachios, Wonderful Halos, POM Wonderful, FIJI Water, Teleflora, and JUSTIN Wine.

Job Description

Summary of Position: As a member of R&D team which is responsible for validating and creating farming innovations, R&D Scientist implements daily, seasonal, and yearly technical and research tasks at their base location and as needed across all farming locations. Responsibilities include understanding complex problems and designing and implementing field studies, quickly delivering high impact findings that lead to business success of economically improved yields and quality. Must work independently and remotely under field, lab and office conditions, navigating a widely divergent work environment and interacting with academic professionals as well as farming operations staff. Activities include applied experiments in agronomy, irrigation, cultivars, farming systems, crop protection and crop physiology.

Duties & Responsibilities

• Establish and implement initiatives with supervision of the Director of Research.
• Coordinate and conduct applied agricultural field and laboratory experiments while supporting numerous sequential and overlapping activities.
• Enhance experimental robustness through vigilance for precision and accuracy, including trial design, data analysis, and reporting of results.
• Engage in Wonderful’s corporate culture and participate in organizational and individual activities that deliver on a growth mindset for success.
• Oversee activities by skilled internal (interns, work crews) and external (academic or vendor) personnel at field and/or lab sites.
• Collaborate with public (academic) and private (vendor) technical experts to explore existing and future farming improvements.
• Create budgets and track costs for applied field and lab experiments.
• Provide technical consultation to Farming Directors, Crop Managers, Pest Control Advisors, Spray Operations, Irrigation Managers, and field personnel.
• Identify and implement opportunities to improve workplace efficiency and safety.
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

Education and Experience

• Master’s Degree (with research thesis) in Plant Science, Crop Science, or Agricultural Sciences AND 4 years of post‑degree agricultural research experience.
• Bachelor’s Degree in Plant Science, Crop Science, or Agricultural Sciences AND 8 years of post‑degree agricultural research experience.
• Direct research experience with Wonderful Orchards crops is preferred but not required.

Specific Knowledge and Skills

• Track record of identifying and testing improvements, with successful implementation or commercialization resulting in business impact.
• Multi‑year/multi‑crop experience with trial design, implementation, and data collection.
• Statistical analysis using SPSS, RStudio, or Excel Data Analysis Toolpak.
• Innovation‑oriented mindset, addressing current and future challenges with inquisitiveness and detail‑orientation.
• Customer‑oriented focus, serving the needs of farming operations as an adjunct member of farming teams.
• Digitally proficient and prepared for a paperless work environment.
• Understanding of public and private ag research landscape.
• Team player, flexible, consistent, and reliable, able to work with minimal supervision.
• Effective verbal and written communication for justifying innovative changes to executives, farm management teams, and farm personnel.
• Knowledge of horticultural crop farming, with preference for orchards or permanent crops under scientific studies.
• Experience conducting scientific studies with grower/farmer cooperators under commercial agricultural conditions and practices.
• Commitment to safety, productivity, and attention to detail as daily objectives.
• Ability to assess changing workplace conditions and make confident adjustments within assigned tasks.
• Experience with budget estimates and cost tracking for field scientific studies.
• Bilingual English/Spanish preferred.

Licenses and Certifications

• Valid California Driver’s License with reliable transportation to and from work.
• Possession or education/experience to obtain PCA and CCA certifications is recommended but not required.

Pay Range

$92,000 to $105,000. Final compensation will be dependent upon skills & experience.

Benefits

• We nourish, naturally - We believe that what you put into your body matters. The most nutritious—and best‑tasting—foods are those from nature.
• We play to win - Our employees set ambitious goals and meet challenges with unified purpose and unmatched energy.
• We act differently - With courage and fearlessness, we are relentless in our quest to inspire healthier food and beverage choices.

Wonderful Orchards and The Wonderful Company is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected categories. EEO is the law – click here for more information.