Vice President of Operations - Production Horticulture & Agriculture

This is a high-stakes mandate for an operational heavyweight to lead a premier, multi-site production platform within the commercial horticulture and agricultural sector. The organization is currently transitioning from traditional growing practices to a modernized, precision-based model across thousands of acres and millions of square feet of controlled environment agriculture (CEA).

The incoming VP will architect the next generation of the production lifecycle, driving institutional excellence across a sophisticated industrial landscape. The focus is on aggressive yield optimization, automation integration, and margin expansion for a market leader currently doubling down on infrastructure and technology to secure its Tier-1 status.

KEY LEADERSHIP MANDATES

• Yield & Quality Optimization: Drive measurable increases in yield-per-acre and grade-out percentages through the implementation of precision agronomy and climate-control technologies.
• Labor Transformation: Mitigate rising labor costs by institutionalizing lean manufacturing principles, mechanized harvesting solutions, and sophisticated workforce planning.
• Multi-Site Governance: Standardize operational SOPs across diverse production geographies to ensure product consistency and supply chain reliability.
• P&L & Capex Stewardship: Full accountability for the production P&L, including the strategic deployment of multi-million dollar capital projects for facility expansion and automation.
• Supply Chain & Logistics Integration: Synchronize live-goods production schedules with complex retail and wholesale distribution windows to minimize shrink and maximize fill rates.
• Inventory Velocity: Optimize crop turns and inventory management protocols to enhance working capital efficiency across a perishable product mix.
• Safety & Compliance: Ensure world-class standards in environmental stewardship, food safety/phytosanitary compliance, and enterprise-wide safety protocols.
• Strategic Sourcing: Oversee the procurement of critical inputs-from genetics to substrate and energy-leveraging scale to drive down unit costs.

IDEAL EXECUTIVE PROFILE

The successful candidate is a seasoned operational leader with a track record of managing large-scale, complex biological production environments (Nursery, Greenhouse, or Broad-acre Ag). You possess deep experience managing a $100M+ P&L and have successfully led workforces of over 500+ employees across multiple locations. You are an expert in "the math of the plant," utilizing KPIs and ERP data to drive real-time decision-making. Your background likely includes a blend of formal agricultural science and modern industrial operations management.

WHAT MAKES THIS OPPORTUNITY DISTINCT

This role offers the autonomy to run one of the most sophisticated production platforms in the sector. Unlike traditional farming roles, this is an executive-level "builder" position focused on the intersection of biological science and industrial scale. The organization is currently investing heavily in infrastructure and proprietary technology, providing the selected leader with the "war chest" necessary to redefine industry standards for efficiency and profitability.