Job description
Verdant Valley Farms is seeking a dynamic Horticulturist / Greenhouse Manager to lead our multi-acre greenhouse operation in Salinas, CA. The ideal candidate combines scientific know-how with hands-on leadership to produce premium crops year-round.
You will oversee cultivation programs, monitor environmental conditions, and drive continuous improvements in irrigation, fertilization, and pest management, while ensuring food safety and sustainability standards are met.
Responsibility
- Oversee daily greenhouse operations, including climate control, irrigation scheduling, pruning, sanitation, and labor planning.
- Develop and execute crop calendars and propagation plans for annuals, perennials, or fresh produce as applicable.
- Monitor crop health, diagnose issues, implement IPM strategies, and coordinate with agronomists and vendors.
- Lead propagation, transplantation, pruning, training, and trellising to optimize growth and yield.
- Manage harvesting, post-harvest handling, packaging, and inventory management.
- Maintain and optimize irrigation systems, sensor networks, fertigation, water quality, and environmental data collection.
- Ensure compliance with safety, biosecurity, and local agricultural regulations; maintain record-keeping for audits.
Qualification
- Bachelor's degree in horticulture, agronomy, plant science, or related field; or equivalent experience in commercial horticulture.
- 3+ years of greenhouse cultivation or nursery management experience.
- Strong knowledge of irrigation systems, fertigation, climate control, soil and media, nutrient management, and IPM.
- Experience with greenhouse software, data logging, and basic agricultural technology.
- Excellent leadership, communication, and cross-functional collaboration skills.
- Ability to lift 40 lbs, perform hands-on horticultural tasks, and adapt to a fast-paced environment.
- Commitment to sustainable practices and quality standards.