What if nature could be harnessed to help farmers sustainably feed the planet? Since 2014, Indigo has questioned agriculture's full value chain to improve grower profitability, environmental sustainability, and consumer health. The company’s scientific discoveries and digital innovations have amplified new value from soil to sale, benefiting more than 10,000 growers to date. Indigo is also the company behind The Terraton Initiative, a global effort to drawdown one trillion tons of atmospheric carbon dioxide by unlocking the potential of agricultural soils. In 2019, Indigo was ranked #1 on CNBC’s Disruptor 50 list. Headquartered in Boston, MA, Indigo has additional offices in Memphis, TN; Research Triangle Park, NC; Sydney, Australia; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Basel, Switzerland; and São Paulo, Brazil.

Systems Innovation is the idea factory for Indigo. We are an interdisciplinary team of business, science, and technology professionals that drive radical change in agriculture through new systems of farming.

IndigoCarbon and the broader Terraton Initiative is the most explicit expression of our sustainability goals yet. The Terraton Initiative is working to remove 1 trillion tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, sequester it in agricultural soils, and by doing that, improve the health of the soil, the profitability of farmers, the quality of our food, and the health of our planet. This goal is massive, and it will require a diverse team to make it happen. If you’ve been looking for a disruptive, tech-enabled company with super talented people that is tackling thorny, ambiguous but incredibly inspiring problems, we’d love to hear from you.

The role of ­­­­­­­­­­­­­Terraton Experiment Director will lead strategy and execution of the Terraton Experiment, the world’s largest soil study, to provide quantitative understanding of how regenerative management practices impact carbon sequestration, grower profitability, consumer benefit, resilience, and microbial diversity.

Responsibilities:

• Drive scientific strategy for the Terraton Experiment
• Establish operational/logistical plans for TE fields (in alignment with Terraton Exp. stakeholders)
• Build a network of collaborators and advisers for the Terraton Experiment
• Own the implementation process for Terraton Exp. as it rolls out
• Drive process for grant applications/funding related to Terraton Experiment
• Lead process on publications to further the reputation of Indigo/Terraton Experiment

Competencies:

• Has vision for scientific hypotheses that drive forward the understanding of the connection between management practices and outcomes including soil health, carbon sequestration, and profitability
• Exceptional organizational skills and high attention to detail (IRBs, registration, feasibility, etc.)
• Expert in their field, but capable of synthesizing information and effectively communicating with all types of audiences (generalists, specialists, other scientists, growers, the public, etc.)
• Operations ninja – finds efficiencies in time and money that no one else does
• Appropriately skeptical and willing to challenge scientific/academic norms
• Ability to learn quickly about related fields, ranging from microbiology to remote sensing
• Ability to move at a fast pace and deliver on deadlines (sometimes challenging ones)
• Ability to do and understand at the same time, moving quickly from ideas to actions
• Ability to maintain productive and respectful working relationships
• Ability to create structure out of chaos
• Ability to understand, integrate and implement project plans from diverse stakeholders
• Ability to build and manage a team effectively
• Strong budget writing and management skills

Qualifications:

• Advanced degree required (PhD preferred)
• Experience directing large collaborative research projects required
• Experience working on large projects (over wide spatial or temporal range) required
• Exceptional track record of publications preferred
• Experience writing successful grants with major agencies required
• Experience scaling processes and/or organizations required
• Experience managing cross functional teams (with different focuses) required
• Based in Boston, willing to travel 10-15%

Indigo is committed to living our values, specifically “creating a work environment where everyone feels respected, connected, and has opportunities to learn and grow.” As part of living our values, we strive to create a diverse and inclusive work environment where everyone feels they can be themselves and has an equal opportunity of succeeding.