Research Associate

Job Description

The Research Associate supports Health, Safety, and Environment (HSE) activities for Trait Evaluation Operations and the Clinton, Illinois site. Working with site leaders and employees, the role helps maintain HSE compliance, supports safety training and routine inspections, assists with identifying and addressing workplace risks, and contributes to a positive, proactive safety culture.

The role also provides hands-on support for seed lab operations, including seed preparation, packaging, seed treatment, inventory management, and shipping. The successful candidate is detail-oriented, safety-conscious, and comfortable balancing administrative and practical work in a fast-paced agricultural research environment.

Accountabilities:

• Support implementation of company HSE policies, standards, and regulatory requirements across the Clinton site and Trait Evaluation Operations in partnership with site leadership and the Regional HSE team.
• Coordinate HSE orientation for employees, contractors, and vendors; maintain training records and monitor compliance.
• Assist with workplace inspections, risk assessments, incident reporting and investigations, and tracking corrective actions.
• Support chemical safety, hazardous-material handling, environmental stewardship activities, and maintenance of audit-ready HSE procedures and documentation.
• Help maintain emergency-preparedness processes and promote a proactive, open safety culture across site teams.
• Provide hands-on seed lab and seasonal operational support, including seed preparation, treatment, packaging, inventory tracking, shipping, equipment readiness, and peak-period field activities.

Qualifications

PLEASE NOTE: Candidates must reside in and be permanently authorized to work in the United States without current or future employer sponsorship. This includes, but is not limited to, OPT, CPT, and H-1B visa holders.

• Bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Sciences, Agronomy, Occupational Safety and Health, Environmental Sciences, or a related field; equivalent practical experience may be considered.
• Foundational knowledge of HSE practices, including OSHA requirements, hazard identification, risk assessment, SDS/GHS systems, chemical handling, waste management, and corrective-action tracking.
• Experience supporting safety programs through inspections, audits, safety meetings/toolbox talks, job safety analyses (JSA), task risk assessments (TRA), incident documentation, training coordination, or compliance recordkeeping.
• Familiarity with agricultural research operations, seed production workflows, and trait stewardship or regulatory-compliance practices; hands-on seed lab, seed-processing, or agricultural-research experience is preferred.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office, particularly Excel, and comfort using inventory, data-logging, operational, or HSE tracking systems; Smartsheet and Power BI experience is preferred.
• Strong organization, attention to detail, integrity, and accountability, with the ability to manage multiple priorities, work collaboratively, learn proprietary systems, and perform hands-on work in seed lab, greenhouse, warehouse, and field environments-including lifting up to 50 lbs.
• Valid driver’s license required.

Additional Information

What We Offer:

• A culture that celebrates belonging & collaboration, promotes professional development, and strives for a work-life balance that supports the team members. Offers flexible work options to support your work and personal needs. 
• Full Benefit Package (Medical, Dental & Vision) that starts your first day.  
• 401k plan with company match, Profit Sharing & Retirement Savings Contribution. 
• Paid Vacation, Paid Holidays, Maternity and Paternity Leave, Education Assistance, Wellness Programs, Corporate Discounts, among other benefits. 

Syngenta has been ranked as a top employer by Science Journal. 
Learn more about our team and our mission here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVCN_51GbNI 

Syngenta is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate in recruitment, hiring, training, promotion or any other employment practices for reasons of race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, sexual orientation, marital or veteran status, disability, or any other legally protected status. 

Use of AI in Our Recruitment Process
At Syngenta, we use artificial intelligence (AI) to screen applications for high-volume roles.

When you submit an application, AI technology assesses your profile against the job
requirements and generates a matching score. This score reflects how closely your
qualifications, skills, and experience align with the role's criteria as defined in the job
description.

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Compensation: 64000 to 96000 (USD) (YEARLY)