About Benson Hill
Benson Hill empowers innovators to develop more healthy, tasty and sustainable food by unlocking the natural genetic diversity of plants. Benson Hill’s CropOS™ platform combines machine learning and big data with breeding techniques and plant biology to drastically accelerate and simplify the product development process. This platform allows for cost-effective and more efficient ways for companies to analyze and make improvements in plant genetics. Benson Hill brings a unique and holistic approach to our product and platform development, as we span a broader workflow involving trait and seed development, genome editing, and breeding all the way to creating better ingredients and varieties that tap a strong consumer demand for more flavorful and nutritious fruits and vegetables. More information can be found online at www.bensonhill.com. Follow us on Twitter at @BensonHillInc.

Our Purpose and Core Values

Our Core Values are a set of common principles we share that are fundamental to our company’s identity.

• Be Bold! We redefine boundaries by providing new solutions to difficult problems. Together we are driven to transform the future and will not allow the fear of failure to prevent us from innovating. We voice our opinions, embrace change, and challenge each other to think creatively.
• Be Inspired! We redefine boundaries by providing new solutions to difficult problems. Together we are driven to transform the future and will not allow the fear of failure to prevent us from innovating. We voice our opinions, embrace change, and challenge each other to think creatively.
• Be Real! We understand who we are, what we want to achieve, and what it takes to get there. We hold each other accountable through timely, candid, and well-intentioned feedback. Together we engage in honest communication and healthy debate that leads to success through true alignment.

Department Overview

The Research and Development Department is responsible for the development of technology platforms and products designed to support the future growth, competitiveness, and long-term sustainability of the company. As part of its platform development efforts, R&D conducts a wide range of research activities, namely in the areas of trait discovery and validation, crop genetic engineering, crop transformation, molecular detection, biochemical assays, plant growth, and molecular breeding, to name a few. These activities are aimed at developing new capabilities in crop research, the outcome of which is then leveraged to create new product development opportunities and shorten the time to market. The department leverages its platform capabilities and extensive knowhow in biology and crop science, along with the computational expertise housed within the Data Science & Platform Engineering, as well as the market insights of the Business Development and Commercial teams to design and create new and improved crop varieties, which offer tangible benefits to farmers and consumers, specifically in the areas of sustainability, health and nutrition.

POSITION SUMMARY

We are actively seeking a RESEARCH ASSOCIATE I to join our Gene Editing Team. The Research Associate I will be primarily responsible for independently conducting high quality experiments in bacteria, plant cells, and/or plant tissue culture. The successful candidate will thrive in a team environment and have the ability to follow established protocols explicitly and suggest improvements.

YOU WILL:

(ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES)

• Design and conduct experiments in bacteria, plant cells, and/or plant tissue culture to advance genome editing technologies
• Communicate cross-functionally to request analyses, and share results
• Prepare written documents and present findings to stake-holders
• Comfortable in a dynamic, fast-paced lab environment.

YOU HAVE:

Education

• HS/GED +2 years’ experience or Bachelor’s degree in Biology or other relevant degree

Experience

• + 2 years' relevant experience

Skillset

• Experienced with molecular techniques (e.g., cloning, PCR, enzymatic assays, sequencing analysis)
• Previous experience with plant genetics in crop or model species; including but not limited to agrobacterium, transient assays, genotyping, greenhouse/growth chamber testing
• Knowledge of CRISPR gene editing (preferred)
• Experience with Microsoft Word, Excel, Powerpoint
• Experience with DNA vector design software, genome sequence databases, and Blast bioinformatics tools preferred

Other

• Attention to detail
• Collaborative
• Ability to focus and work independently
• Adapt to changing priorities and timelines
• Rapidly acquire new technical skills
• Organized, capable of working on several projects concurrently

We have a Total Rewards Package at Benson Hill that consists of more than just your paycheck. Total Rewards at Benson Hill covers Pay (salary and bonus), Health (employer benefit contributions) and Wealth (investments). Some of the perks include:

• A Collaborative Environment
• A flexible PTO program with a focus on work/life balance
• Competitive medical benefits and retirement savings plan
• LOW COST Dental and Vision Coverage
• Education reimbursement
• PAID parental leave
• And more….