R&D Field Operations Manager

About the Role:

Location: Amarillo or Lubbock, Texas. Other Texas locations may be considered. 

Avalo is a sustainable crop development company using our proprietary technology of a directed evolution platform for rapid crop development through massively accelerating gene discovery and breeding. We are hiring an R&D Field Operations Manager to lead the execution and expansion of Avalo's field-based research and development program, with a primary focus on cotton.

This role will translate  Avalo's research objectives into scientifically rigorous, well-executed field trials that generate high-quality data and enable advancement decisions. The R&D Field Operations Manager will bring strong agronomy and/or plant breeding expertise to the planning and execution of Avalo's field research, including trial design, field protocols, crop evaluation, phenotypic and agronomic data collection, and interpretation of field performance.

As a key member of Avalo's broader cotton program, the R&D Field Operations Manager will work cross-functionally with research, product, computational, and go-to-market teams to ensure field results inform advancement decisions, research priorities, product development, and the continued advancement of our cotton portfolio. .

What You'll Do:

Lead R&D Field Trial Strategy & Execution

• Lead the planning, design, and execution of Avalo's cotton R&D field trial portfolio, ensuring trials are scientifically rigorous and aligned with research and program objectives.
• Apply agronomic and plant breeding expertise to experimental design, site selection, field protocols, plot design, trial management, and evaluation of crop performance.
• Oversee and complete all phases of field research, from planting and crop management, through phenotyping, sampling, harvest, ginning, and post-season evaluation.
• Evaluate trial performance throughout the season, identify issues or opportunities, and make informed agronomic and research decisions as conditions evolve.
• Ensure consistent research standards, high-quality data collection, and experimental integrity across trial locations.
• Synthesize field observations, environmental conditions, and trial results into actionable agronomic insights that support research and advancement decisions.

Lead Breeding, Line Advancement, and Propagation

• Lead field-based evaluation and advancement of cotton lines in alignment with Avalo's research and product objectives.
• Partner with Avalo's computational and AI teams to integrate field performance, phenotypic, agronomic, and environmental data into model development and line selection.
• Apply agronomic and breeding expertise alongside computational insights to inform which lines advance through Avalo's development pipeline.
• Develop and execute plans for advancing selected material, including future testing, propagation, and scale-up requirements.
• Lead Avalo's winter nursery program, including line allocation, propagation planning, acreage requirements, execution, evaluation, and harvest.
• Manage the propagation and scale-up of plant material required to support future research, testing, and program growth.
• Maintain accurate tracking and traceability of lines and plant material across locations, generations, and stages of advancement.

Build & Scale Field R&D Operations

• Develop the field research infrastructure, processes, partnerships, and resources necessary to support a rapidly expanding R&D trial portfolio.
• Plan trial locations, acreage, equipment, labor, contractors, supplies, and other resources required for successful execution.
• Build and manage relationships with growers, research organizations, academic collaborators, contractors, and other field trial partners.
• Ensure appropriate research equipment and capabilities are available, maintained, calibrated, and operated correctly to protect trial and data integrity.
• Manage field trial logistics across multiple locations, including movement of plant material, equipment, samples, and supplies.

Field Crew Management

• Select, schedule, coordinate, train, and oversee seasonal labor, field support, and third-party service providers, ensuring crews are prepared to execute all protocols including planting, phenotyping, sampling, and harvesting.
• Direct field crew activities across trial locations, setting clear priorities, adjusting plans as weather and crop conditions change, driving successful, on-time completion of all field activities with accountability for accuracy and quality.
• Establish and enforce field protocols, safety practices, equipment operation standards, and data collection procedures to protect crew well-being and trial integrity.

Connect Field R&D, Data & the Broader Cotton Program

• Work cross-functionally with research, computational/AI, product, and go-to-market teams to ensure field R&D supports the objectives of Avalo's broader cotton program.
• Communicate field research priorities, timelines, and resource needs clearly across the organization.
• Partner with various internal teams to identify data needs, refine field data collection strategies, and integrate field, phenotypic and environmental data into their workstreams, in particular for model development, line selection, product development, and future program planning.
•  Synthesize trial results, model outputs, and field observations into clear findings and recommendations for technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Skills and Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree or higher in Agronomy, Plant Breeding, Crop Science, Plant Science, or a related field; advanced degree preferred.
• Required experience in cotton physiology, agronomy, breeding, and/or field-based R&D.
• Demonstrated experience managing 50+ acres of agricultural R&D field trials, including responsibility for planning and execution from planting through harvest.
• Strong understanding of plant breeding, experimental design, agronomic principles, crop production cycles, phenotyping, and field-based selection.
• Experience evaluating field performance and using agronomic and research data to inform line advancement or selection decisions.
• Experience with propagation, seed increase, winter nurseries, or other breeding material scale-up activities strongly preferred.
• Experience managing multi-location trials, research partners, contractors, seasonal labor, and field logistics.
• Strong understanding of field data quality and experience working with large or complex agricultural datasets; experience collaborating with computational, data science, or predictive modeling teams preferred.
• Strong organizational and operational skills with demonstrated ability to build systems and manage increasingly complex research programs at scale.
• Self-directed, hands-on leader with strong communication, problem-solving, and cross-functional collaboration skills.
• Willingness and ability to travel frequently to research and nursery locations.

Attendance 

This is a full-time position requiring 40+ hours per week. The role is based in Texas and requires significant time at research field sites and other trial locations. Seasonal and weekend work may be required based on planting, data collection, harvest, and other research activities.

Travel

Regular travel throughout Texas and to other U.S. research locations is required. International travel may be required to support winter nursery and other research activities.

Please be aware of fraudulent job postings. To ensure you are applying to an official position, only use our official application link: https://avaloai.applytojob.com/apply. If you have any doubts, contact us directly through our company website.