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BrightFarms is The Place to Grow!
At BrightFarms, we’re on a mission to revolutionize the way leafy greens are grown. But we don’t just want to grow great tasting greens, we want them to do good as well: for the planet, for the health of people, and for the well-being of our employees. We give BrightFarmers the tools, training, support, and opportunities they need to do better for themselves and the world every day. Because when you do good for your people, they do good for the world.
BrightFarms is a national leader in the booming indoor farming industry, transforming how produce is grown and delivered with its expanding network of high-tech, sustainable hydroponic farms. We currently operate six high-tech greenhouse farms, with four new regional salad greenhouse hubs breaking ground to begin opening in 2024. BrightFarms' fresh lettuce options, from classic greens to crunchy mixes and salad kits, are available in more than 3,700 retail stores across the East Coast and Midwest.
The Launch Team Manager will provide effective leadership of the new greenhouse Launch Team as we open our new greenhouse sites across the US. This is a key role with high visibility within the company and will be responsible for supervising, managing, and motivating team members on a daily basis. As a Team Manager, you will be the contact point for all team members, so your communication skills should be excellent. This person should be able to act proactively to ensure smooth team operations and effective cross-functional collaboration. This position will require frequent travel to the sites, developing training programs, working with contractors and vendors, managing the playbooks, and executing tasks to meet company metrics. This position reports to the Director of Future Operations.
Specifically, you will:
- Live and lead a safety-first mentality
- Create an inspiring team environment with an open communication culture
- Effectively assist with the staffing/hiring of the team for each site by leveraging the appropriate mix of internal and external talent to satisfy both near-term performance and long-term needs
- Finalize detailed launch plan for each project site with input from all internal and external partners.
- Manage Launch Team to successfully execute the launch plan for each site. Launch team main responsibilities include food safety, greenhouse systems (climate), growing/harvest systems, product packaging, facility management, and training.
- Manage resource complexity of launching multiple sites withing the same year.
- Ensure Launch Team are well trained and current on any required certifications to perform the full scope of their job expectations
- Establishe clear and measurable performance expectations to ensure teams at each site are accountable for delivering the goals
- During the training period at each site, will evaluate the strengths and development opportunities of the team to achieve sustained success
- Partner with cross-functional teams to support, improve, and develop various programs/processes at the sites
- Serve as full owner on meeting business needs through leading, developing, and executing operational strategies
- Drive continuous improvement through root cause failure analysis and implements countermeasures in accordance with once and done strategies
- Use analytics to identify opportunities and improve processes
- Shares best practices across all sites, challenges thinking, and provides candid and respectful feedback
- Leads with key values, being a strong example for site employees and others throughout the organization
The ideal candidate:
- Associate degree (Operations or related field) OR equivalent experience
- Operations/Logistics background with a minimum of 4 years leadership responsibilities
- Experience with leading equipment operators and ability to learn/train on new equipment
- Experience successfully developing, leading, and executing reliability focused operational processes including writing standard operating procedures and training documents
- A proven track record of driving results, engaging others, and consistent accountability
- Experience with utilizing Microsoft Office Suite (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access) and/or Smartsheet
- Willingness to travel approximately 65% - 70% of the time during the construction and set-up of the new sites
- Commitment of 2+ years in the role as we open new sites in the Midwest and East Coast
Preferred skills/qualifications
- Knowledgeable with semi-automated grow and packaging systems (including HMI)
- Knowledgeable with Greenhouse / Warehouse production and operations
- Ability to learn and train other team members
- Strategic thinker
- Customer focused
- Competitively drive results
- Inspire and energize others
- Financial and budget oriented
- Follow through on commitments
- Collaborate and foster idea generation and teamwork
- Engage self and others in learning
- Excellent communication skills (written and oral)
Working conditions / Environment / Travel / Schedule required
- Remote position, with frequent travel to farms
Come grow with us - the future is BRIGHT!
BrightFarms is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer - All qualified applicants/employees will receive consideration for employment without regard to that individual’s age, race, color, religion or creed, national origin or ancestry, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, physical or mental disability, veteran status, genetic information, ethnicity, citizenship, or any other characteristic protected by law.
