Grower

**Highline Vision and Values:**

Passionately nourish people, community and environment, through embracing our core values which include:

We do the right thing, always. We lead the way. We are fanatical about quality. We are transparent in our relationships. We always consider the human element. We embrace diversity and inclusion.

**Position Summary:**

• Works closely with the Grower Manager and the growing team on all aspects related to the growing at our Essex Farm locations with a strong focus on head filling, farm operations and hygiene. Ensures the filling, growing and hygiene teams follow agreed-upon standards as set out in the in-house terminology which we refer to as “non-negotiables”, the cornerstone of which is the growing blueprint. Your role as a team member includes maintaining proper staffing levels and attaining productivity goals and farm profitability by working closely with the Grower Manager. You may also provide input and assist with the establishment of annual budgets, and ensuring department leaders meet targets through strategic planning, cost management, monitoring continuous improvement initiatives and efficiencies.

**Qualifications & Experience**

A combination of professional experiences or equivalent combined education, designation and work experience will be considered;

• University Degree in Business Administration, Agricultural Engineering, Science, Finance or Accounting, with a minimum of five (5) years of experience in a leadership role at a mushroom farm is required
• Ten (10+) years of experience in compost and growing operations and farm management may be accepted in lieu of a University Degree
• Must have extensive experience and understanding of substrate preparation and mushroom growing
• Skilled in examining and re-engineering operations and procedures
• Experienced in developing and implementing new strategies and procedures
• Ability to develop financial plans and manage resources including analysis and interpreting financial data
• Requires professional written and verbal communication and interpersonal skills and the ability to motivate teams and simultaneously manage several projects
• Work requires a willingness to work a flexible schedule and ability for independent travel; Willingness to travel

**Operational Farm Management**

• The Growing Blueprint is the key operational structure which provides the parameters within which to operate and within which all growing operations will be conducted. Any change or variance from the growing blueprint in your role must be clearly written on the crop chart immediately when that change is made by you or by your team member who physically makes that change. Creating a short “WhatsApp” message, photo or short video is the best form of communication to your fellow team members. The Growing Blueprint is the structure that allows us to learn and to improve as individual growers and as team members.

**Grower Responsibilities**

• As the Grower you will be on site at you’re the farm(s) \every day from your standard and agreed upon start time until finished for at least five (5) days per calendar week with a clear schedule communicated on WhatsApp for your days off, allied to those of your fellow team members
• Responsible for overseeing supervising, and assigning work to the watering and disease associates, and completing their time cards timely and accurately.
• Responsible for ensuring you and your fellow growing team carries out the pre-filling room inspection checks, ensuring that the sheets are completed for every room
• Responsible for ensuring that there is a pre-planned routine ensuring that the Grower Manager, you as the grower or the trainee grower, is always present during the filling of the rooms and that your fellow team member will always be in clear and frequent contact with the Material Application Specialist
• Responsible for ensuring a high standard of washing, hygiene and sanitation on each of the sites
• Accountable for the filling quality and consistency as well as ensuring that the filling score paperwork is fully completed (compost density, caccing quantity and quality) and the casing soil before by either day 13 or before the blue square scores are done. Responsible along with the Grower Manager for signing off on each of the scores for each of the rooms filled in each week
• Responsible for ensuring that you or a member of your growing team are present for the calculation of the blue square scores along with the Harvesting Supervisor and the Farm Manager on or before day 13 (browns) and day 14 (whites). The scores are created in line with the SOP’s and immediately written on the cropping chart.
• You are responsible to ensure that the required standards and the monitoring and recording of each water application throughout the whole cycle of the crop is in line with the SOP’s. It is your ultimate responsibility to ensure that each watering is applied via a watering meter and then accurately recorded on the crop chart on the day of application both in the litres overall number of litres applied along with the calculation of the litres per square meter (1.5 – 2.0 lts/m2 being the maximum applied every 90 to 120 minutes)
• The yield and the quality of the mushrooms grown are the growing team’s responsibility and as the grower you are responsible for your fellow team members
• Each member of your growing team should complete at least 2 harvesting farm walks per week, alongside the Farm Manager and various members of the supervisory team. This is a key performance requirement of your role
• It is your responsibility to ensure that each member of your growing team leaves a detailed set of typed notes as a handover well ahead of his nominated days off
• Responsible for ensuring that farm(s) produce a consistent yield and quality that is comparable with the best farms in the world. To do this you need to lead a Continuous Improvement Process to ensure that each of the above areas of your growing and grower responsibilities, crop charts, disease management and general housekeeping are and remain to a world class standard as instructed by the Grower Manager, the Vice President of Farm Operations, and the Vice President of Growing and Technical.
• Provides advice and recommendations to the Grower Manager and the Vice President of Farm Operations, regarding construction, alterations, maintenance, materials, supplies, equipment and services not provided in approved plans and/or budgets
• Helps to plan, develop and implement farm strategies for generating resources and/or revenues for the Company
• Manages operations to ensure production efficiency, quality, service and cost-effective management of resources.
• Provides transparent, factual and timely measurements as requested and fosters a team that mirrors these behaviours
• Responsible for assisting with farm performance and reporting requirements, including but not limited to, internal reporting and Board reports as well as external regulatory reporting required under applicable public statues (i.e. Ministry of Labour, Ministry of the Environment)

**Personal Attributes**

• Demonstrable strong organizational skills and ability to prioritize with an aptitude to effectively handle competing deadlines
• Attention to detail and accuracy, appropriately balanced with the need to complete tasks
• Above average analytical skills, the ability to problem solve a range of complex problems
• Capable of independent and self guided work and accepts and adapts to change
• Excellent interpersonal communications skills and professional behaviours, specifically maintaining confidentiality and sensitive information

**Other**

• Eligible to work in Canada.
• Fluent in written and verbal English, other languages are an asset.

**Earnings & Benefits:**

• Extended Health & Dental and Vision for Associates and their eligible family members
• Life insurance and Dependent Life Insurance, STD
• Paid Vacation time
• Discretionary bonus: profit sharing, years of service wage increase, and annual wage grid review
• Safety shoe reimbursement

Highline encourages applications from all qualified candidates. When requested Highline will accommodate people with disabilities at all stages of the recruitment, assessment and hiring process.

This is a new position and is not a result of a vacancy.

#INDH

Job Types: Full-time, Permanent

Pay: $69,374.00-$92,603.00 per year

Experience

• Mushroom Growing: 4 years (required)

Work Location: In person