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Position Summary

In alignment with Hop Research Council (HRC) values, the HRC Director is a key strategic and research leader for the hop industry.

Reporting to the HRC Executive Board, this full-time contract position executes direction, oversight and reporting of funded activities focused on hop breeding, disease management, pest management, agronomic advancements and crop sustainability.  This position provides leadership in the improvement, development and understanding of hops as realized by the HRC board, committees and membership.  The HRC Director reconciles the research needs and helps coordinate the activities of brewers, suppliers, growers and researchers working on all HRC commissioned projects.  In addition, the HRC director works in conjunction with other hop industry stakeholders to harmonize efforts on various State and Federal grant programs.  The HRC Director acts as the primary owner of HRC’s strategic development, implementation and execution.

Essential Duties

1. 1. Leadership and Management

1. Organize and facilitate meetings and conferences related to HRC projects, initiatives and collaborations.  Lead in arranging, planning, and facilitating HRC Summer and Winter meetings.
2. Serve as an outward facing representative for HRC with government, academia, the brewing and hop industry.
3. Oversee and complete all administrative deadlines and tasks in a time sensitive environment.
4. Reconcile needs of different stakeholders and forge HRC research direction.

2. Technical Scope

1. Manage all aspects of HRC’s technical goals.
2. Facilitate discussions with researchers concerning HRC priorities and expectations. 
3. Provide ongoing technical feedback to researchers to support project completion.
4. Review and communicate to HRC membership project status and potential concerns within established project timeframes and deadlines.
5. Coordinate and manage the HRC experimental hop varietal evaluation program up to and including the elite lines.  
6. Support grant applications by researchers via letters of support, in-kind contributions, etc. 

3. Financial responsibilities

1. Annual budgets and monthly updates.
2. 3-5 year budget projections.
3. Reconcile year end account balances.
4. Maintain independent P/L for Elite Line material. 
5. Conduct yearly variance analysis. 

4. Marketing

1. Coordinate the release and marketing efforts for new public varieties with hop breeders, brewers, state hop commissions and growers. 
1. Manage contracts for Elite line grow outs and product sales.
2. Manage all expenses and revenue potential from Elite Line production.     
2. Promote HRC activities, strategy and successes with potential members.

5. Facilitate funding continuity for HRC

1. Working with industry stakeholders to organize, schedule and coordinate annual lobbying trips to Washington D.C.
2. Development of alternate funding sources, including winter meeting auction, special interest donations, support for public breeding programs and more.  
3. Facilitate annual budgeting process to identify priorities and align funding with strategic goals designed to achieve stakeholder consensus.
4. Create strategies to increase HRC membership.

6. Communications

1. Website updates.
2. Monthly Newsletters and special announcements.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Strong leadership, managerial and critical thinking skills 
• Motivated, self-starter with strong time management skills
• Strong project management and interpersonal skills with the ability to work effectively in cross-functional groups with internal and external focus
• Strong grasp of scientific principles and experimental design
• Ability to represent HRC at the academic and industry level with the highest level of integrity and professionalism
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills with ability to communicate at all levels (staff, peers, management, colleagues, vendors, academia)
• Competent in Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint and other software as needed
• Willingness to embrace change and ability to adapt quickly to changing HRC needs

Travel Requirements

10-20% - Required travel to national and regional technical and commercial conferences.  Travel as needed to serve as liaison between HRC and project collaborators including field visits for advanced line grow-outs, project progress reports, evaluation of project concerns and more.

Qualifications

Education

Bachelor’s Degree – Science-related discipline required

(MS, MBA, PhD) – Science-related discipline preferred or any combination of education and/or experience from which comparable knowledge, skills, and abilities have been achieved.

Work Experience

5+ years –Hop, Brewing Industry and/or Academia experience required.

Physical Requirements and Working Conditions

Typical 40 hour work week with the occasional weekends or evenings.

Valid US driver’s license and ability to travel between research locations in the Pacific Northwest.

Ability to sit, stand and walk for extended periods of time.

Ability to make farm visits and traverse uneven terrain for project evaluations.

Ability to lift 25 lbs or more.

Hop Research Council is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer and will consider all qualified applications for the employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, physical or mental disability, medical condition, sexual orientation, military or veteran status, marital status or any other protected status.