Job Description
Job DescriptionNow Hiring: Lab Assistant
Job Description
This role involves performing day-to-day activities within a greenhouse facility, focusing on the care and maintenance of soybean plants in growth chambers. Responsibilities include planting, pollinating, tissue sampling, pest and disease scouting, harvesting, threshing, and sanitation. The position requires meticulous data collection and entry, ensuring facility cleanliness and safety standards. The role does not involve traditional lab work, but rather hands-on plant care and maintenance.
Responsibilities
- Conduct daily greenhouse and growth chamber activities such as planting and pollinating.
- Perform tissue sampling for DNA analysis from soybean plants.
- Water, pot soil, and care for plants in the growth chamber.
- Replant samples following data review.
- Assist in operating the soybean threshing machine.
- Plate samples for testing by the Molecular Marker group.
- Ensure facility cleanliness and perform basic duties as assigned.
- Maintain plant health through trimming, training, and node cleaning.
- Cross-pollinate and discard plants as necessary.
- Work with soybean, wheat, pollen, and dust.
Additional Skills & Qualifications
- Associates or Bachelor's degree in Life Science (Horticulture, Agriculture, Agricultural Studies) is preferred.
- Minimum of 6 months of greenhouse or field experience.
- Willingness to work in a greenhouse environment rather than a lab.
Work Environment
The position is based in a large, climate-controlled facility with 32 growth chambers dedicated to soybean plants. The environment is consistently warm, ranging from 80-85 degrees and sunny, requiring comfort in such conditions. The role is physically demanding, involving standing for 8 hours a day and occasionally lifting up to 50 pounds.
Job Type & Location
This is a Contract position based out of Johnston, IA.
Pay and Benefits
The pay range for this position is $20.00 - $20.00/hr.
Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits available for this temporary role may include the following: • Medical, dental & vision • Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital • 401(k) Retirement Plan – Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available • Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents) • Short and long-term disability • Health Spending Account (HSA) • Transportation benefits • Employee Assistance Program • Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)
Workplace Type
This is a fully onsite position in Johnston,IA.
Application Deadline
This position is anticipated to close on Mar 27, 2026.
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
At Actalent, diversity and inclusion are a bridge towards the equity and success of our people. DE&I is embedded into our culture through:
- Hiring diverse talent
- Maintaining an inclusive environment through persistent self-reflection
- Building a culture of care, engagement, and recognition with clear outcomes
- Ensuring growth opportunities for our people
Actalent is an equal opportunity employer.
About Actalent
Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services. For more than 40 years, we’ve helped visionary companies advance their goals. Headquartered in the United States, our teams span 150 offices across North America, EMEA, and APAC—with four delivery centers in India led by 1,000+ extraordinary employees who connect their passion with purpose every day.
Our Bangalore, Hyderabad, Pune, and Chennai delivery centers are hubs of engineering expertise, with core capabilities in mechanical and electrical engineering, systems and software, and manufacturing engineering. Our teams deliver work across multiple industries including transportation, consumer and industrial products, and life sciences. We serve more than 4,500 clients, including many Fortune 500 brands. Learn more about how we can work together at actalentservices.com.