Assistant Farm Manager

Gold Leaf is a fast-growing farming company whose core focus is to build farms, family, and a future we’re proud of. We own and operate >12,000 acres of almonds, pistachios and dates in California and Arizona, making us a top ~15 grower of these crops globally. Our growth has been enabled by >$300M of investment from our partners and our >60-person team that operates the farms every day.

Our North Star is to leave the world better than we found it. We have a significant opportunity to do well by doing good - we invest in our team, so that we can invest in differentiated, sustainable farming, so that we can drive financial results. Our farm workers have a $20 starting wage, fully paid healthcare, retirement and parental leave. Most of our farms are transitioning to organic and all use cutting edge farming tech. These strategies have enabled us to be profitable and continue our focus on growth.

We are aggressively growing our farms under management, acreage, and team in 2022 and beyond. We expect to grow by 50-100% this year and have grown by 2-3x annually for the past several years. Our two founders have a balance of investing and farming experience – Jack (CEO) is former TPG Capital, McKinsey, and Stanford GSB while Brandon (Head of Farming) is an accomplished agronomist having managed 10,000 acres. We hold traditional farming values in high regard: taking pride in quality operations, buying and holding prime farms with a long-term view (everything we buy we’d be happy to own forever), and staying grounded in our values: being candid, putting family first, acting like owners and leading by example.

Role Overview:
The Assistant Farm Manager is a key leader on the Operations team who is responsible for supporting the Farm Manager on the day to day operations of the farms they manage including, but not limited to, executing the irrigation schedule, equipment operations, and repairs and maintenance. The Assistant Farm Manager is also a people leader who helps to give direction and oversee the activities of the Farm Teams. The Assistant Farm Manager is a development role designed to prepare employees for a potential, future Farm Manager role.

Responsibilities:
As a high-growth company, roles will evolve, but initially the key responsibilities of this role will be:

Day to Day Farm Management of Farm Portfolio (65% of time):

• Oversee the daily operations of all GLF properties in their assigned portfolio.
• Oversees the safe operation of the farms at all times, including verifying the proper chemical and equipment training has been completed and documented prior to task completion.
• Verifies compliance with all local, state and federal safety and operations requirements
• Walks farms regularly and intimately knows the current state and quality of all crops. Problem solves day to day issues and supports the Farm Manager in establishing the strategy for when budget deviation is necessary
• Supports Farm Manager in budget tracking, planning, and forecasting including labor procurement when necessary
• Executes irrigation schedules and agronomy playbook tasks
• Manages effective equipment operation including ensuring repairs, preventative maintenance and general upkeep of all equipment and structures are satisfied in a timely manner to avoid equipment downtime.
• Stays attuned to risks (weather, pests, etc.) that could negatively impact the health of our crops and acts proactively to mitigate potential impact and quickly communicates issues impacting yield to leadership in a timely manner

Lead/Manage/Hold Accountable (LMA) Farm Teams (20% of time):

• Builds strong working relationships with all Foremen, and Field Operators and supports Farm Manager in holding the team accountable for the proper and timely execution of assigned tasks
• Participates in leading a monthly meeting with each farm team to share company and farm updates and receive feedback from the team. The Assistant Farm Manager is responsible for partnering with the Farm Manager to consider and act upon the feedback provided in a timely manner.
• Coaches, clears roadblocks, and otherwise assists the team in timely and accurate performance.
• Helps to create a coaching culture by candidly providing both positive and developmental feedback to all employees on the farms. Contributes feedback to team performance evaluations quarterly
• Uphold and improve upon GLF’s culture and values at all farms
• As necessary, resolves personnel problems by investigating issues, identifying solutions, and recommending action while treating employees with respect through the process

Support Farm-Level Agronomic Strategy (15% of Time):

• Partner with the Farm Manager to execute the agronomic strategy for each farm in a manner that optimizes the output of our field assets and course correcting when necessary
• Support experimentation planning and execution, as assigned, to solve for both profitability and strong yield output
• Supports the trial of new AgTechnology and future adoption
• Aids in the planning for long-term sustainability of each farm and optimizes where possible

Suggested Skills & Experience:
An excellent candidate for this role will have the following skills & experience. If you have some but not all of the below, please apply anyway. We are willing to invest time in training the right candidate. We are an equal opportunity employer, prohibit discrimination of any kind, and value diversity and inclusion. We look forward to considering all strong candidates.

• Experience in a related field, with permanent crops, or as a senior farm operator, preferred but not required
• Private applicatory license, preferred but not required
• Bilingual in Spanish, preferred but not required
• Strong passion for leading and developing teams with a genuine care of people
• Excited by technology and innovation with experience in basic usage of Microsoft Excel, Word and other professional software programs

The Ideal Cultural Fit:

• Self-starter with ownership mindset
• Willingness to be candid, think critically/act differently, and embrace change
• Energetic, positive/can-do attitude, and fun person to have on a team!