Facilities & Sanitation Manager

About Square Roots

Square Roots is the technology leader in urban indoor farming. Its mission is to bring local, fresh, real food to people in cities around the world - setting new standards for transparency and responsibility while empowering the next generation of leaders in agriculture. 

Founded by serial entrepreneurs, Kimbal Musk and Tobias Peggs, its range of fresh produce is available in more than 200 retail locations around the country including Whole Foods Market, Fresh Thyme Market, SpartanNash, and FreshDirect. Square Roots’ strategic partnership with Gordon Food Service reinforces a larger shared ambition to build commercial scale, climate controlled indoor farms together across the continent - enabling local food at a global scale, year round. For more information, please visit www.squarerootsgrow.com.

About the Role

We are looking for an experienced Facilities & Sanitation Manager to fit seamlessly into our mission-driven team. The ideal candidate will have 5+ years of technical facilities and food safety experience and 2+ years of management experience and is ready to lead this new position with enthusiasm, knowledge, ability and a no-task-too-small attitude. 

This position is responsible for supporting Square Roots’ on-site food safety and sanitation initiatives including validating sanitary procedures, leveraging data and observations to improve food safety and sanitation efforts, evaluating food safety risks, supporting production facility sanitation planning, SOP development and training support. Additionally, the Facilities and Sanitation Manager will own farm equipment inventory, oversee installations and repairs needed on campus and manage preventative  maintenance to ensure maximum farm equipment uptime. Qualified candidates are dynamic team players who value a “safety-first” mentality, are highly proficient in mechanical, electrical, HVAC, and plumbing systems and are able to plan, manage  and execute on multiple projects at once. 

You will: 

• Manage, prioritize and issue work orders for preventative and reactive maintenance utilizing our CMMS and proprietary software systems. 
• Provide daily, on-site  leadership, guidance and supervision to the Maintenance Technician and Sanitation Technician.
• Perform daily inspections and sanitary validation of automation equipment and surrounding areas. 
• Support food safety and sanitation initiatives  in compliance with federal, state, and customer food safety regulations. 
• Leverage  data to develop and  implement process improvement plans to drive efficiency.
• Support pest and disease management, waste management and environmental monitoring. 
• Lead by example, taking a hands-on approach to troubleshooting and resolving upstream issues in the growing system while understanding potential downstream implications. 
• Communicate needs and ensure alignment among stakeholders on upgrades and projects before executing. Being part of meetings, collaborating with the rest of the team, assembling documents and business case proposals as needed. 
• Manage relevant aspects of campus inventory including ongoing tracking, purchasing, receiving and organizing while taking responsibility to communicate with suppliers and transporters when needed to ensure continuous supply needs are met.  
• Establish and participate in a 24/7 on-call schedule for emergency repairs & maintenance as needed, which may include weekends, holidays and severe weather events. 
• Strive to maintain a clean, safe and organized workspace for all staff in accordance with all relevant campus policies.  

You have experience with:

• Working in a fast-paced, dynamic production environment
• Repairs & maintenance in HVAC, low-voltage electrical, mechanical, and plumbing systems
• Hiring and managing third-party contractors for work beyond your scope
• Administering and maintaining CMMS systems to manage the relevant supplies and materials needed to operate
• Operating within a given budget and looking for low-cost solutions where applicable
• Food safety and sanitation best practices, chemical safety handling and worker safety.
• Operating various tools, equipment, machinery and vehicles (i.e., fork lift, box truck)
• Understanding of indoor grow systems, or similar computer automation processes is a big plus

You are:

• An effective, professional communicator who prioritizes keeping your team and involved stakeholders  informed
• Enthusiastic about adhering to and enforcing food and worker safety protocols
• Able to identify technical issues and implement both long and short term solutions
• Experienced in digital record keeping and documentation
• An observant, empathetic manager who provides structure and continuous professional development for your employees
• Comfortable standing for long hours, working in various climate conditions & able to lift 75 lbs regularly
• Not claustrophobic; you're comfortable working inside of shipping containers and unphased by working safely at heights of 10-25ft
• A safe driver with a clean driving record
• Values-aligned
• Passionate about tech-enabled future of farming
• Detail oriented and highly organized
• An outside-of-the-box problem solver with the ability to switch gears quickly and address competing priorities efficiently
• A lifelong learner who enjoys navigating complex issues and finds satisfaction in a job well done

You'll love working at Square Roots because: 

• We're here to change the food system. You'll have the opportunity to play a significant role in our work at the intersection of technology, farming, and the global food industry - and we're only just getting started. 
• Our team is driven by a shared set of values. These keep us aligned and remind us how to show up every day in the face of growth and ambiguity. Whether you’re working remotely or on the farms,  collaboration, respect, optimism and humility are all embraced, and we seek to empower people at every step. Ask us about the rest!
• Benefits and perks, of course. We're all here first and foremost to play our part in the mission, but medical, dental, and vision coverage, flexible work life culture, and lots of samples of the delicious food we grow certainly do not hurt. :)

COVID-19 Vaccination Policy:

New employees are required to be fully vaccinated prior to their start date. The definition of fully vaccinated includes a booster for those that are eligible.

You are considered fully vaccinated if: 

• You have received a full series of the vaccine recently (meaning 2 doses within 5 months for the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, or 1 dose within 2 months for Johnson and Johnson). 
• You received your full series over 5 months ago for Pfizer and Moderna or over 2 months ago for Johnson and Johnson, and have also received a booster shot. 

Proof of vaccination is required during the hiring process, and employees will be required to get booster shots as they become eligible to maintain their fully-vaccinated status.  

As federal guidance on booster shots evolves, the definition of ‘fully vaccinated’ may change.  

In accordance with EEOC guidance, if you are not vaccinated or do not intend to be due to medical reasons or deeply held religious beliefs, you may make an accommodation request and Square Roots will make a reasonable effort to accommodate you, subject to the requirements of the role you are applying for. 

Failure to be fully vaccinated by start date without a documented accommodation will result in offer rescindment or termination.