Horticultural Technician

SOLASTA Bio is dedicated to discovery of new, more selective, “greener” insect control agents that are valuable for modern pest management approaches.The horticulture technician would support efficacy and toxicity testing on insects by upkeep of host plants and insect colonies, working with SOLASTA Bio R&D team and reporting to the Senior Scientist. They will also be expected to manage workflow, and with oversight as necessary, to formulate and submit reports and data sheets.

Responsibilities

• To provide horticulture and insect colony support duties
• Maintenance of plant and insect colonies and associate laboratory areas and specified equipment
• Perform administrative tasks including stock control.
• Contribute to predetermined, prescribed or individual/joint research objectives in accordance with the project/company deliverables.
• Document research output including analysis and interpretation of all data, maintaining records and databases, drafting technical/progress reports as appropriate.
• Contribute to the presentation of work at internal progress meetings.
• Safety management related to laboratory practice, equipment and processes as appropriate
• Keep up to date with current knowledge and recent advances in the field/discipline.
• Engage with sector professionals including agronomists and suppliers.
• Undertake any other duties of equivalent standing as assigned by the company R&D and/or management teams.
• These key tasks are not intended to be exhaustive but simply highlight a number of major tasks which the staff member may reasonably be expected to perform.

Qualifications

Essential:

• Knowledge of horticulture including plant species, propagation and maintenance.
• Working knowledge of insect pests
• A comprehensive and up-to-date knowledge of the wider subject area in horticulture.

Desirable:

• Theoretical and practical knowledge of plant care, horticulture and sustainability.
• A minimum of 2 year’s work experience in horticulture and with pest insects.

Skills

Essential:

• Horticulture – plant varieties/species; sowing; planting and propagation.
• Insect handling
• Excellent interpersonal skills including team working and a collegiate approach.
• Excellent communication skills (oral and written), and ability to communicate data/concepts clearly and concisely.
• Appropriate workload/time/project/budget/people management skills.
• IT and data analysis/interpretation skills as appropriate.
• Self-motivation, initiative and independent thought/working.
• Initiative and judgement to resolve problems with the R&D team, including demonstrating a flexible and pragmatic approach.
• Proven ability to deliver quality outputs in a timely and efficient manner.

Job Type: Part-time
Part-time hours: 24 per week

Salary: £25,000.00-£30,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• Private medical insurance

Schedule:

• Day shift

Ability to commute/relocate:

• Glasgow: reliably commute or plan to relocate before starting work (required)

Work authorisation:

• United Kingdom (required)

Work Location: In person