Lead Build-out Technician (traveling)

Location: Long Island City, NY (Primary) + Regional Travel 

Position Type: Full Time 

Benefits: Full health, dental, and vision insurance 

Salary Range: $65,000 – $80,000 (commensurate with experience)

About Grand Frontier Farms

At Grand Frontier Farms, we're building the future of agriculture with radically productive farming technologies rooted in aquaponics and modern Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA). Our Long Island City facility is both a research lab and a working farm—a place where engineering meets biology, surrounded by hundreds of plants, sensors, and experiments. You'll join a tight-knit team of researchers and founders dedicated to developing modular, scalable systems that can grow food anywhere in the world.

About the Role

We are looking for a resourceful, "jack-of-all-trades" builder to join our research team as a Lead Build-out Technician . This isn't a traditional general contracting role; you will be the physical hands behind our R&D, responsible for building out our primary LIC facility and traveling to our remote sites to bring new farms online.

You'll work from detailed architectural plans with real-time support from our engineering team. Tasks could include structural framing, carpentry, basic mechanics, light fabrication, and “inside the walls” plumbing / HVAC / electrical that would fall under code-exempt work. While you won't need to be a software expert, you should be comfortable with the physical "nervous system" of a modern farm—installing cameras, running networking cables, and mounting IoT sensors. For specialized tasks like licensed electrical and plumbing, you will act as our on-site lead, coordinating with local subcontractors to ensure our engineering specs are met with precision.

What You'll Do

• Primary Build-Out: Lead the physical construction and refinement of our Long Island City research hub (framing, drywall, ductwork, light electrical and general facility improvements).
• Strategic Deployment: Travel to remote farm facilities for 1–3 week stints to execute initial builds or major infrastructure updates.
• Technical Installation: Handle the physical installation of farm tech, including mounting PoE cameras, running Cat6/networking equipment, and setting up environmental sensor housing.
• Sub-Contractor Liaison: Work alongside local licensed plumbers and electricians at remote sites, ensuring their work aligns with our specific farm designs and research requirements.
• Rapid Prototyping Support: Collaborate with the research team to build or modify custom racks, irrigation supports, and experimental housings as our technology evolves.

Who You Are

• A Versatile Builder: You have a solid foundation in general contracting (drywall, carpentry, basic mechanical assembly, light plumbing & electrical) and take pride in "clean" work.
• Resourceful & Trustworthy: You are often the "boots on the ground" in new locations. You can solve problems on the fly and are comfortable working independently while maintaining high standards.
• Detail-Oriented: You can read a set of plans or follow a CAD drawing and execute it to the inch.
• Tech-Adjacent: You're comfortable with basic low-voltage wiring, physical installation of data cabling, test equipment, and mounting hardware for tech systems.
• Ready for the Road: You're excited about traveling to different sites for a couple of weeks at a time to see a project through from start to finish.

Why You Should Join Us

This is a unique opportunity to work on rewarding and creative projects in a variety of locations, with great people, and make a great impact. 

• Interesting Work: Every project is a new experiment. You'll be building the infrastructure that feeds people.
• Stability & Growth: This is a stable, W2 position with full benefits in a growing company.
• Culture: We have an informal, hardworking environment where individual ownership is valued. You'll be a core part of a team that is defining the "Grand Frontier" of farming.
• The Perks: Full health coverage and the unique benefit of working on a farm—which often includes a home-made meal with the team and endless fresh produce.
• License & Certification Support: Depending on the project, there may be opportunities for the company to support you in acquiring additional training & certification in the states where we operate.

To Apply

Please send your resume and a brief note about the most interesting thing you've ever built or fixed in the cover letter.