Production Manager

About Square Roots

Square Roots is the technology leader in indoor farming. We create meaningful jobs in modern farming, empowering a new generation of leaders in agriculture. With production farms in Brooklyn, NY, Kenosha, WI, Grand Rapids, MI and Springfield, OH (with more to come soon!). Square Roots is on a mission to responsibly bring our locally grown food to people in cities around the world, all year round.

The way we operate our business and operate our farms is better for local communities. Everyone on the Square Roots team—from farmers to engineers, commercial experts to operations specialists—is supported, connected, and empowered to do their best work to help Square Roots achieve its goals as a company.

About the Role:

We’re now looking for an experienced Production Manager to join our mission-driven, passionate team to establish & maintain a first-class production environment. The ideal candidate will have 3+ years of direct crop production and team management experience and is ready to lead this position with energy, knowledge, ability and a no-task-too-small attitude. 

This is a hands-on role, responsible for managing our farm production schedule  and balancing the priorities of our campus production team. You will have experience managing a field greenhouse or CEA production operation, as well as possess the ability and skill set to motivate the team to regularly meet deadlines and achieve production quotas.   

You will report directly to the General Manager and will collaborate cross-functionally with the campus management team along with key stakeholders in the Square Roots central team, including Farm Ops, Marketing, Sales, Engineering, Business Operations, and People functions. 

You Will:

• Oversee the daily operations of the farm and be accountable for ensuring production targets for both yield and quality are consistently met.
• Be accountable for plant health, integrated pest and disease management and prevention planning, and implementation of food safety protocols.
• Own and manage the campus production plan balancing unique crop schedules with order fulfillment while minimizing over/under production.
• Continually evaluate and improve production operations to increase efficiency and overcome bottlenecks.
• Be responsible for ordering and inventory management of production supplies.
• Align with the Facilities and Sanitation Manager on scheduling to keep the growing systems and equipment clean, well maintained and safe for use.
• Work closely and collaborate with Square Roots Central Team and other Managers in our network to ensure company-wide goals and initiatives are achieved.
• Regularly communicate insightful data, supply projections and crop health metrics  with the General Manager, sales team and broader SQR stakeholders.
• Manage the performance, success and well being of campus production team members.
• Be responsible for the physical  safety of all production employees.
• Establish check-ins and build strong relationships  with all direct reports.
• Report directly to the General Manager.

You have experience with:

• Direct farm management experience. (3+ years, greenhouse or CEA preferred.) 
• Managing  and training a manual labor workforce to achieve desired outcomes in a complex and dynamic commercial production facility, ideally in an indoor farming, manufacturing or food production setting.
• Leveraging and reporting on data, metrics, and analytics to drive results.
• USDA HGAP+ standards, navigating a food safety plan and instilling the importance of food safety throughout the production facility.
• Overseeing plant health and IPDM programs.
• General troubleshooting of farm systems, hardware and equipment.
• Using a variety of software to do your job effectively, including but not limited to Google docs, Google sheets, Slack, and similar platforms. 
• Bachelor's degree in agronomy, horticulture or management a plus. 

You are:

• A confident people manager, capable of communicating with individuals and groups across various levels and functions in the organization.
• An excellent written and verbal communicator, able to articulate the nuances of complex scenarios and make clear asks of your immediate peers, manager, and broader stakeholders, in order to resolve an issue or meet a goal. 
• Passionate about tech-enabled local food and the future of farming.
• Able to manage and prioritize multiple tasks and projects simultaneously in fast-paced sometimes ambiguous situations.
• A critical thinker who is a master problem solver, but not afraid to ask for help.
• A self-starter who understands the end goal, and works both independently and collaboratively  to achieve objectives and key results.
• An expert in taking projects through to completion.
• Able to observe, adapt, and iterate quickly.
• Willing to contribute to tasks and activities outside of a prescribed job description to achieve business objectives.
• Able to lift up to 50 lbs and comfortable standing for long hours. 

You are: 

• Passionate about real, local food.
• Values-aligned.
• A people person and leader. 
• Tech savvy and business oriented. 
• Strong communicator. 
• Able to align business objectives with team and campus goals. 

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 the start date without a documented accommodation will result in offer rescindment or termination.