Vice President, Technology
GENERAL DESCRIPTION:
Reporting to the Company's Chief Technology Officer, the Vice President of Technology will play a leadership role in the operation of the existing analytical chemistry service business as well as the establishment of a new growth opportunity in the area of agricultural computer vision. The successful candidate will have the demonstrated ability to lead and develop a diverse group of graduate level scientists, engineers, and support staff. It is expected that this individual also will be effective in collaborating and communicating with Senior Management, external customers and partners, and other functions within the Company. Technical expertise in one or more of the following fields is a requirement: carbohydrate chemistry, agricultural chemistry, separations science, optical spectroscopy, statistical analysis, image analysis, and artificial intelligence.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:
- Oversees daily operations of existing analytical services laboratory.
- Working closely with the Chief Technology Officer, helps develop and implement the research plan for the new agriculture computer vision program. This will include research project planning, addition of staffing, acquisition of equipment, deployment of lab capabilities, identifying and managing external partnerships, and evaluation of the open and patent literature.
- Actively participates and supports Company Safety Program as well as all Company Human Resource policies.
EDUCATION:
- Graduate degree in a physical, biological, or engineering science.
EXPERIENCE:
- At least 5 years of experience in a leadership position within a research and development organization, including supervision of graduate level scientists, engineers, and support staff. Experience planning and conducting personal research programs also a requirement.
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES:
- Ability to succeed in a small, dynamic, and rapidly changing technology-based organization.
- Ability to lead and influence individuals with diverse skills and personalities, both within and external to, formal area of responsibility.
- Ability to communicate with all levels of Company and with external partners, both verbally and via written reports, including through formal presentations.
- Ability to effectively discharge routine administrative responsibilities including project planning and management, budgeting and expense control, reporting, data QC/QA, and all aspects of staff supervision.
- A strong theoretical and working knowledge in at least one of the listed fields:
- Quantitative analytical chemistry, including method development and validation
- carbohydrate chemistry and analysis
- separation science
- spectroscopic techniques
- plant physiology and biochemistry as related to commercial crops
- agronomy and agricultural science best practices
- advanced statistics, including analysis of large complex data sets and data reduction techniques
- advanced image acquisition and analysis
- development, validation, and implementation of artificial intelligence
- Working knowledge of intellectual property principles of patentability and right-to-practice.
- Working knowledge of and commitment to process and laboratory safety.
