Job Title: Tissue Culture Lab Manager
Job Status: Full-Time Department: Laboratory
Reports to: General Manager FLSA Status: Exempt
Amount of Travel Required: 10% Job Type: Regular
Positions Supervised: 2+ Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, weekends as needed
Position Summary:
Nourse Farms is a leading player in the plant propagation industry, known for our commitment to excellence in providing high-quality plant stock.
The Tissue Culture Lab Manager is responsible for the strategic oversight, execution, and continuous improvement of the company’s clean plant program. This role leads clean stock greenhouse operations, plant health and testing protocols, and production planning to ensure the availability of high-quality, disease-free plant material. This position serves as a key cross-functional partner between greenhouse operations, laboratory teams, and leadership, ensuring alignment across production goals, testing schedules, and inventory needs. Additionally, this role provides secondary leadership support as a backup to the Commercial Laboratory Manager, ensuring continuity of lab operations when needed.
Primary Duties:
Reasonable Accommodation Statement
To accomplish this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform, with or without reasonable accommodation, each essential function satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodation may be made to help enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
Key Responsibilities:
Program Leadership & Production Planning
· Develop and manage short- and long-term clean stock production plans to support company wide plant propagation goals.
· Monitor program performance, proactively identifying risks to plant availability, health, or production timelines.
· Partner with greenhouse and lab teams to ensure successful transition of plant material moving between lab and greenhouse
Clean Plant & Greenhouse Oversight
· Oversee all aspects of the clean stock greenhouse, ensuring optimal environmental conditions, plant health, and strict sanitation standards.
· Establish and enforce best practices for clean plant maintenance, disease prevention, and biosecurity.
· Supervise and support staff working within the Tissue Culture, providing training, direction, and accountability.
· Lead continuous improvement initiatives to enhance plant quality, efficiency, and program scalability.
Testing & Plant Health Management
· Own and manage plant disease testing protocols and genetic profile analyses, including scheduling, sampling, and result tracking.
· Analyze test results and partner with internal teams to make informed decisions regarding plant health, roguing, and replacement strategies.
· Maintain compliance with all regulatory and certification requirements; serve as the primary contact for government inspections and audits.
Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) & Training
· Develop, implement, and continuously improve SOPs related to clean stock operations, testing, sanitation, and data tracking.
· Train and mentor team members on procedures, quality expectations, and best practices.
· Ensure compliance with all safety, quality, and operational standards.
Cross-Functional Collaboration
· Serve as the primary liaison between greenhouse, laboratory, and management teams.
· Work with above teams on production planning and testing schedules
Backup Support – Commercial Laboratory Operations
· Provide backup leadership and operational support to the Commercial Laboratory Manager as needed, including media prep and propagation scheduling.
· Provide support to lab staff ensuring productivity, quality, and adherence to SOPs.
· Contribute to lab production planning
Qualifications:
· Bachelor’s Degree in Agronomy, Horticultural Sciences, Biological Sciences, or Plant Science or equivalent combination of education and experience.
· 5+ years working in a greenhouse, plant production environment, clean stock, or agricultural/laboratory support.
· Micropropagation experience
· Strategic thinking and planning
· Operational leadership and accountability
· Data-driven decision-making
· Continuous improvement mindset
· Strong organizational and communication skills
· Strong computer skills, proficiency in Microsoft Office, including data entry, spreadsheets, and tracking systems
· Ability to lift up to 50 lbs., stand for extended periods, and work in varying temperatures.
Pay: $72,000.00 - $85,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- 401(k) matching
- Dental insurance
- Health insurance
- Paid time off
- Vision insurance
Work Location: In person
