Job Description
The Company
OMEX is an exciting, forward-thinking and innovative place to grow your career. The industry leaders in liquid fertiliser are on a fast-track journey to grow the business and are looking for a dedicated and enthusiastic research biologist to join the team. OMEX pride themselves on their core values “FOCUS”. Fulfilment, One-Team, Collaborate, Use a strategic mindset and Strong execution. Working at OMEX, the team are encouraged to take ownership of projects they’re passionate about, are able to make a real difference to joint business goals, and have the opportunity to progress their career. OMEX believe personal development is vital, and fund training to grow people as they help grow the business. From scientific to commercial qualifications, OMEX are continuously investing in their team to meet both personal and
organisational goals. As a business who operates within 85 countries OMEX companies celebrate their diversity within the workplace, and the worldwide opportunities on offer to people joining them. This key role is seeking to further strengthen OMEX’s market position within the marketplace.
The Role
• OMEX require a highly motivated research biologist able to work on their own initiative as a key member of the team based at King’s Lynn in Norfolk, researching and developing new products and commercial applications for plant nutrient, biostimulant and biopesticide products for use in commercial agriculture and horticulture in all the major food producing countries of the world.
• This role will suit a creative thinker with an enthusiasm for developing innovative solutions to the challenges facing sustainable and profitable agricultural production. You will be collaborating with the commercial team to identify market gaps and opportunities for new product offerings and consulting with leading researchers in the field to prospect for potential collaborative projects.
• You will also be involved in conducting in-house research and analysing results. You will be capable of planning and conducting your experiments and research on your own, but you will be part of a larger team and will share your findings and relevant information with suppliers, colleagues, distributors and growers at conferences and customer meetings and through publications.
Responsibilities
• Effective networking with key researchers, academics and potential industrial partners to identify research opportunities leading to new products and technologies.
• Attendance at relevant academic and technical conferences and regular scanning of industry journals and relevant online publications to identify promising new leads.
• Close collaboration with the commercial team to better understand customer needs and practical opportunities and limitations.
• Monitoring of competitor activity to keep pace with new developments.
• Design and conduct in-house laboratory, greenhouse and field experiments aimed at developing new products or improving the efficacy of existing ones.
• Process, analyse and publish results, data and recommendations in forms easily understood by a wide range of non-technical audiences.
• Conduct field work to validate research findings and commission trials with academic and independent specialist researchers
Required Skills
• Social and networking skills, with the ability to build effective links with external organisations and researchers
• A methodical approach to analysing and processing data
• Problem-solving capabilities when planning and conducting experiments.
• Excellent time management and organisation
• The ability to work both independently and as a team member
• Strong communication skills for writing papers, reports, and bids and for giving presentations.
• Tenacity and patience, to see experiments through from design to completion
Qualifications
• A degree level or higher postgraduate qualification in a subject related to life sciences research, such as biochemistry, crop and plant science or microbiology
Work Experience
• Previous practical laboratory experience and knowledge of the range of techniques used in plant phenotyping and field trials would be an advantage
Benefits
A competitive remuneration package is offered for the role
• A contributory Company Pension Scheme is also offered as well as access to a life assurance scheme and contributory healthcare scheme
• Group events such as the OMEX summer BBQ and OMEX Christmas party
• Discretionary Christmas bonus
• Free on-site parking across all OMEX sites and lunch provision scheme
• Personal and professional development opportunities
• Access to the OMEX Company Share scheme is also available after a qualifying period