Wonderful Orchards — the world’s largest grower of almonds, pistachios, and pomegranates with 100,000 planted acres in California’s San Joaquin Valley — is hiring an R&D Scientist based in Lost Hills, CA. As a key member of the R&D team, you will design and implement field studies, validate farming innovations, and deliver high-impact research findings that drive economically improved yields and crop quality across one of the most celebrated agricultural enterprises on the planet.
About Wonderful Orchards & The Wonderful Company
Scale: 100,000 planted acres across California’s San Joaquin Valley — world’s largest almond, pistachio & pomegranate grower
Parent Company: The Wonderful Company — a privately held $5 billion global enterprise
Mission: Harvesting health and happiness around the world through iconic consumer brands
Values: Nourish naturally · Play to win · Act differently — a growth mindset culture with real operational impact
Commitment: Equal Opportunity Employer with strong focus on inclusion, diversity, and career advancement
Why This R&D Scientist Role in California is a Career-Defining Opportunity
Global Agricultural Impact: Your research will directly influence farming practices on 100,000 acres producing for international markets
Innovation at Scale: Work alongside academic institutions and private vendors to test and commercialize real farming improvements
Competitive Salary: $92K–$105K annual compensation in one of California’s most productive and strategically important agricultural regions
Cross-Functional Exposure: Collaborate with Farm Directors, Crop Managers, Pest Control Advisors, Irrigation Managers, and executive leadership
Position Overview
The R&D Scientist at Wonderful Orchards is a field-and-lab research role embedded within the company’s agricultural innovation team. Working under the supervision of the Director of Research, you will implement daily, seasonal, and yearly technical and research activities across all farming locations — with a base at Lost Hills, CA. Your work spans applied experiments in agronomy, irrigation, cultivar selection, farming systems, crop protection, and crop physiology. You must be capable of working independently in widely divergent environments — from academic collaborations to hands-on field operations with farming crews.
Why This Role Matters: With 100,000 acres of almonds, pistachios, and pomegranates depending on continuous agronomic innovation, the R&D Scientist at Wonderful Orchards is not conducting research for a report — every field study you design, every data set you analyze, and every improvement you commercialize directly translates into better yields, higher quality crops, and measurable business success for the world’s largest tree nut growing operation. This is science with real stakes and real scale.
Key Responsibilities
Field & Laboratory Research Execution
- Coordinate and conduct applied agricultural field and laboratory experiments, supporting numerous sequential and overlapping research activities across all Wonderful Orchards farming locations
- Establish and implement research initiatives under the supervision of the Director of Research, ensuring scientific rigor and operational relevance
- Enhance the robustness of all experimental activities through continuous vigilance for precision, accuracy, trial design quality, data analysis, and results reporting
- Activities span agronomy, irrigation management, cultivar selection, farming systems, crop protection programmes, and crop physiology studies
Team Leadership & Collaboration
- Oversee activities by skilled internal personnel — including interns and work crews — and external collaborators such as academic researchers and vendors at field and lab sites
- Interact and collaborate with public (academic institution) and private (vendor) technical experts to explore existing and future farming improvement opportunities
- Provide direct technical consultation to Farming Directors, Crop Managers, Pest Control Advisors, Spray Operations teams, Irrigation Managers, and field personnel
Budget Management & Reporting
- Create and manage budgets as well as cost tracking for all applied field and laboratory experiments under your responsibility
- Prepare high-quality research reports, data analyses, and findings presentations for internal and external audiences including executive leadership
- Use statistical analysis tools including SPSS, RStudio, or Excel Data Analysis Toolpak to process and interpret experimental data
Innovation & Continuous Improvement
- Seek out and implement opportunities to improve workplace efficiency, operational safety, and research methodology across all farming locations
- Engage in Wonderful’s corporate culture of growth mindset — participating in individual and organizational activities that drive continual improvement and professional development
- Track and commercialize proven improvements, creating direct and measurable business impact through improved yields and crop quality
Qualifications & Requirements
Educational Requirements
- Pathway 1: Master’s Degree (with research thesis) in Plant Science, Crop Science, or Agricultural Sciences — AND — 4 years of post-degree agricultural research experience
- Pathway 2: Bachelor’s Degree in Plant Science, Crop Science, or Agricultural Sciences — AND — 8 years of post-degree agricultural research experience
- Direct research experience with Wonderful Orchards crops (almonds, pistachios, pomegranates) is preferred but not required
Technical Knowledge & Skills
- Proven track record of identifying, testing, and successfully implementing farming improvements with measurable commercial impact
- Multi-year and multi-crop experience with trial design, implementation, and data collection in agricultural field research
- Statistical analysis proficiency using SPSS, RStudio, or Excel Data Analysis Toolpak for field research data interpretation
- Strong understanding of public and private agricultural research landscapes and how to leverage both for applied outcomes
- Digital proficiency and preparedness for a paperless, data-driven work environment
- Knowledge of horticultural crop farming with preference for orchards or permanent crops under scientific study
- Bilingual English/Spanish is strongly preferred for effective communication with diverse farming operations teams
Certifications & Licensing
- CCA (Certified Crop Adviser) certification is required for this position
- Valid California Driver’s License is mandatory — the role involves frequent travel across all farming locations
- PCA (Pest Control Adviser) certification — holding or having the appropriate education/experience to obtain is recommended but not required
About The Wonderful Company — $5 Billion Agricultural Innovation Leader
The Wonderful Company is a privately held $5 billion global enterprise built around the principle that what goes into your body matters. Its Wonderful Orchards division alone farms 100,000 acres in California’s San Joaquin Valley — producing almonds, pistachios, and pomegranates at a scale no other single grower comes close to matching. The company’s brands — Wonderful Pistachios, Wonderful Halos, POM Wonderful, FIJI Water, JUSTIN Wine, and Teleflora — are recognized by consumers around the world.
Career Excellence: At Wonderful Orchards, R&D is not a support function — it is a strategic priority. Joining this team means your scientific work has direct influence on farming decisions made across 100,000 acres, with the resources, academic partnerships, and executive support to turn genuine research into commercial farming reality at an extraordinary scale.
Who Should Apply?
- Agricultural Research Scientists: With Master’s or Bachelor’s degrees in Plant Science, Crop Science, or Agronomy and proven field trial experience in California or similar climates
- CCA-Certified Agronomists: With multi-crop trial design experience, statistical analysis skills, and a track record of commercializing farming improvements
- Horticultural Crop Researchers: With direct experience in orchard or permanent crop scientific studies — almond, pistachio, or pomegranate experience is a strong advantage
- Bilingual Agricultural Scientists: English/Spanish speaking professionals who can communicate complex research findings across diverse farming teams and executive audiences
- Innovation-Oriented Crop Specialists: Seeking a high-autonomy, high-impact R&D role inside one of California’s most celebrated privately held agricultural companies
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