Agricultural Engineer Full Time

At Brightfarms, we exist for two reasons – People and our Planet. We use state of the art indoor farming techniques to produce pesticide free product that are insanely fresh and delicious. We are dedicated to our mission of reducing the environmental impact of food and we serve the local communities where we grow so our supply chain is simple and easy to trace. We hire great people and treat them very well and the Research and Development team is looking to add an Agricultural Engineer to our team. This job is Ohio based and requires travel within our greenhouse and corporate network.
The Agricultural Engineer (AE) provides leadership and oversight during the engineering, procurement, and implementation phases of greenhouse system improvement projects and manages the system and equipment specification process.

Specifically, you will:
● Managing multiple projects supporting the engineering and planning phases and leading the implementation phase for assigned projects.
● Assist is the design of water technical systems for testing and implementation
● Manage the design and installation/modification of the systems including equipment, civil, structural, mechanical, and electrical infrastructure, manage the procurement of equipment necessary to operate the system, and is responsible to start up and commission new systems according to schedule milestones.
● Closeout of projects include managing the turnover to operations of a high quality, reliable, and cost-effective systems.
● Oversee the costs and schedule for the project and will drive recommendations for improving the engineering, installation, and operations of proposed or existing systems.
● Partners with cross-functional team members (internal and external) and senior leadership to identify and pursue improvements for the systems meeting positive ROI, supports the group with development of best-in-class project management processes, and seeks out opportunities to help develop BrightFarms business.
● Manage greenhouse system improvement projects during the engineering, procurement, and construction phases through the transition to operations to ensure that safety, quality, cost, and schedule goals are met.
● Lead a team of internal and external professionals who provide technical expertise and support through design, construction, commissioning, and turnover to operations.
● Build and lead a project team comprised of key equipment vendors, contractors, and engineers to ensure a collaborative team atmosphere and common mission for the project.
● Provide for an efficient turnover of the completed project to operations.
● Develop, negotiate, and manage engineering and construction contracts, including clearly defining scope, schedule, and cost management requirements.
● Complete all necessary purchasing processes including bid document preparation and management of the bidding process, issuance of purchase orders, and tracking of costs throughout execution of the contracts.
● Ensure that the technical and quality requirements of the facilities are met.
● Develop and maintain engineering system and equipment specification library.
● Identify equipment improvement opportunities and work with vendors implement solutions.
● Be a resource for technical document creation for the team.
● Develop a team safety awareness culture on assigned projects from the design phase through construction and into operations.
● Assist with technical due diligence in conjunction with operational issues as requested.
● Facilitate effective feedback to internal and external resources to identify efficiencies and improvements in project quality, reliability, costs, schedule, or other parameters that enhance Company’s strategic initiatives.
● Ensures all relevant internal controls are followed and recommend new controls as needed.
● Maintain a keen focus on identifying and recommending continuous improvement initiatives aimed at delivering projects more efficiently in terms of time, cost, quality, and safety. The goal is to develop a project execution platform that is best-in-class.

The ideal candidate will:
● Preferably based out of the OHI location, Willing to travel 50% to other sites.
● Have a Bachelor’s degree in engineering, project management or the equivalent combination of education and experience. An advanced degree is a plus.
● Have 5 + years’ experience in greenhouse systems engineering and installation, startup, and commissioning of equipment, project management within construction, agriculture, energy, or related industries.
● Have 3+ years’ experience in Aquaponics, water treatment, or hydroponic systems
● Have 5 + years’ experience with creating system and equipment specifications.
● Have the ability to analyze project risks and proactively identify solutions with a flexible, creative, and solution-focused outlook on problem solving.
● Possess strong prioritization and multitasking skills with the ability to operate in a complex, rapidly changing business environment with typically tight schedules and demanding targets.
● Be proficient in Microsoft Office, Primavera or MS Project scheduling tools, and cost management software.
● Be a self-starter and have the ability to manage multiple projects efficiently.
● Have an inquisitive mindset, ability to take calculated risks and be able/willing to recognize and react as necessary when tactics are not working.
● Be flexible and adaptable to changing business needs.
● Have a fanatical focus on customer service to ensure internal/external partners receive above-and-beyond support.
● Have experience in design, installation, and commissioning of greenhouse equipment and systems. Understand/experience in agriculture industry as it relates to hydroponics and greenhouse growing operations.
● Have excellent written and verbal communication and can create documents such as standard operating procedures, safety rules, label mixing instructions. Bilingual English/Spanish preferred
● Exhibit excellent leadership skills, lead by example – set the highest possible standards for quality, efficiency, productivity, and behavior.
● Be detail oriented and data driven
● Be proficient in Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, Access and PowerPoint
● Have the ability to meet the physical requirements of the job including lifting up to 50 pounds.
● Be a self-starter and a problem solver with strong relationship building and communication skills. Ability to navigate a dynamic and quickly evolving environment is a must!
● We exist for the health of the planet and people – all new hires must be fully vaccinated against Covid -19 by their start date.

Come grow with us – the future is BRIGHT!