Assistant Farm Manager

Headquartered in Denver, CO, Kalera is a science and technology-driven company dedicated to growing the very best possible produce; it is smart horticulture at its best. As the technology leader in urban vertical farming, Kalera focuses on clean, safe, healthy, tasty greens and on the efficiencies of growing locally in controlled environments.

Founded in 2010, Kalera has perfected unique hydroponic growing methods combining optimized nutrients and light recipes, precise environmental controls, and clean room standards to produce safe, highly nutritious, pesticide-free, non-GMO vegetables with consistently high quality and longer shelf life year-round. With indoor facilities situated right where the demand is, Kalera can supply abundant produce locally, eliminating the need for long-distance shipping. This means Kalera can ensure the highest quality and freshness by delivering products to customers within hours of harvest year-round.

Kalera's plants grow while consuming 95% less water than field farming.

THIS ROLE:

• The Assistant Farm Manager role is a farm senior-level position reporting directly to the Farm Manager. This role is integral to the operational success of our crop production, overseeing all activities from seed to harvest. 
• Key responsibilities include:
• Production Planning: Develop and implement production plans to ensure optimal yield and efficiency.
• Day to Day Operations: Manage all aspects of harvesting, including scheduling, labor allocation, FSQA, shipping and receiving, and operational workflow.
• Labor Efficiency: Drive continuous improvement initiatives to enhance labor efficiencies and productivity.
• ERP System Execution: Leverage the ERP system to manage inventory, track materials, and ensure accurate data entry.
• Continuous Improvement: Identify and implement process improvements to enhance production quality and efficiency.
• Quality Assurance: Ensure all crops meet high-quality standards through meticulous monitoring and control measures.
• Food Safety: Ensure farm meets all regulatory and customer food safety requirements.

 This role demands an adaptive leader with a hands-on approach to problem-solving, capable of managing complex operations and leading a dedicated team towards achieving our ambitious production goals. Ability to functionally speak both English and Spanish is preferred.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Directly responsible for all day to day farm operations, including but not limited to:
  • Harvest and packaging labor allocation and planning.
  • Production line workflow and setup.
  • Packaging team member coaching and training.
  • Packaging efficiency (i.e. labor times, total labor hours and schedules).
  • Owns Harvest Labor Hours to Goal key performance indicator
  •     (KPI). 
  • Food Safety and Quality Assurance
  • Shipping and Receiving
• Directly manage the production quality manager, production managers, lead horticulturalist, and sanitation manager to achieve daily farm orders and processes.
• Oversee and direct all harvest and packaging operations, being present on the production floor to support over-all facility goals.
• Responsible for finished goods inventory, order creation, order assembly, shipping and receiving.
• Owns order accuracy and fulfillment % KPI.
• Work with direct reports and Farm Manager to drive processes on the production line to support finished good quality and consistency.
• Work with Lead Horticulturist to ensure product is available for packaging on the proper harvest day.
• Work with Maintenance team to ensure all production equipment is functional and supports production goals.
• Create, implement, and train team members on process improvements initiatives to optimize production line process and operation.
• Raw Materials
• Packaging
• Tools
• Operational supplies
• Directly responsible for leveraging Kalera’s ERP system to manage all inventory of all material inputs including but not limited to:
• The Assistant Farm Manager will drive cost-saving efforts to reduce costs associated with inventory and material consumption.
• Must drive continuous/permanent improvement (increased efficiency, improved standards) on all post-harvest processes, including but not limited to post-harvest sanitation, quality evaluation and product packaging.
• Must support colleagues/ other facility leaders over other functional areas to ensure entire facility success.
• Encourage an environment of idea generation, not complaints. Handle complaints as they arise and develop solutions quickly.
• Must communicate expectations clearly with all team members.
• Monitor people’s performance and address inefficiencies through coaching and positive motivation and/or formal disciplinary action if required.
• Follow up and develop individual performance improvement plans when required.
• Develop employees to the "expert level" of their area of responsibility. Cross training of hourly team members to allow more flexibility in scheduling.
• Certify each employee has completed training for their respective area and are fully qualified; ensuring periodic validation and retraining as needed.
• Regular and predictable attendance is an essential function of the job.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment and routinely lift to 25 lbs.
• Other duties as assigned.

Benefits: 

• Company paid Employee Health, Dental, and Vision.
• Company paid STD, LTD, AD&D.
• Additional Voluntary Insurances.
• 401k match
• PTO plan