Department:
Research and Development
Reporting to:
Senior Celery Breeder
Key internal and external relationships:
- Internal: Senior Celery Breeder; colleagues across breeding, agronomy, seed production, seed quality, product development and sales
- External: Growers, customers, trial sites and international collaborators
Location:
Cobham, UK, onsite five days per week, with flexibility during transition and occasional UK and international travel.
Contract type:
Permanent
Contractual hours:
40 hours per week.
Working pattern:
Monday to Friday. The role requires flexibility and additional hours in the breeding season to ensure important breeding and trial work is completed. Field and glasshouse work and UK and international travel are integral to the role.
Role Summary:
The Celery Breeder supports the complete celery breeding process, working alongside the Senior Celery Breeder to create and manage breeding populations, evaluate trials and contribute to the development of new F1 hybrid varieties.
The role combines practical field and glasshouse activity with data analysis and the use of laboratory or molecular technologies where these add value to the breeding programme.
Role Purpose:
Develop commercially successful celery varieties by applying plant breeding and genetics principles across the full breeding cycle.
The role exists to build specialist celery breeding capability, deliver robust trial and selection activity, and collaborate with colleagues internationally to support the development of varieties suitable for commercial production and customers.
Key Responsibilities:
- Design, manage and evaluate field and glasshouse trials, ensuring reliable observations and trial data.
- Create and manage breeding populations.
- Select plants and develop new inbred lines.
- Support the development and evaluation of new F1 hybrid varieties.
- Evaluate important traits, including yield, disease resistance, bolt tolerance, holding ability and flavour.
- Collect, manage and analyse breeding and trial data to inform selection decisions.
- Apply molecular and laboratory-based technologies where they add value to the breeding programme.
- Work closely with the Senior Celery Breeder to develop specialist celery breeding knowledge and capability.
- Collaborate with colleagues across breeding, agronomy, seed production, seed quality, product development and sales.
- Work with teams in the UK, the Netherlands, Spain and the USA.
- Visit field trials, growers, customers and other sites in the UK and internationally.
- Work in accordance with the Company's health, safety, environmental and quality requirements.
- Undertake other reasonable responsibilities consistent with the purpose and level of the role.
Essential knowledge and experience:
- Sound understanding of genetics and plant breeding principles.
- Experience in plant breeding, genetics, plant science or a closely related discipline.
- Practical experience of working with plants.
- An interest in vegetable crops and commercial breeding.
Essential skills and capabilities:
- Good analytical and data-management skills.
- Ability to collect, maintain and interpret breeding and trial data accurately.
- Ability to work independently while contributing effectively to a collaborative international team.
- A practical, hands-on and "can-do" approach.
- Willingness to learn celery breeding and develop new technical skills.
- Enthusiasm for working outdoors and undertaking the practical aspects of breeding.
- Willingness to work in field and glasshouse environments in varied weather conditions.
- Flexibility to travel within the UK and internationally.
- Flexibility to work additional hours when required by the breeding programme.
Desirable Criteria:
- Previous experience in vegetable or commercial plant breeding.
- Experience of designing, managing or evaluating field trials.
- Experience of developing breeding populations or inbred lines.
- Experience of using molecular or laboratory-based technologies within a breeding programme.
- Previous experience of working across international or cross-functional teams.
- Knowledge or experience of celery breeding is beneficial but is not required.
Qualifications or Professional Requirements:
- An MSc or PhD in Plant Breeding, Genetics, Horticulture or a related subject would be advantageous but is not essential. The role requires an appropriate combination of relevant knowledge, practical experience, enthusiasm and willingness to learn.
- Driving licence
Measures of Success:
- Field and glasshouse trials are planned, delivered and evaluated in line with agreed seasonal milestones and quality standards.
- Breeding selections and associated data are accurate, traceable and available in time to support programme decisions.
- Priority breeding populations, inbred lines and F1 hybrid development activities progress in accordance with the agreed breeding programme.
- The postholder demonstrates increasing knowledge and independent capability in celery breeding during the first 6 to 12 months.
- Effective working relationships are established with relevant UK and international colleagues.
- Breeding, trial and data activities comply with Company health, safety, environmental and quality requirements.
Scope and Decision Making Authority:
- Geographic scope: UK-based role with collaboration across the UK, the Netherlands, Spain and the USA, together with UK and international site visits.
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