Reporting to the Director of Industry Solutions, the Agricultural Innovator will support our clients with developing unique and cutting edge agricultural, vertical farming and hydroponics-based solutions. You will work across academia, start-ups, and established players to build real world pilots and industrial applications of scaled agriculturally based solutions. Must be able to balance the need for scientific development with the application of real-world delivery with multi-year projects.

A background in vertical farming, agronomy or industrial intensive farming practices a must. Experience with creating innovative agriculturally based solutions and ability to develop routes to market for produce is desired. Familiarity with robotics and/or carbon capture and utilisation a plus.

Key responsibilities include:

• Be a bridge between the science produced by academic institutions and the real-world application of that science at pace
• Build credibility with academia finding the up-to-date thinking being proposed to our clients’ problems
• Engage, lead and review academic studies or research commissioned to ensure that outputs are transferable and stay on topic
• Work with academic institutions on piloting or scaling solutions that come from their research 
• Work across academia, start-ups and established players to produce an innovative agricultural product meeting our client’s specifications
• Innovate and build practical answers to the challenges faced within the prototyping phase to ensure that the end solution operates efficiently
• Think broadly and apply new technologies to produce a first to market product 
• Develop a horticultural plan balancing cropping outputs with water / light / nutrient needs
• Ensure that crops meet local needs, are sustainable and provide adequate outcomes for the project
• Choose crop varietals based on scientific and local inputs to maximise stakeholder benefit from the project
• Connect with a broad set of stakeholders across government, social enterprises, academia, clients and suppliers to understand key shifts and opportunities
• Represent the Group at tradeshows as required and share our agricultural projects with prospective clients where appropriate
• Develop a detailed understanding of the sustainable energy and developing vertical farming industries, trends and opportunities
• Maintain a personal development program to continually enhance your own competencies