Research Associate - Carbon Analyst

Join EarthOptics as a Research Associate - Carbon Analyst! 

Our mission is simple: Revolutionize sustainable agriculture to do more with less. 

EarthOptics’ tools help farmers and ranchers to sustainably increase their yields and feed the growing world through all things soil. With proprietary proximal sensor technologies and machine learning, we create accurate and real-time maps with fewer samples in less time, ultimately saving our end users money, time, and resources.  

We are a growing, distributed company with a passion for soil health, innovative technologies, and supporting all within the food value chain. We are currently ~90 individuals spread across 31 states, from all walks of life, industries, and experiences. We are deeply focused on building the future of AgTech and sustainability, and helping the world to see soil differently.

Our Research Associate - Carbon Analyst will join our Soil Science team to impact our mission through individual contributor responsibilities. We have certain criteria across all our hires at EarthOptics, no matter the position or team. Regardless of the role, our team embraces learning, craves collaboration, and is driven by a fast-paced environment. If you resonate with our values and goals, we encourage you to apply—even if you don't meet every requirement. You could be the perfect fit for this role or future opportunities.

The digs: 

• Job Type: Full-time, non-exempt.

• Work Location: This is an onsite position based in Memphis, TN, for anyone who is authorized to work in the United States. 

• Compensation: $50,000-65,000 USD annually; paid as hourly wages, disbursed twice monthly.

*Your actual base pay will depend on your geographic location, job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training. EarthOptics uses compensation regions that vary depending on location, so ask your recruiter to share more about the specific salary range for your preferred location during the hiring process.

What you’ll cultivate as a Research Associate - Carbon Analyst: (Your responsibilities)

• Become an expert carbon analyst (software & hardware) using techniques such as:
  • Dry combustion (TC gold-standard)
  • Acidification & sparging (IC gold-standard)
  • Spectroscopic techniques (raman backscatter, mid-infrared, laser-induced breakdown)
• Coordinate with upstream and downstream teams to maintain:
  • Continuous operation of multiple elemental analyzers, including scheduling secondary operators for off-shift sample exchanges
  • Short turnaround times, including soil sample pre-processing and sample reruns based on quality control metrics
• Work with vendors and engineers to:
  • Onboard cooperative robots to automate overnight sample exchanges
  • Optimize elemental analysis methods to maximize throughput while retaining quality
  • Proactively maintain instruments and equipment
• Train, guide, and supervise dynamic (~3 mo) seasonal workforce during peak (cyclical) commercial production
• Become proficient  in other standard soil-lab analytical technologies and equipment (as secondary operator)
• Maintain clean and organized work environment during all phases of operation
• Manage and curate a physical and digital Soil Library by organizing, cataloging, and maintaining soil-related data, information, and processes from various sources such as research studies, surveys, field observations, and laboratory analyses
• Label and organize physical soil samples ensuring appropriate curatorial standards are met and quarantined soil is appropriately handled
• Create and standardize metadata and indexing systems to categorize soil data based on parameters such as location, project, soil type, soil properties, and research methodology
• Ensure the integrity and accuracy of soil databases by regularly updating and validating data, resolving discrepancies, and implementing quality control measures
• Direct and maintain Soil Library operations by ordering necessary materials, evaluating inventory needs, and establishing organizational structure for physical samples
• Serve as the primary point of contact to receive and track soil samples, monitor and report physical conditions, respond to inquiries, and promote collaboration across internal and external stakeholders

Are you our soil-mate? You’ll bloom in this role if you have experience in: (Your qualifications)

• Bachelor’s degree in physical sciences either completed or in-process.
• 1 year of hands-on experience with elemental analysis.
• Interest in laboratory robotics.
• While performing duties of this job, will be required to stand, walk, sit, reach with hands and arms, stoop or kneel, and use fingers and hands.
  • Must occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 lbs.
  • Job will be performed in a lab environment. 
  • Dress is casual and Protective Personal Equipment (PPE) is supplied including lab coats.
  • Acoustic levels in the lab may exceed 80 dBa (PPE hearing protection provided).
• Must be willing to work odd hours that fall outside of a typical 9-5 workweek.
  • Work is achieved during split-shift days, Monday through Friday and weekend days when necessary. 
  • The successful candidate will demonstrate an ability to coordinate analyses such that the instruments are under continuous operation. 
  • This means that, as the primary operator, you would be expected to either come in late at night to exchange samples, or to schedule secondary operators to do so for the first 3-6 months.
• Must be able to multitask and work in a fast-paced environment.
• Must be able to occasionally lift up to 50 lb.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Must have and maintain a valid driver's license.

**We are interested in every qualified candidate eligible to work in the United States. However, we cannot sponsor or transfer visas at this time.

Although not required, we’d love to see roots in:

• Prior experience working in a scaling startup environment

Aside from “the green”, we can offer you:

• Medical, Dental & Vision Insurance
• Company paid LTD, STD, and Life Insurance
• Meaningful equity option grants
• 401k Plan + Employer Match up to 4%
• Tenured PTO policy, starting with 17 days of accrued days off
• 9 additional company holidays
• Parental Leave
• Professional Development Stipend + access to learning platforms
• Candidate Referral Program
• Above and Beyond Bonus Program
• Flexible Schedule & Hybrid/Remote Work Environment
• Regular opportunities to give feedback on our benefits offerings

How we stay grounded:

Although we have teammates working in the field, in-office, and at home, we aim to create a cohesive, diverse, and enriching environment for all of our employees. We embrace different tools to enhance our workflows and communicate intentionally, both live and asynchronously. A few quick facts you should know:

• We rely on Slack to communicate. Although there are a variety of team-specific systems to facilitate your work, this is our primary! 
• We love both food and emojis at EarthOptics. If hired, you’ll come to love (and use many) taco and donut emojis. 🌮🍩
• Our core business hours are Monday through Friday 11am-4pm EST. We have teammates in every time zone, and have some teams that operate outside of that timeframe. As a remote employee, you are asked to honor those hours to ensure enough time to overlap with key cross-functional teams.
• In order to maximize our remote culture, we host company-wide opportunities to connect (virtually and in-person) and create space for focus work. For example, we have a weekly all-hands stand-up meeting on Monday and reserve Fridays as a regular “No Meeting” day.
• Instead of values, we believe in actionable “cultural concepts”. Collectively, we hold one another to act and give feedback with these concepts in mind. Ours are information and intent, recognition and respect, and autonomy and accountability. 

Inclusion and Diversity at EarthOptics: 

At EarthOptics, we embrace diversity and equality, and stand against any form of discrimination or harassment. We base all hiring and promotion decisions on business needs, job requirements, and individual qualifications, regardless of race, color, religion, gender, gender identity, national origin, age, marital status, parental status, veteran status, or disability.

We are deeply committed to welcoming and including every qualified individual. As a part of this commitment, we ensure that persons with disabilities have access to reasonable accommodations. If you require assistance during the job application or interview process, need support to perform essential job functions, or seek other benefits and privileges of employment, please reach out to us at accommodations@earthoptics.com.