Director of Food, Salinas

Mori delivers game-changing innovation for the food, agriculture, and packaging industries. Using just salt, water, and heat, we extract a protective protein from silk and apply it to food, slowing down spoilage and keeping food naturally fresher for longer. Our patented technology can be integrated at any time from farm to shelf, allowing food producers, processors, and retailers to deliver more and better-quality food to consumers while reducing food and packaging waste throughout the supply chain

Our mission statement, “More food. Less waste.” is supported by our company goals to reduce food and packaging waste, improve supply chain efficiencies, and increase food access

Job Description

Mori is seeking an experienced technical leader to direct R&D and product development work happening in our Salinas CA office. The candidate will have the following responsibilities (which are subject to change):

• Managing multiple complex projects by utilizing internal and external resources
• Managing teams of applied and basic researchers working on product development at early and late stages
• Identifies need for, introduces, manages and scales complex processes and programs related to our produce-related R&D and product goals
• Balance breadth and depth in response to project needs
• See projects through initiation to completion with a high degree of accuracy
• Accountable for complex project scoping with minimal oversight
• Regularly serves as a thought-partner to relevant parties/projects
• Team leadership: strong technical skills and communication skills that enables project management and coordination across various groups or departments
• Pragmatic, problem solving to find solutions and methods of mitigating risks
• Representing Mori as a technical expert to industry partners as needed
• Contributing to a highly enthusiastic and welcoming environment
• Communicating with external partners to facilitate commercial trial planning and execution
• 25% travel expected during growing seasons
  • Some night and weekend work required

Requirements

Ideal candidate will have the following qualifications:

• PhD in Food or Agricultural Science field and 3 years’ experience or a M.S. 7 years’ experience working in and around agricultural systems
• Experience working in agricultural production or extension services
• Up to 25% travel for in field studies
• Reliable, team player, good problem solving and strong communications skills in person and with remote team members in Boston
• Management experience
• Fluent in Spanish; reading, writing, and spoken
  • Strong verbal and written communication skills in both English and Spanish
    

Benefits

Team and Culture

Our tight-knit team has spent their careers developing and commercializing technology. We abide by the following values:

• Think big, start small
• Embrace complexity
• See it through
• Operate with care
• Keep perspective

Mori offers all full-time employees comprehensive health, vision and dental benefits including the following:

• Free, confidential mental health counselors through a program called Health Advocate. Health Advocate also helps out with other things (securing childcare, finding lawyers for wills, etc.), and you have access to the full array of Health Advocate options fully paid for
  • Health Advocate also offers advice on which health insurance option to choose based on your personal circumstances (HIPAA compliant, everything is done between you and them and never comes to a Mori employee)
  • Free OneMedical on-demand primary care (24/7 access to physicians, online booking system, membership fee is covered)
  • Free TelaDoc through Aetna
  • 3 months of TalkSpace (fully online mental health therapists)
• Unlimited paid-time-off and 11 paid company holidays.
• 401(k) plan with company match
• Life and supplemental life insurance through MetLife.
• Commuter Benefits
• 24/7 access to Hood Park fitness center (HQ benefit)
• Free parking (HQ and Salinas benefit)
• Covered and indoor bike parking (HQ benefit)
• Hood Park programming and events (HQ benefit)

Mori is an Equal Opportunity Employer and complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (“ADA”), as amended by the ADA Amendments Act of 2008, and all applicable state and local fair employment practices laws. Employment opportunities at Mori are based upon one's qualifications and capabilities to perform the essential functions of a particular job. All employment opportunities are provided without regard to race, religion, sex, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, national origin, age, veteran status, disability, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by law.