Trials and Research Officer

Location: Branston

Trials and Research Officer

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Onsite, Lincoln

Benefits

* 4.5 working week, finishing at 12:30pm on a Friday

* Car Allowance

* 23 days annual leave increasing to 25 days with service, plus Bank Holidays

* Company bonus scheme

* Enhanced pension contributions

* Life Assurance & critical illness cover

* Onsite Parking

* Discounts platform

* Long service celebrations

* Employee Assistance Programme

* Free fruit & potatoes

* Electric salary sacrifice car scheme

* Flu vaccines

* Refer a friend scheme

The company

From our sites in Lincoln, Scotland and the Southwest, we supply some of the largest retail, wholesale and food manufacturing customers in the UK.

Our expertise goes much further than just supply and demand. We offer our customers real innovation, whether developing new potato varieties, packaging solutions or cutting-edge processes. And it’s not just fresh potatoes. We're also continually developing our great range of innovative, ready-to-cook prepared vegetables.

At Branston we thrive to be the best, through our values and invest in our people. This is a fast-paced environment and looking for someone who is adaptable in their approach.

The role

Join our Seed and Varieties team and play a key role in delivering crop trials that shape future products. You'll plan and manage trials from planting through to harvest, carrying out field assessments, sensory analysis and data reporting to support variety selection decisions. Working closely with internal teams and external breeders, you'll help ensure trials meet required standards while monitoring commercial seed crops across the UK through regular grower visits and sample analysis.

What you will be doing?

* Develop strong working relationships with key potato breeders both in the UK and Europe to make sure Branston has access to the best varieties for trialling

* Cultivate strong relationships with growers to optimise trial site placements

* Take ownership of individual trials, ensuring adherence to protocols and be accountable for data completeness, accuracy and timeliness

* Participate in all practical field operations, from site finding to planting, monitoring and finally harvest, ensuring precise execution of all tasks

* Identify crop growth stages, assess weed, pest, and disease levels for variety resistance and susceptibility during the growing months

* Take full ownership of quality assessments, sensory panels and data gathering and analysis

* Assist with monitoring commercial seed crop health and yield where required, and gathering samples for further analysis/collating these results

* Participate in variety day events, coordinating site setups and participating in plot tours

* Work collaboratively with other departments (NPD, Production, Procurement and Agronomy) to ensure wider business objectives and project outcomes are met

* Collaborate with the Technical Lead and other stakeholders by researching and trialling new varieties, techniques and innovations

What we want from you?

* Excellent organisation skills with a strong attention to detail

* Good IT skills and confidence working with data and reporting tools

* Ability to manage workload effectively

* Agriculture or field trials experience is desirable

We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome applicants from all backgrounds. If you need any reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process, please let us know