Interim Director - Greenhouse Operations

IMMEDIATE INTERIM OPPORTUNITY

Interim Director, Greenhouse Operations

Reports To: VP Global Operations & Innovation

Duration: 6 months (approximately)

Location: Comox, BC

Our client is a Canadian agricultural and consumer goods company and a leader in its field. They are seeking an Interim Head of Operations for one of its greenhouse production facilities due to a leave of absence. During this period, the interim leader will oversee the organization’s cultivation efforts and facility operations to deliver healthy plants that meet specific breeding and R&D parameters. You will make strategic operational decisions, define priorities and manage multiple projects to drive innovation. To be considered for the role, you must have a background in either greenhouse operations or food/pharma manufacturing.

Key Accountabilities:

• Manage a coastal greenhouse facility to enable smooth and consistent delivery of new product varieties and to deliver a globally competitive pipeline of genetics for the market
• Ensuring a stable and reliable production environment to enable breeding pipeline and other R&D activities
• Continuously improve the facility’s cultivation and operational systems to maintain important genetic resources
• Provide leadership to the team, ensuring proper training, development, and performance management with respect to efficiency and compliance
• Oversee cultivation schedules, including planting and harvesting

Science and Innovation agenda:

• Implement best practices for plant nutrition, pest management, and disease prevention
• Monitor and maintain optimal environmental conditions (temperature, humidity, lighting, etc.) in cultivation areas
• Oversee nutrient, water and propagation management and the distribution of products while facilitating production scale trials, initiating new mother stock and ensuring redundancy of key genetics assets
• Recommend, perform, and coordinate corrective actions such as the removal, isolation, or destruction of plants

Facility operations:

• Manage day-to-day operations including the maintenance and operations of control systems for cultivation and the facility including electrical, mechanical, and site management systems
• Supervise and lead the operations and maintenance team, ensuring proper training, development, and performance management
• Work with engineering, IT and security teams to manage maintenance activities using DIMO and other systems

Science and innovation:

• Collaborate with the R&D team to improve cultivation techniques and participate in the development of new cultivars and product lines to meet market demands
• Stay informed about industry trends, consumer preferences and demands, new cultivation technologies, and advancements in genetics

Process improvement:

• Evaluate cultivation processes and identify areas for improvement to optimize productivity and product quality based on data and KPIs

Reporting and administration:

• Maintain accurate records of cultivation activities, production metrics, and inventory levels and generate reports for leadership to track KPIs
• Collaborate with the Operational Finance team and broader Operations team to manage and adhere to budgets
• Monitor and control expenses related to cultivation and operations, optimizing resources without compromising quality of the work
• Ensure compliance with federal, provincial, and local regulations for production and storage including Health Canada license conditions
• Oversee the facility’s inventory control and record-keeping and collaborate with the Regulatory Affairs team, as well as regulatory agencies during inspections

Health and safety:

• Work with the Director, HSE to align health and safety programs with existing programs, policies and required legislations
• Champion health and safety practices in the facility, ensuring compliance with safety standards and protocols and implementation of SOPs

Sustainability Initiatives:

• Identify and implement sustainable cultivation practices to minimize environmental impact and introduce energy-efficient measures and waste reduction strategies, that align with ESG goals

Competencies and Requirements:

• Proven experience in a greenhouse cultivation or food production environment, with a minimum of 5-years in a people management role
• Prior agriculture, food, beverage/alcohol or cannabis production experience—or other regulated product experience preferred
• Excellent communication skills (oral, written and presentation)
• Proven ability to work collaboratively in a team environment and collaborate on projects.
• Ability to think strategically, problem solve and make quick decisions.
• Strong interpersonal and organizational and leadership skills.
• Accountable for results, strives to meet and exceed expectations.
• Advanced knowledge of computer software applications, with proficiency with Microsoft Office products (Excel, Outlook, Word & PowerPoint)

PLEASE SEND YOUR CV (AS A WORD DOC) TO: Interim.Applications@LHHknightsbridge.com (Subject: Job Title)

LHH Knightsbridge Interim Management is a service to help our clients address a wide range of scenarios including leadership support due to sudden departures, driving key change initiatives or leading transformation projects. Our interim executives step in with minimal downtime to meet specific objectives and deliver results. All have held senior positions in the past and have now chosen to offer their unique depth and breadth of experience to organizations on a limited engagement basis.

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Lee Hecht Harrison Knightsbridge Corp. is committed to providing equitable treatment and accommodation to ensure a barrier-free recruitment process. In accordance with the Ontario Human Rights Code, Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act and our AODA policy, a request for accommodation will be accepted as part of the hiring process. If you require accommodation to apply or if selected to participate in an assessment process, please provide your accommodation needs in advance to the Recruitment Lead for this opportunity.

We thank all interested candidates in advance; however, only individuals selected for interviews will be contacted.

April 2025