This role provides a direct path to broaden from production leadership into full operational oversight. The Head Grower will lead daily execution to produce high-quality, healthy inventory.
The Operation: You will be managing a large-scale commercial greenhouse and outdoor growing operation designed for high-volume production and year-round throughput. This is a complex, multi-faceted operation requiring seamless coordination across sales, propagation, plant health, IPM, operations and logistics. The operation demands horticulture expertise and strong operational and personnel leadership for production quality, cost efficiency, and scalability.
Key Operational Characteristics:
- Scale and Complexity: Extensive and diverse crop mix and production cycles requires sophisticated planning and execution.
- Advanced Infrastructure: Support efficiency and environment stewardship with water irrigation system, climate control and growing automation.
- Fast-paced Environment: Inventory turnover requires tight coordination between production schedules and customer fulfillment
- Innovation Mindset: Continuous improvement culture focused on high quality and efficiency.
Key Responsibilities
- Drive business growth through production excellence: deliver accurate production forecasts, refine schedules, maximize plant quality and health, minimize waste and ensure shipment readiness.
- Conduct systematic crop monitoring to diagnose and resolve issues related to fertilizers, irrigation as well as pests, diseases, and weeds – maintaining a sufficient inventory of high-quality, healthy plants
- Monitor and maintain optimal environmental conditions including temperature, humidity, and light.
- Continuously refine and optimize growing protocols, SOPs, and procedures.
- Foster a well-maintained, safe workplace that meets or exceeds industry safety standards.
- Improve operational efficiency and quality metrics: track and analyze plant loss, identify root causes, implement corrective actions, and operate within budget.
- Demonstrate strong business acumen: maintain inventory accuracy, communicate real-time production status to sales and management, achieve revenue and profit targets, and effectively manage materials, labor, schedules and costs.
- Plan and coordinate preventative maintenance programs to ensure equipment reliability and protect capital investments.
- Build and develop high-performing production teams through strategic hiring, comprehensive training, ongoing coaching, performance management and consistent accountability.
Qualifications
- 8–10+ years of commercial growing leadership at scale, including operations (100+ acres; greenhouse/outdoor).
- Proven track record of leading personnel to produce healthy, high-quality plants with excellent growing practices and accurate production forecasting to meet inventory demands.
- Strong understanding of product mix and the ability to evaluate and introduce new items/crops that fit the operation and market demand.
- Strong business capability including budgeting, expense management, and operational problem-solving.
- Computer proficiency and ability to learn internal systems (BC Online/Silverleaf) along with Word/Excel.
- Demonstrated career progression with proven ability to lead, train, mentor and develop teams and succession.
- A degree in Horticulture, or related, and bilingual proficiency in English and Spanish is preferred