Grower

Highline Mushrooms; Leamington; On-site; CAD 79,000 - 93,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Extended health, vision and dental

Life insurance

Short term disability

Pension matching

Annual safety shoe allowance

Job summary

Highline Mushrooms is seeking a Grower leader to work on site at our Leamington, ON farms. You will partner with the Grower Manager to oversee the growing team, implement the Growing Blueprint, monitor hygiene, and ensure production targets and quality standards are met.Responsibilities include budget input, staffing planning, and continuous improvement across multiple sites.

The role focuses on head filling, farm operations, and ensuring daily routines align with SOPs, with daily on-site

Qualifications

• University degree in Business Administration, Agricultural Engineering, Science, Finance or Accounting.
• Ten (10)+ years of leadership experience in farming may be substituted by experience.
• Extensive experience with substrate preparation and mushroom growing.

Responsibilities

• Lead growing operations and ensure adherence to SOPs and growth blueprints.
• Oversee scheduling and supervision of watering and disease associates.
• Maintain high standards of hygiene, quality and record-keeping.
• Manage budgets, cost control and farm profitability with the Grower Manager.

Skills

Leadership

Cost management

Operations oversight

Staff scheduling

Quality control

Education

University degree in Business Administration or Agricultural Science

10+ years leadership/management experience in mushroom farming

Job description

Highline's Vision and Values:

Passionately nourish people, the environment and the community, 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 assigned site(s) 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 and the Farm 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.

General Duties:

• 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.

• 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

Crop charts – As the Grower it is part of your responsibility to ensure that you and your fellow team members deliver the following crop chart items:

• Crop chart deliverables to be fully completed on each and every cropping chart

• Compost details, weights and comments to be completed on the cropping chart in a decipherable, tidy manner

• Four cable tie squares to be positioned in each room (brightly yellow coloured) and the blue square scores to always be completed and recorded on the crop chart (SOP followed)

• Crop charts filled in twice per day (early morning and mid-afternoon 7 days a week)

• Overall poundage produced in each flush and the pounds/ft2 details to be completed

Disease – As the Grower it is part of your responsibility to ensure that you and your fellow team members deliver the following disease related items:

• The farm(s) have a nominated (and clearly named) disease person who records their daily workings and this job is their main priority; SOP’s are key as to how they perform including disinfecting all door handles

• Daily Standard Highline Disease Sheet to be completed (7 days a week)

• Weekly and monthly disease counts to be graphed and displayed prominently on each farm

• Fly levels to be monitored and recorded on all sites (SOP’s to follow)

Housekeeping – As the Grower it is part of your responsibility to ensure that your fellow team members deliver the following “housekeeping” related items:

• Central corridors to be washed and disinfected every night on farm(s) including all picking trolleys

• Any change to the blueprint to be recorded in clear writing and then communicated to the whole team via WhatsApp

Growing tools to always have on your person:

• Portable functioning %RH, temperature and CO2 meter to always be on your person with at least one of your fellow team members having a good strong light

• Notebook to always be present including a working (and approved) pen

• WhatsApp communications and videos to be used extensively if and when any “off blueprint” issue or concerns arise in addition to being clearly written on the notice board

Back up Night Lead/Watch:

• Oversees the activities of associates on-site after hours including the watering staff, basket washers, box makers and any other hourly associates present.

Other duties:

• Performs required calibration of computers, probes, thermometers, fans, etc.

• Working with and providing support to the trainee grower, your departmental associates and inter-departmental leaders as needed

• Proactively contributes to the process of identifying opportunities to achieve the Company’s overall strategy to meet and increase volume, quality and food safety requirements

• Ensures departmental Key Performance Indicators are met and develops best practices to maximize growth potential

• Professionally interacts with suppliers, 3rd party auditors, customers and internal auditors, when required

Budget Development

• Works with the Grower Manager and the Vice President of Farm Operations, to establish annual budgets for assigned farms

• Ensures departmental leaders provide meaningful contributions to set and achieve budget targets through strategic planning, managing costs, monitoring continuous improvement initiatives and efficiencies

Cost Management & Reporting

• 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)

Continuous Improvement

• 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

Other Duties

• As reasonably requested in aid of operations or culture compliance, performs other duties as may be assigned

• Provide meaningful continual improvement or innovation recommendations outside scope of responsibility

Qualifications:

• 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

• Knowledgeable in contracting, sales, packaging, shipping, and change management

• 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

Hours of Work:

• 5 days/week, 8:00am - 6:00pm, working every other weekend
• Public Holidays / Weekends as scheduled
• Daily shift end times vary based on production needs

Earnings:

• $79,374.38 to $92,603.44 Annually

Benefits:

• Extended health, vision and dental for associates and their eligible family members
• Life insurance and dependent life insurance
• Short term disability
• Annual safety shoe allowance
• Pension matching

Job Type: Permanent, Full-Time

Vacancies: 1

Locations of Work:

• 506 Mersea Rd. 5, Leamington, ON N8H 3V5
• 2646 Division Rd., Kingsville, ON N9Y 2E5

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.

By submitting your application, you consent to being contacted by a representative of Highline via email, phone or text message regarding your application and potential career opportunities.

Please note that artificial intelligence tools are used to assist our recruitment team in screening, summarizing and sorting applicant profiles.

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