Head of Agricultural Operations

Website BoweryFarming Bowery Farming

At Bowery Farming, we dream of a world where agriculture gives back to the people and the planet more than it takes. But to achieve this, we need more than incremental change. We need to reimagine farming from the ground up. Every day, Bowery’s purpose-driven team works toward this mission. Right outside of cities, we build indoor farms that grow wildly flavorful produce that’s defiantly free from pollutants, all while using less finite resources like space and water. Our smart farms are powered by our proprietary farm operating system, BoweryOS, creating a simplified, agile food system that’s focused on flavor, freshness, and safety. At Bowery, we’re farming efficiently so we can feed effectively, democratizing access to fresh, local food in our communities.
About The Role:
Bowery is seeking an experienced Head of Agricultural Operations to focus on daily critical system operations that promote crop yield and quality in our farms.  You will be responsible for the system health of each farm, supporting the introduction & operationalization of new products, be a critical partner in analyzing datasets, and guide key business decisions around yield and quality performance.  You’ll be supported by and help develop the future direction of Bowery’s proprietary farm management software, the BoweryOS, which delivers unprecedented abilities to monitor crop development and maintain efficient operations.  You will operate in a multidisciplinary environment with engineers, computer scientists, agricultural scientists, growers, business operators and a farm operations team. Your work will meaningfully impact the evolution of the indoor agriculture industry.
You will manage a team of Growers to provide input around crop variety trials, help further develop Bowery’s proprietary BoweryOS, and contribute to the overall direction of our new product development.  You will be a critical partner in working with our Marketing team providing feedback on “in-farm” observations and sensory data.  This is a multi farm role focused on an expanding number of farms and will require some travel.  You will lead a small team of Growers and Agricultural Technicians, reporting to the Chief Science Officer.

What You’ll Do:

    • You’ll manage day to day growing operations in Bowery’s farms and help plan growing operations for future farms in conjunction with the systems engineering and agricultural science teams.
    • You’ll lead a team of Agricultural Technicians to ensure farm health is maintained across critical systems, disease and seed management and nutrient performance.
    • Diagnosing infield crop performance and providing feedback to our Agricultural Science team.You’ll be a critical partner in transitioning new products from R&D to an operational environment.
    • You’ll support our food safety program and that all of our produce is handled according to our rigid safety standards
    • You’ll influence daily activity and recommend new techniques and processes that will make our farm operators more efficient and effective.
    • You’ll influence our crop development roadmap, and help us evaluate new varieties for quality, yield and taste.
    • You’ll recommend new monitoring and control systems that give Bowery increasing levels of control on the most important variables for plant growth.

Who you are:

    • You have experience as a horticultural leader in indoor, growing environments (hydroponic/aeroponic/aquaponic), ideally with leadership experience.
    • You have a familiarity with the major technical systems of an indoor farm (irrigation, lighting, HVAC, nutrients, food safety, etc) and familiarity with the sensors and analyses that are used to diagnose their performance.
    • You’re a capable people leader with a track record of recruiting, directing, coaching and inspiring teams towards high performance.
    • You are “tech fluent” and excited about the prospect of helping to build new technology to change the nature of farming.
    • You have demonstrated experience in basic water chemistry and nutrient management.
    • You understand how to collect, analyze, interpret and report complex data to a broad audience.
    • You know how to build a business case, can speak fluently about the costs and benefits of the work you have done, and can easily distinguish “needs” from “wants” when it comes to desired resources.
    • You are able to intuitively determine plant health issues and spot unusual conditions in a growing environment, and can recommend and efficiently implement changes to remedy common plant issues.
    • You are an excellent oral and written communicator who easily shifts between technical discussions and layman’s terms.
    • You believe that teams succeed and fail together and take responsibility for ensuring the success and satisfaction of your teammates.
    • You believe a better future is possible, set big bold research goals, get focused quickly, and take your work seriously.
    • You say hello when you walk in the door.
Bowery’s headquarters is based in Manhattan. We have two farms in Kearny, New Jersey. One farm is focused on Research & Development, the other services retailers and community partners in the Tri-State area. Our third farm is located in Nottingham, Maryland, feeding the Mid-Atlantic region. Bowery Farming products are sold at hundreds of retailers, including Whole Foods Market, Giant Food, Stop & Shop, Walmart and specialty grocers, along with online partners like Amazon Fresh, Hungryroot, Peapod and restaurants, including Sweetgreen. Based in New York City, the company has raised over $172.5 million from leading investors, including Temasek, GV (formerly Google Ventures), General Catalyst, GGV Capital, First Round Capital, and Henry Kravis, as well as some of the foremost thought leaders in food, including David Barber of Blue Hill, Tom Colicchio, and José Andres.

To apply for this job please visit jobs.lever.co.

Bowery

To apply for this job please visit jobs.lever.co.

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Bowery Farming

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