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Job Title: Junior R&D Agronomy Scientist 5 days a week at 8299 129 St, Surrey with occasional local travel Type: Full-Time (40 hours/week) | Flexible Schedule Wage: $22-26/hour (based on experience) About SkyAcres SkyAcres is redefining how we grow and access food, building modular vertical farms that turn underutilized spaces into clean, efficient, year-round sources of fresh produce. Our farms grow more with less and deliver hyper-local, pesticide-free greens to retailers, restaurants, and food creators within hours of harvest. We''re growing fast, and were looking for reliable, hands-on team members to help us keep our systems thriving and our produce flowing. SkyAcres has been recognized as a leader in agricultural innovation and clean technology: Named one of the Top 20 AgTech Startups in the World by the Grow-NY Global Food Innovation Competition Funded by Google for Startups , as part of their North American accelerator cohort Voted 2nd Best Startup in British Columbia (2025) Were building not just a product, but a movement, and the world is starting to take notice. Role Overview Were looking for a hands-on, experimental, and fast-learning Junior R&D Agronomy Scientist to support research across high-value crops. This is not a purely academic role. Youll be running trials, troubleshooting real systems, and rapidly testing ideas that directly impact production and product development. Youll work closely with our engineering and operations teams to bridge plant science real-world deployment . Key Responsibilities Crop Research & Trials Design and execute experiments for crop yield enhancement and performance optimization Trial new crop varieties (with a focus on strawberries and specialty crops) Develop and refine growing strategies for indoor systems Plant Health & IPM Identify pests, diseases, and plant stress indicators early Implement and manage IPM strategies, including sourcing and applying biological controls Diagnose nutrient deficiencies and environmental issues Operations & Plant Work Treat plants, monitor growth, and support harvesting cycles Conduct shelf-life and post-harvest quality experiments Maintain high standards of cleanliness and system health Rapid Prototyping & Experimentation Build and test quick experimental setups (jerry-rigging encouraged) Iterate quickly on hypotheses using first-principles thinking Collaborate with hardware/software teams to test new system ideas Data & Analysis Maintain clean, structured data collection practices Analyze experimental results and extract actionable insights Use modern tools (including AI) to accelerate research and reporting Scientific Communication Write scientific reports, SOPs, and internal documentation Contribute to grant writing and research proposals Translate complex findings into clear, actionable recommendations Field Support & Customer Success Visit customer sites across the Greater Vancouver Area to troubleshoot issues Diagnose plant/system problems in real-world environments Provide strong, science-backed support to growers Qualifications Background in agronomy, plant science, horticulture, or related field Experience in greenhouse growing and/or Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Strong observational skills and ability to diagnose plant issues Comfortable with hands-on work and physical farm environments Strong problem-solving ability and first-principles thinking Organized with solid data collection and analysis habits Valid drivers license and ability to travel locally Strong communication skills for both internal teams and customers Nice-to-have (not required): Experience with strawberries or high-value crops Familiarity with AI tools or data analysis workflows Experience in controlled environment agriculture (CEA) or vertical farming Experience writing scientific reports or grant applications What Youll Get Direct mentorship from a multidisciplinary team (engineering, biology, operations) Real ownership over experiments that impact production systems Exposure to both R&D and commercial deployment Mileage reimbursement for travel Rapid growth into senior R&D, product, or operations roles Side Project & Exploration Opportunities At SkyAcres, we encourage curiosity beyond your core role: Design and run your own independent experiments Collaborate on hardware, automation, or AI-driven growing systems Contribute to product development and system design Travel with installation or expansion teams Help shape the future of indoor agriculture through applied research Who This Is For This role is for someone who: Thinks like a scientist but acts like a builder Enjoys figuring things out from first principles Is comfortable with ambiguity and rapid iteration Wants to see their research immediately applied in real systems