Recruiter/HR Generalist

Recruiter/HR Generalist 

AeroFarms, the commercial leader in Vertical Farming is building the largest indoor vertical farm in the world in Danville Virginia! (We already have the Guinness world record for this in 2022 – this new farm is 4 times the output of that farm!) This flagship greenfield facility will service our growing customer base in the Mid-Atlantic Region once operational in 2022. This is an opportunity to help with the scaling of one of the most exciting AgTech Companies in the world (We won #1 spot in the Global Food Tech 500 list – 3 years in a row!) 

At AeroFarms we are Non-GMO and use zero herbicides, fungicides, pesticides of any kind, along with using 95% less water compared to conventional agriculture and can grow the best leafy greens 365/24/7 without worrying about seasons! 

The world needs our help. By 2050, there will be 9 billion people on the planet with less arable land than ever before. We need a solution to cultivate more using less and define the future of farming for generations to come. In 2004, AeroFarms began transforming agriculture with humans and our planet at the forefront. 

In 2021, with 20 current patents, 60 pending patents, and 200 invention disclosures, AeroFarms agriculture technology continues to grow unprecedented sustainable products, delivering elevated flavor, taste, experience, quality, access, and unmatched nutrition to you. 

Here’s how we’re growing the best plants possible for the betterment of humanity: 

• Researching and understanding plants to be better, more intuitive farmers. 

• Elevating local communities by increasing access to nutritious, high-quality, consistent, and safe products in a way that’s better for you and the planet. 

• Protecting and sustaining our environment for future generations. 

• Pioneering consistent, and scalable indoor vertical farming food safety & traceability practices, and manufacturing standards. 

• Investing in our AeroFarms humans and fostering our diverse company culture of inclusion, equity, excellence, teachability and curiosity. 

• We used no pesticides, herbicides 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPX7ZS0wqWI] 

As AeroFarms approaches our next phase of explosive growth, we seek out creative, motivated humans who will join us in disrupting industry standards and lead the way in vertical farming, artificial intelligence, and plant biology breakthroughs to solve, and tackle global issues. 

If a team of 200 intellectually curious and caring humans, expansive global operations, and our change-the-world mission resonates with you, apply today: 

Job Description 

AeroFarms is looking for a Recruiter/Human Resources Generalist to support the ramp up activities at our Danville, VA location. The Generalist will assist with implementing HR policies, Recruitment, and partner with the business units to drive division-wide HR initiatives and address employee relation issues.  

Initially the role will be focused on the recruitment of key facility personnel as construction and commissioning is completed. Over time this transitions into hiring of the operations team and will then shift into more of a HR/Generalist as the operation ramps up into steady state operations.  

Responsibilities: 

• Recruitment – Post jobs and ads in select locations. Screen and source qualified applicants and resumes. Coordinate the interview process with individuals and panels. Gather interview feedback and communicate with applicants during and after the interview process.  
• Assists Talent Acquisition department as needed 
• Local new hire orientation and onboarding 
• Payroll - Prepares and Coordinates Company payrolls (weekly & Semi-monthly).  Manages pay policies consistent with the Company’s pay philosophy. 
• Leave of Absence Administration - Coordinate leaves of absence in compliance with state and federal regulations 
• HR Metrics – Assist with producing HR metrics (turnover, exit interviews) and utilize data for process improvements. 
• Workers Compensation - Investigates work place accidents and claim reporting with WC insurance carrier. 
• Policy Administration - Creates and supports a positive, professional, team-oriented, harassment-free work environment by understanding and complying with the company’s policies. 
• Employee Relations - Advocates and facilitates resolution of employee relation issues, with escalation to the VP of HR when necessary. 
• Regulatory - Maintains and applies knowledge of legal requirements and reporting regulations affecting HR functions and ensures local policies, procedures and reporting are in compliance (EEO-1, OSHA, Wage and Hour, etc.). 
• Administration – Ensures that all employment files are up to date. 

You have: 

• BA/BS degree; AA/AS degree with equivalent experience acceptable. 
• 4  Years of HR Experience 
• Proficient in MS Office; Including Word, Excel and Power Point. 
• Strong written and verbal communication skills. Advanced ability to speak clearly and persuasively in positive or negative situations; listens and gets clarification; responds well to questions; demonstrates group presentation skills and participates in meetings. Able to write clearly and informatively. 
• Ability to work independently and efficiently with minimal supervision (self-motivated). 
• Use of discretion and confidentiality. 
• Knowledge of state/federal regulations and employment laws. 
• Good time management skills, planning and organization. Ability to plan and manage multiple projects and meet deadlines. 
• Excellent attention to detail. Problem analysis and problem resolution. 
• Strong customer orientation. Work well in a team environment. 
• Generate innovative solutions in work situations; trying different and novel ways to deal with work problems and opportunities. 
• Ability to work in fast paced environment. 
• Bi-lingual English/Spanish a plus but not required 

Personal Attributes 

• Collaboration - we know we cannot fix the worlds problems as an individual, we have to work together as a team to make that happen. Teamwork is how we get there!  

• Communication - we are a small company (in relative terms - 200 employees), we work well together because we communicate well with each other. You must demonstrate why our mission is important to you: everyone who works at AeroFarms has a strong link to the mission: we want to hear why it means something to you! 

• Agility - What we do has never been done before: we are an innovation company, there is no right or wrong way to do things, we constantly develop how we operate, we can always elevate what we are doing and never claim to have it right.  

• Accountability - we don’t micromanage, we hire individuals who know what they need to do and can do so with minimal direction and take ownership of their projects and deadlines.  

• Respect - We are already starting our journey scaling around the world: we want our team to represent every kind of individual out on plant earth and we need to respect different people, different ideas, different cultures etc. We can learn so much from each other, but respect is key 

• Empowerment - we provide an environment for growth and development: we need your help to develop our business, we will help you develop in your career, and sky is the limit given our growth plans!!  

*Please note that AeroFarms does not work with any external staffing/recruitment vendors. Any unsolicited resumes shared with the AeroFarms team will be considered property of AeroFarms and no recruitment fees of any kind will be paid or owed unless an existing recruitment agreement exists alongside with specific engagement for the role in question.