Pairwise believes healthy food should be affordable, convenient, and sustainable. We believe gene editing can be used to accelerate plant breeding in leveraging the natural genetic diversity in agricultural crops to address global food challenges. We are bringing the benefits of these new innovations both to producers and directly to consumers through the produce aisle of their local grocery store. Located in the Raleigh-Durham metro area, Pairwise was established in 2017 and has formed a strong team of almost 100 employees to meet our aggressive product development goals.
The plant biology lead will be responsible for bridging the gap between molecular genetics and plant development and helping to develop our scientific strategy. This senior leader will manage a team of PhD scientists focused on identifying genes associated with traits underlying Pairwise product concepts. This role will also be part of Pairwise’s scientific team and report to the head of product discovery. This position will be critical to not only building the scientific strategy but also the culture of our R & D organization as the company grows. The successful candidate will have a strong understanding of how business targets influence research and development and will be a strong partner to the commercial team.
Summary of Job Responsibilities
- Develop and lead a team of highly motivated and innovative plant scientists defining genetic approaches to manipulating traits
- Establish goals, milestones, and budgets required to advance Plant Biology projects
- Establish and manage collaborations with universities and other scientific organizations to bring diverse thought into Pairwise
- Participate as a member of Pairwise’s scientific leadership team
- Partner closely with the commercial team to define and evaluate product concepts
- Provide strong cross-functional leadership across the organization
Job Requirements
- PhD or equivalent experience in Botany, Plant Science, Genetics, Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, Evolution or related field focused on plant-based research with preference to a demonstrated track record of bridging the understanding gap between phenotype and genetic architecture and translating these into relevant product concepts OR demonstrated success in leading screening platforms (i.e. compound screening platforms in pharma or ag)
- 5+ years experience managing scientific teams
- Strong track record of formulating research programs
- Demonstrated ability to deliver scientific results in a cross functional environment
- Ability to manage complex product development pipeline activities