R&D Scientist (CCA) (Agricultural Research)

Location: Lost Hills, California, USA; full-time role based across field, laboratory, and office conditions.

Salary: USD 92,000–105,000 per year, depending on skills and experience.

Company

A privately held agricultural organization operating large-scale orchards and producing almonds, pistachios, pomegranates, and other consumer food and beverage products.

What you will do

• Design and conduct applied agricultural field and laboratory experiments across agronomy, irrigation, cultivars, farming systems, crop protection, and crop physiology.
• Coordinate sequential and overlapping research activities, including trial design, implementation, data collection, statistical analysis, and reporting.
• Oversee interns, work crews, academic partners, vendors, and other personnel at field and laboratory sites.
• Collaborate with academic and private-sector technical experts to identify and implement farming improvements.
• Provide technical consultation to farming directors, crop managers, pest control advisors, spray operations, irrigation managers, and field personnel.
• Create budgets, track costs, and identify opportunities to improve workplace efficiency and safety.

Requirements

• Master’s degree with a research thesis in Plant Science, Crop Science, or Agricultural Sciences and 4 years of post-degree agricultural research experience, or a bachelor’s degree in one of these fields and 8 years of post-degree agricultural research experience.
• Multi-year, multi-crop experience designing and implementing trials, collecting data, and analyzing results.
• Statistical analysis experience using SPSS, RStudio, or the Excel Data Analysis ToolPak.
• Knowledge of horticultural crop farming, commercial agricultural practices, and scientific studies conducted with growers or farmers.
• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision, communicate technical recommendations to varied audiences, and maintain strong attention to safety, productivity, precision, and detail.
• Valid California driver’s license and reliable transportation to and from work.

Nice to have

• Direct research experience with the organization’s orchard crops.
• Bilingual English/Spanish communication skills.
• Eligibility or relevant education and experience for PCA and CCA certifications.
• Experience with budget estimates and cost tracking for field research studies.

Culture & Benefits

• Work across field, laboratory, and office environments with farming operations and technical experts.
• Opportunities for advancement within a large privately held organization.
• Growth-oriented culture focused on ambitious goals, innovation, and effective decision-making.
• Equal opportunity employment.