Agronomist

Role Profile:Position Title: Agronomy Specialist (Manager)Function: Bioenergy Centre of ExcellenceLocation: PuneExperience: 5 to 8 yearsEducational: Background Postgraduate degree / doctoral in Agronomy, Soil Science, or Agricultural Sciences.Role & Responsibility: Key Purpose of the Role the Agronomist will be responsible for designing and executing soil testing protocols, analyzing results, and prescribing fortification strategies tailored to specific soil conditions. The role demands hands-on expertise in organic farming, FOM fortification (solid and liquid), biochar enrichment, organic fertilizers, and yield improvement techniques. The Agronomist will also stay updated on policies related to organic fertilizers for compliance and business opportunities. This is a role requiring independent decision-making and field experience.What Key Tasks will be involved? > Collaborate with Soil Nutrition and Energy Plantation teams to work towards targets for o Creating the product recipes to deliver effective soil nutrition to various crops and energy plantation. > Create product differentiation by customizing soil nutrient solutions for specific crops and geographies.> Identify and define soil testing protocols based on crop type, geography, and farming practices. · Collaborate with labs and field teams to ensure timely and accurate soil sample collection and testing.> Analyze soil test results to determine nutrient deficiencies and imbalances.> Prescribe appropriate fortification strategies using: · Solid and liquid Fermented Organic Matter (FOM)> Biochar-based soil enrichment · Organic fertilizers (compost etc.) >Create new recipes using combination of above streams and adding microbial > Create and execute test protocols for above products and transfer to business team for commercialization. > Oversee the field trials based on custom protocols and create the scientific documentation for product positioning.> Monitor the effectiveness of fortification strategies and adjust based on field performance and yield data.> Create and maintain a knowledge base of soil types, fortification methods, and crop responses across different regions.> Provide technical support to energy plantation teams for soil preparation and yield improvements.> Conduct field visits to assess soil conditions, validate fortification outcomes, and engage with farmers and field staff.> Disseminate learnings and best practices through: - Training sessions and workshops - Articles, explainer documents, and SOPs - Collaboration with Product Development and Deployment teams to integrate agronomic insights into platform features.> Recommend organic farming practices aligned with national and regional policies on organic fertilizers.Report To: Vice President – COEIdeal Candidate Profile:· You have a postgraduate / doctoral degree in Agronomy, Soil Science, or Agricultural Sciences.· You have 5–8 years of robust field experience in soil nutrition, organic farming, and crop yield optimization.· You have hands-on experience with: - FOM fortification (solid and liquid) - Biochar-based soil enrichment - Composting and organic farming techniques - Energy plantation soil preparation and management· You understand and can apply policies and regulations related to organic fertilizers.· You are a self-starter and can make independent decisions based on data and field insights.· You are a good communicator and can explain technical concepts to field teams and farmers.· You are comfortable creating SOPs, training materials, and technical documentation.· You have experience working on the soil improvement projects with demonstrated results.· Willingness to travel extensively across rural and semi-urban regions.· You are detail-oriented, analytical, and committed to continuous learning.· You take ownership and accountability and don’t need reminders to follow through on tasks.· Additional advantage to have worked in Napier grass / energy plantation.