THE PROBLEM WE'RE SOLVING
Every year, nearly 40% of fresh produce harvested in India never reaches the consumer. It rots in transit, in storage, on the shelf. The food system bleeds billions - and millions go hungry - not because we grew too little, but because we couldn't keep it fresh long enough.
We're a founding team building a post-harvest technology company to fix this. Our focus: ethylene management and shelf-life extension for fresh produce. We're early, ambitious, and moving fast. We know exactly what we want to build - but we need the scientist who knows how to build it.
THE ROLE
You will be our first scientific hire - the technical spine of this company. You won't be joining a team to run predefined experiments. You'll be designing the technology roadmap, setting up our early lab capability, running feasibility trials, and translating post-harvest science into a real, scalable product.
This is not a research position. This is a builder position. You will go from bench to field to customer conversations, and you'll thrive doing all three.
WHAT YOU'LL ACTUALLY DO
- Evaluate and shortlist the most viable ethylene management technology approach for our target crops and markets (1-MCP, biological scavengers, coatings, or novel combinations)
- Design and run early-stage shelf-life extension trials from protocol design to data interpretation
- Build and maintain our IP strategy: identify white spaces, assess freedom-to-operate, and contribute to patent filings
- Work directly with pack houses, FPOs, and exporters to run field trials and gather real-world produce data
- Navigate FSSAI and regulatory pathways for product approvals
- Be a thought partner to the founding team on product positioning, investor conversations, and technology storytelling
WHO YOU ARE NON-NEGOTIABLES
Education
- PhD in Post-Harvest Physiology, Horticulture, Food Science, or Plant Biology from IARI, NIFTEM, PAU, UAS Bangalore, MPKV Rahuri, or equivalent
- Alternatively: M.Sc. in the above fields with 6+ years of highly relevant, hands-on industry experience
Technical Skills
- Hands-on experience with ethylene measurement (GC-based headspace analysis) or direct work with ethylene inhibitors / scavengers
- Designed and executed shelf-life extension studies on climacteric fresh produce (mangoes, bananas, tomatoes, or similar)
- Deep working knowledge of post-harvest treatment protocols: CA/MA storage, wax or edible coatings, heat treatments, or chemical applications
Experience
- 38 years in a post-harvest R&D role academia, industry, or both
- Has worked at or with agri-input / cold chain / post-harvest companies (AgroFresh, Decco, Jain Irrigation, WayCool, FieldFresh, or similar) OR published research in peer-reviewed post-harvest journals
- Comfortable working with farmers, pack house operators, or produce exporters - not just in a lab
WHAT MAKES YOU STAND OUT
- You've filed or co-authored a patent in post-harvest treatments or coatings
- You have familiarity with FSSAI regulatory pathways for food-contact or post-harvest substances
- You've worked with edible coatings, bioactive formulations, or active packaging systems
- You already have an opinion on which technology approach is most commercially viable in India and you can defend it
THE MINDSET WE'RE HIRING FOR
We need a scientist who is also a builder. Someone who gets uncomfortable when their work stays in a paper and excited when it hits a pack house. Someone who can wear five hats before lunch and still run a rigorous trial in the afternoon.
- You move fast without cutting corners on science
- You're energized by ambiguity, not paralyzed by it
- You care about the impact - less food waste, more food security - and it shows in how you work
- You want equity and ownership, not just a salary and a designation
