Farm Manager Full Time

Position: Farm Manager

Status: Full-time

Direct Supervisor: Head of Farming Operations

Direct Reports: Next-Gen Farming Team

About Square Roots

Square Roots is an urban farming company. We grow nutritious food, year round, using indoor vertical farming systems, in the middle of cities. Our mission is to bring local, real food to people in cities by empowering next-gen leaders in urban farming—because the more of us working to shape the future of food, the better.

We’re a young company (just pushing three years old) with the potential and ambition to change the way people connect to their food. Everyone on the Square Roots team—from farmers to software developers, from brand strategists to financial analysts—is ready to make a massive impact  in urban farming and the future of the global food industry.

About the Role

We’re now looking for an experienced Farm Manager to fit seamlessly into our mission-driven, busy team. The ideal candidate will have 3+ years of direct farm management experience and is ready to lead this new position with energy, knowledge, ability and a no-task-too-small attitude.

This is a hands on role, responsible for managing our production operations and a team of enthusiastic Next Gen Farmers!  Qualified candidates have extensive experience managing greenhouse or controlled environment agriculture production facilities. This person will have the ability and skill set to motivate their team to regularly meet deadlines and achieve production quotas.

This role will report directly to the Head of Farming Operations at HQ and require cross-functional collaboration between multiple departments, including Sales, Engineering, Accounting and the Executive Team to establish & maintain a first-class production environment, while promoting Square Roots’ people-centric mission. Additionally, the Farm Manager will frequently represent Square Roots when communicating with external partners, customers, executives, and investors.

Duties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• This position will oversee the daily operations of the farm and is accountable for ensuring production targets for both yield and quality are consistently met.
• Responsible for plant health, IPM, and implementation of established food safety protocols.
• Conduct production planning, resource allocation, and scheduling for all farm activities.
• Works closely with and collaborates with resources at HQ to ensure company wide goals and initiatives are achieved.
• Responsible for necessary reporting and communication with Square Roots HQ.
• Responsible for the health and safety of all facility employees.

Experience and Qualifications

• 3+ years of direct farm management experience (greenhouse or CEA preferred)
• Bachelors degree or higher, preferably in agronomy, horticulture, or management.
• Proven ability managing teams to achieve desired outcomes.
• Demonstrated experience managing  multiple tasks simultaneously.
• Excels in fast paced, sometimes ambiguous situations.
• A self- starter who understands the end goal, who can work independently to achieve objectives and key results.
• Demonstrated critical thinking skills and experience troubleshooting independently.
• Strong interpersonal skills and capable of communicating with individuals and groups throughout the organization.
• Substantial experience with food safety procedures, protocols, documentation, and the aptitude to instill the importance of food safety throughout the farm campus.
• Competence in administering IPM program on farm and capable of identifying and mitigating any pest related risks to the growing operation.
• BIG PLUS: Fan of local, real food & excited to transform the industrial food system

Please note, this is a physical job, so the right candidate should be able to lift 40 lbs and comfortable standing for long hours.

Work Style

• Ability to move quickly and iterate quickly
• Not afraid to ask for help
• Flexibility to switch focus between multiple projects, with a willingness to contribute to tasks and activities outside of a prescribed job description (i.e. comfortable with a startup environment)
• Nimble, calm under pressure, and a master problem solver
• Naturally inclined to take initiative
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively
• A self-starter with a motivated, proactive attitude
• Expert in taking projects through to completion
• Transparent & honest approach to problems

This position is full-time, on our future Grand Rapids, MI farming campus and includes several months of intensive training at our Brooklyn, NY HQ campus. The full compensation package includes mid-level salary, healthcare, and other benefits – including as many locally grown greens as you can possibly eat.

We’re looking for an immediate hire with an ideal start date before the end of May 2019.