SEED LAB PROGRAM MANAGER

Description

"Serving consumers and agriculture by safeguarding the public, plants, animals and the environment through promotion, education and regulation." 

The Idaho State Department of Agriculture is currently recruiting for a Seed Lab Program Manager in the in the Bureau of Labs in Boise.

Example of Duties:

• Ensure all assigned staff are informed of and are following all Department policies

• Trains and supervises lab staff in Purity, Germination, Tetrazolium and special testing;

• Studies and maintains a good working knowledge of seed testing rules and procedures;

• Conducts Purity, Germination and Tetrazolium testing;

• Develops testing procedures in Purity, Germination and Tetrazolium for new species;

• Evaluates compliance on enforcement samples;

• Independently conducts, evaluates, and records results of seed analysis;

• Identifies seeds by comparing morphological characteristics;

• Separates and weighs seeds;

• Calculates percentage of inert matter, prohibited and restricted seeds, and primary and secondary noxious weed seeds from pure seeds;

• Uses botanical keys and herbarium samples;

• Conducts feed microscopy;

• Determines seed counts and compliance with established tolerances;

• Plants seeds in appropriate substrate using vacuum head and planting board;

• Maintains proper moisture content, temperature, and humidity in growth chambers;

• Determines seed growth development;

• Counts and calculate percentages of dead/hard seeds and normal/abnormal seedlings;

• Conducts, evaluate and record results of referee testing program and special tests such as tetrazolium chloride and vigor tests using stress conditions such as cold temperatures and wet and unsterilized soil;

• Conducts and evaluate analyses of seed enforcement samples;

• Records, determines and reports compliance with federal and state seed laws;

• Develops and conducts training programs and oversees the work of other analysts;

• Resolves problems by clients concerning seed testing procedures and results;

• Establishes testing procedures for seed crops rarely submitted to the ISDA seed laboratory;

• Determines whether an enforcement seed sample is in compliance with or in violation of Idaho Pure Seed Law;

• Act as Seed Lab Quality Assurance Officer

Minimum Qualifications

These qualifications are mandatory requirements 

1. Some knowledge of management practices. 

Specialty Qualifications 

These qualifications are mandatory requirements 

• Within two years of hire, possess a certification from the Association of Official Seed Analysts (AOSA) in BOTH Purity AND Germination OR be certified by the Society of Commercial Seed Technologists (SCST) as a Registered Seed Technologist (RST)
• Experience working with industry representatives.
• Working as a liaison to local government, state government, federal government, or interest groups
• Planning or providing agricultural program services.
• Reviewing laws, regulations, policies and/or procedures for compliance or explaining to others how they apply to specific situations.
• Developing written technical reports or correspondence evaluating agricultural or science related issues.
• Developing and making oral presentations before groups.

Desirable Qualifications

• Possess a certification from the Association of Official Seed Analysts (AOSA) in BOTH Purity AND Germination OR be certified by the Society of Commercial Seed Technologists (SCST) as a Registered Seed Technologist (RST).
• Experience providing higher level consultation to customers and other outside entities.
• Good knowledge of basic seed and seedling morphology.
• Experience performing final peer data review before results are released to customers.
• Experience in performing Germination, TZ and Purity testing in a Seed Lab.
• Experience in training staff in Germination, TZ and Purity testing in a Seed Lab.
• Experience writing performance evaluations.
• Experience contacting and resolving customers’ problems or complaints.
• Experience researching, developing, validating, and implementing new tests or new technology or instrumentation.
• Experience in Quality Assurance including drafting Standard Operating Procedures.
• Experience acting as Subject Matter Expert on Seed Lab testing procedures.

Thank you for your interest in the Department of Agriculture! 

If you have questions,
please contact us at:
[email protected] or at (208) 332-8520

Hiring is done without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age or disability. In addition, preference may be given to veterans who qualify under state and federal laws and regulations. If you need special accommodations to satisfy testing requirements or for the recruiting process, please contact ISDA’s HR Department at [email protected] or at (208) 332-8520.

Preference may be given to veterans who qualify under state and federal laws and regulations.

BEST RETIREMENT AVAILABLE IN THE NATION
We have one of the Nation's best state retirement systems (PERSI) that offers a lifetime benefit.

EXCELLENT BENEFITS

·Excellent medical, dental and vision insurance-employee only coverage for PPO $65/month for medical and vision & $11.00/month for dental 

·generous vacation and sick leave accrual beginning as soon as you start 

·11 paid holidays a year 

·paid parental leave

·multiple savings plans, optional 401K, and optional 457

·basic life insurance for employee and family 

1.employee covered at one times their annual salary

2.spouse covered at $10,000

3.child covered at $5,000

·wellness programs 

·ongoing training opportunities 

·an opportunity for student loan forgiveness

·and more!

Benefits

https://dhr.idaho.gov/StateEmployees/Benefits.html

*Benefits may not be applicable for temporary or seasonal positions.

EEO/ADA/Veteran's Preference

The State of Idaho is committed to providing equal employment opportunities and prohibit discrimination against qualified individuals based on their status as protected veterans or individuals with disabilities and prohibit discrimination against all individuals based on their race, color, religion, political affiliation or belief, sex, national origin, genetics, or any other status protected under applicable federal, state, or local laws.

The State of Idaho is committed to access and reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities, auxiliary aids and services are available upon request. If you require an accommodation at any step in our recruitment process, you are encouraged to contact (208) 334-2263 (TTY/TTD: 711), or email [email protected].

Preference may be given to veterans who qualify under state and federal laws and regulations.