Talent Community: Farm Manager

Farm Manager

While we may not be actively hiring for this role at this moment, we're always looking to connect with people who share our vision and embody our values. If you're interested in joining our team, we encourage you to submit an application expressing your interest. Our team regularly reviews submissions and will reach out if a relevant opportunity aligns with your background and skills.

Gold Leaf is a 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 50-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 $23 starting wage in California, fully paid healthcare, retirement, and parental leave. Our farms use technology and incorporate research-based strategies to maximize production and profitability while minimizing the use of precious natural resources.

Over time, we'll continue to grow our farms under management, acreage, and team. 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 Farm Manager is a key leader on the Operations Team who is responsible for the overall operations of the farms. Strategic planning and managing annual farm budgets for each GLF farm is an important part of the Farm Manager's responsibility and includes the development and execution of budgets for each crop grown and harvested - both organic and conventional. The work done by a Farm Manager should aim to optimize yields and foster the performance of our orchards in future years, together with careful use of resources and a budget. All the above is translated into annual cash flow, which is the core metric in their performance. The Farm Manager is also a people leader who oversees and is responsible for the performance of a team of Assistant Farm Managers, Foremen, and Farm Operators as well as the overall culture of the farms. The Farm Manager generally splits their time evenly between working at the farms and working in the office, while allowing for flexibility for more time in either area based on the needs of the team they lead, activities happening at the farms, and work coming due in a given week.

Responsibilities:

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

• Day to Day Management of Farm Portfolio (30% of time)
• Manages the daily operations of the GLF properties in their assigned portfolio
• Accountable for the safe operation of the farms at all times, including validating the proper chemical and equipment training has been completed and documented prior to task completion
• Maintains 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 establishes the strategy for when budget deviation is necessary
• Establishes effective irrigation schedules and ensures the agronomy playbook is followed
• 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

• Budget Management (25% of time)
• Establishes the annual budget and manages the P&L as well as the overall performance of each farm they manage
• Reviews and approve bills weekly
• Maintains rigorous control over farm financial forecast and updates a minimum of weekly
• Manages labor spend and hiring based on farm needs
• Partners with the Asset Manager to manage long-term investment performance such as capital expenditures, taking on debt, etc.

• Lead/Manage/Hold Accountable (LMA) Farm Teams (20% of time)
• Builds strong working relationships with all Assistant Farm Managers, Foremen, and Field Operators and holds them accountable for the timely completion of assigned tasks
• Leads a monthly meeting with each farm team to share company and farm updates and receive feedback from the team
• Understands the career aspirations of all team members and provides the team development opportunities to improve readiness to take on future roles
• Helps to create a coaching culture by candidly providing both positive and developmental feedback to all employees on their farms. Evaluates team performance 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

• Lead Farm-Level Agronomic Strategy (15% of time)
• Sets the annual agronomic plan in partnership with internal agronomic resources and the Asset Manager with the goal of driving a low cost of production
• Develops weekly farming plan to meet internal agronomic deadlines for activities that are drivers of yield to maximize yield and maintain >90% on time execution score
• Makes real time adjustments to the agronomic strategy by arranging for sampling and partnering with PCAs and internal resources to mitigate disease and pest risk observed in the orchard
• Utilizes AgTech to manage irrigation and operational efficiencies
• Plans for the long-term sustainability of each farm and optimizes where possible

• Internal and External Stakeholder Management (10% of time)
• Manages relationships with local vendors and seeks support for when supplies, equipment, and services are necessary
• Maintains regular contact with GLF Management and cross-functional support partners to proactively share necessary information, share best practices, and work through farm-specific problems. Is a participant in all team meetings, including but not limited to, weekly farming team meetings, weekly check ins with Asset Managers, twice monthly All Hands, monthly forecast to budget reviews, and quarterly meetings with leadership
• Assists Leadership Team and Asset Managers in performing due diligence site visits on properties near the farms they manage

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 an equal opportunity employer and value diversity and inclusion. We look forward to considering all strong candidates.

• Experience in a related field or with permanent crops, preferred but not required
• Previous people management experience, 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

Gold Leaf was founded with specific values in mind. We believe values should not just be written down, they should be lived every day. The ideal cultural fit is someone who:

• Acts Like an Owner: Think and act as if you own the farms, because you do. We grant equity to every team member. We share responsibility when things go wrong and share credit when we get big wins.
• Is Candid: Be real—open, honest and transparent. We build trust and push each other to be better through candid dialogue. We are 100% open with each other, our partners, our vendors, and our neighbors and community. We give candid feedback to drive constant improvement.
• Puts Family First: Our team and their families are all part of the Gold Leaf family, and we value their commitment to Gold Leaf. We create a differentiated employment experience in Ag. We treat each other with compassion and respect, compensate fairly, and build an environment where great people want to work.
• Leads by Example: We are the change we want to see in the world. We want to farm forever, so we take care of our people, the Earth, and the communities we live and work in—setting a positive example for our neighbors and the industry.

Compensation

The target annual salary range for this position is $95,000-$