HYDROPONIC FARM MANAGER Full Time

HYDROPONIC / VERTICAL FARM MANAGER

Mountain Roots Food Project – Gunnison, CO

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Overview: Full Time (1.0FTE) position that leads our vertical farming initiative – hydroponic vegetable farming in container farms. Responsible for all functional and operational aspects of indoor vegetable and herb growing in 4 shipping container farms (the equivalent of 4 acres), training and supervising a small team of greenhouse assistants in daily tasks while maintaining GAP, GMP, and crop quality practices, and introducing specialty crops to new markets. This is an opportunity for an enthusiastic, self-motivated and organized individual to assume a leadership position at a rapidly growing, innovative company in the 21st-century food system.

Location: Gunnison, CO

Salary / Benefits:  $50,000/yr;  qualifies for health care stipend, IRA match, PTO, employee discount

Reports to: Executive Director

Supervises: 2-3 growers, farmers-in-training

Starts: April / May 2023

JEDI: To promote more diversity in outdoor education leadership and inclusivity for students from diverse audiences, we strongly encourage BIPOC and LGBTQ+ individuals to apply.

About Mountain Roots

Mountain Roots Food Project cultivates a resilient food system in the Gunnison Valley, Colorado by enhancing healthy connections between food, earth, and community. We foster knowledge, teach skills, and provide opportunities that ensure access to affordable, nutritious food that is regionally based and sustainably produced. As the leading local food systems initiative, we work to increase individual and community resilience and promote personal, community, and environmental health through programs in five focus areas: Food Culture & Education, Food Production, Food Security, Food Economy, and Food Policy.   We run a district-wide Farm to School program, manage two community farms and four hydroponic farms, coordinate a network of organic urban/community gardens, manage a 150-member multi-farmer CSA, and lead targeted-access food security programs including Cooking Mattersä and Backyard Harvest.  The organization is positioned to expand in the next three years to include a food hub and commercial teaching / incubator kitchen.

What You’ll Do

• Production – Direct hands-on and oversight of all aspects of crop production (leafy greens and herbs) including supplies sourcing, equipment preparation, production schedule, seeding and transplanting, crop planning, growing, harvest projections. Daily nutrient, pH, and pest monitoring and execute any required treatment adjustments or applications utilizing OMRI approved treatments when possible.
• Facilities – Direct hands on, or oversight, of all maintenance, repair, expansion, monitoring, and testing of hydroponic mechanical and structural components including utility consumptions. Identify, vet, and contract with outside service vendors for maintenance or repair needs. Set up and maintenance of “workshop’ area. Coordinate with Food Hub staff for cold and dry storage.
• Safety – Development and implementation of internal policy/systems to insure appropriate food safety, sanitation, and facility security standards. These policies will conform to regulations imposed by the FDA, State agencies, and desired third-party food safety certification and audit requirements. Ensure proper use of all PPE.
• Training & Supervision – Supervise and train greenhouse assistants in daily tasks ensuring efficient pace, sound food safety practices, punctuality, and safety
• Financials – day to day financial duties to include, supply purchasing, vendor invoice processing, commercial customer sales invoicing, preparation of regular operating reports of financial activity. Closely monitor budgets and grant requirements.
• Funding – Work with Development Team to seek additional funding via grants, businesses, donations.
• Budget / Business Model  – development of an annual operating budget complete with revenue sources, detailed operating expenses, and labor projections.
• Sales – Prospect commercial sales and distributorship customers for hydroponic production. Establish sales forecasts by hydroponic produce type.
• Distribution – Coordinate customer packaging requirements, post-harvest delivery or pick-up specifics, and post-harvest equipment inspection and cleaning.
• Data & Reporting – Track all production and financial data, including all grant requirements, plus data concerning crop production, nutrition, crop trials, labor, safety, sales/markets.
• Marketing & PR – Prepare presentations (webinar, 90-sec video clips, etc.) around hydroponic growing, lead tours, develop fact sheets, attend / present at regional conferences.

Who You Are

Three to five years of full-time greenhouse and/or hydroponic operations including proven produce sales and marketing experience.
Familiarity with produce industry participants, such as distributors, retail customers, competitors and produce transportation options.
Data systems experience at a level capable of diagnosing and rectifying alerts signaled by a greenhouse environment monitoring system.
General mechanical knowledge of pumps, motors, water filters, plumbing systems and electricity.
Small Business management
Experience with food safety practices, goals, rules, and regulations
Great multitasking abilities and ability to work in a fast-paced environment
A strong desire to learn and grow. Tendency toward challenging traditional systems. Visionary, forward-thinker, creative problem-solver.
Supervision, team management, scheduling
Ability to lead by example with a can-do attitude; to motivate, inspire and coach hourly workforce
This is an inclusive, supportive environment, you must able to supervise, encourage, and work with differently-abled individuals. You must be accepting and encouraging of people from all backgrounds, races, ethnicities, gender identities, sexual orientation, languages, and physical abilities. Spanish language a plus.
Professional excellence, integrity. Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
Experience in data collection and recording
Problem-solving skills and foresight- capable to identify areas of efficiencies
Capable of working while standing for entire shift; ability to routinely lift 50+ pounds
Ability to work weekend and holiday coverage will be required on an as-needed basis
How to Apply

Please send the following to Holly Conn, Executive Director     director@mountainrootsfoodproject.org

1.     Cover letter / letter of interest, in which you describe how your experience will develop and enhance this program, illustrate what unique value you will add, and provide examples of three attributes your co-workers, friends, and family would all agree you possess.

2.     Resumé

3.     Contact information for two references

Please use “Hydroponic Farm Manager_YourLastName” in your subject line and in the titles of your attachments.

Deadline: Friday, April 7, 2023. 5:00 pm MDT.

If you are serious about this position, do not wait until the last day to apply. We review applications and candidates as they come in.