Research Technician Sorghum Breeding

1 . Breeding operations support.

• Support breeding activities by helping
  coordinate the movement of genetic material through successive breeding stages.
  
• Assist with preparation, labeling,
  storage, and dispatch of materials for rapid -cycle advancement.
  
• Maintain accurate records of breeding
  materials.
  
• Support timely transfer of selected
  material between greenhouse, nursery, and breeding pipeline stages.
  

2.       Cross and seed
logistics.

• Prepare and organize
  seed packets, crossing kits, envelopes, labels, and other materials required
  for breeding operations.
  
• Assist with seed
  sorting, packaging, reconciliation, and dispatch for crossing and advancement
  activities.
  
• Support tracking of
  parental lines, cross progenies, and advanced breeding materials to ensure
  identity and traceability.
  
• Help maintain
  orderly seed stores and breeding operation supplies.
  
  

3.       Support rapid
early -generation cycling.

• Assist in handling
  materials from rapid cycling crosses, including progenies from early -generation
  crosses and related advancement materials.
  
• Ensure breeding
  materials are moved quickly and accurately between activities to minimize
  delays in the pipeline.
  
• Support preparation
  of materials for recurrent crossing and advancement under the RCGS workflow.
  
• Help maintain
  continuity of materials across breeding cycles and breeding generation
  transitions.
  

4.       Coordination of
trial kits. 

• Work with Trialing
  Research Associate in preparing trial kits, labels, materials, and documentation
  required for multi -location sparse testing.
  
• Ensure that all
  items needed for field trials (seeds, plot QR code labels) are packed and
  dispatched correctly and on time.
  
• Coordinate with
  field teams, breeders, and logistics staff to ensure smooth delivery of trial
  kits to partners.
  
• Keep checklists and
  inventories for all kits and dispatched materials.
  

5.       Data recording and
documentation.

• Record breeding
  operation details accurately, including dates of crossing, dispatch, and sparse
  testing location details such as trial planting harvesting and data return, and
  material movement.
  
• Ensure all genetic
  materials and experiments are recorded in EBS.
  
• Assist with basic
  data entry and file organization related to breeding operations.
  
• Support
  documentation needed for quality assurance, traceability, and reporting.
  

6.       Collaboration with
scientists.

• Work closely with
  the Plant Breeder and other scientists to implement operational aspects of
  RCGS.
  
• Support the
  conversion of genomic selection decisions into practical breeding actions.
  
• Coordinate with
  breeders to ensure selected materials are prepared and moved efficiently
  through the pipeline.
  
• Provide operational
  feedback on bottlenecks, delays, losses, or material -handling issues.
  

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Agriculture, Crop
  Science, Seed Science, Plant Breeding, Agronomy, or a related field
  
• Practical experience in seed handling,
  breeding nursery support, or agricultural research operations in a large plant
  breeding program.
  
• Experience supporting breeding
  programs, crossing work, or germplasm logistics.
  
• Familiarity with dryland crops such as
  sorghum, pearl millet, or finger millet.
  
• Experience in seed labeling, inventory
  management, or breeding pipeline tracking.
  
• Ability to work in a fast -paced
  research environment with multiple deadlines.
  
• Willingness to support occasional
  travel to partner sites.