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R&D Operations Specialist

A. Duda & Sons Inc.

Salinas, CA

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JOB DETAILS
JOB TYPE
Full-time
SKILLS
Accidental Death and Dismemberment (AD&D), Accounting, Agriculture, Billing, Budgeting, Business Administration, Cargo/Freight, D Programming Language, Data Collection, Data Entry, Data Management, Dental Insurance, Documentation, Driver's License, Employee Assistance Plan, Facilities Management, Financial Management, Financial Reporting, Flexible Spending Accounts, Insurance, Inventory Management, Laboratory, Legal, Logistics, Maintain Compliance, Multilingual, Operations Research, Patent Applications, Patents, Process Development, Process Improvement, Production Management, Record Keeping, Reporting Skills, Research & Development (R&D), Safety Compliance, Safety Standards, Shipping/Receiving, Time Management, Vision Plan, Warehousing, Willing to Travel
LOCATION
Salinas, CA
POSTED
30+ days ago
The R&D Operations Specialist is a key operational role within the Research & Development team, supporting the successful execution of celery breeding, celery seed production and production research through comprehensive administrative, logistical, and facility-based functions. This position is responsible for managing seed inventory billing, budgeting, invoicing, international shipping, and freight coordination to ensure smooth day-to-day operations across research facilities—including greenhouses, laboratories, and the seed mill. This position is responsible for improving or creating processes that will drive the efficiency of the department while meeting necessary deadlines through effective time management. The R&D Operations Specialist ensures compliance with safety standards, coordinates inspections and phytosanitary documentation, and provides critical support for patent data management and proprietary variety agreements. This role contributes to the overall efficiency and organization of the R&D program.

Essential Job Responsibilities:
  • Process and manage fiscal seed inventory billing, including domestic and international transactions.
  • Coordinate shipping, freight logistics, phytosanity inspections and invoice transmittals to support breeding selections, seed production, seed distribution domestically and internationally, and research operations.
  • Monitor R&D budgets and assist with monthly financial tracking and reporting.
  • Assist in overseeing facility operations, including the front office, seed mill, laboratories, greenhouses, and yard maintenance. Support the Director of R&D and Assistant Seed Production Manager in their oversight of facilities.
  • Support legal and compliance processes related to proprietary variety agreements, leases, and other vendor agreements, including the timeliness of renewing expired or nearly expired contracts.
  • Coordinate efforts to enter patent data, prepare data tables, and compile documentation necessary for patent filings.
  • Other job duties as assigned.
Qualifications & Requirements:
  • Bachelor's Degree in Accounting, business administration, or other related field, preferred.
  • California Driver's license required.
  • Understanding of agriculture industry, especially seed production.
  • Capable of writing reports, maintain accurate records and is generally meticulous.
  • Working environment is mainly office and warehouse, but may include limited time in cold room, laboratory, greenhouse and field.
  • Able to travel to multiple locations (CA, AZ, MI, FL, etc) and spend 5% time on the road.
  • Works well on own and in a team environment.
  • Must be willing to work outside of normal business hours (8:00 AM – 5:00 PM) and weekends, when necessary.
  • Bilingual preferred, but not required.

Total Rewards Summary

At Duda Farm Fresh Foods, we are committed to supporting the health, financial security, and overall well‑being of our employees. Our comprehensive Total Rewards package includes:

Health & Wellness Benefits

  • Medical, Dental & Vision Insurance
  • Basic Life Insurance (company-paid)
  • Voluntary Life & AD&D Insurance Options
  • Short-Term Disability (STD)
  • Long-Term Disability (LTD)
  • Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
  • Wellness Program & Resources

Tax-Advantaged Savings Accounts

  • Flexible Spending Account (FSA)
  • Dependent Care FSA

Time Off & Work-Life Balance

  • Paid Vacation
  • Paid Sick Pay
  • 12 Paid Holidays
  • Days of Service Program (company-supported volunteer time)

Financial & Retirement Benefits

  • 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan with company match
  • Company-paid life & AD&D coverage

Professional & Personal Development

  • Tuition Reimbursement Program
  • Opportunities for internal development and growth

Duda Farm Fresh Foods provides a fair and equal employment opportunity for all employees and job applicants regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status or disability. We expect and require the cooperation of all employees in maintaining a discrimination and harassment-free work environment. We offer an excellent benefit package as part of our total compensation including medical, dental and vision insurance, 401K, flexible spending accounts, tuition reimbursement program, paid time off and much more. Due to the high volume of applications received, only those candidates who are selected for interviews will be contacted.

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About the Company

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A. Duda & Sons Inc.