Grower Assistant (Kansas City)

Grower Assistant

Location: Production Farm

Reports to: Head Grower, and Assistant Head Grower, Growers

Works with: Grower Assistants

Leads: Team Members

The Grower Assistant is held within the Grower Department. This role assists the Head Grower, Assistant Head Grower, Grower, and IPM Supervisor to maintain Family Tree Nursery's high product quality, mission, core values and expectations. This is a non-Management role, and it is expected to work shoulder to shoulder with the team to assist core processes and results. Instead of managing people, your main responsibility is to maintain the health of our crops. Although plant health is your focus, you are expected to communicate that standard of excellence to staff, even if they fall outside of your department. Employees within the Grower Department understand plant health more than anyone on our team, and they share that knowledge with the group. Any process involving the Team Member within this department should be supported or led by the Growing Team. There will be times when you are asked to lead 2 or 3 Team Members to get a task done. This is the perfect opportunity to develop your leadership voice. The success of the entire company, not just your department, should be your goal.

The following job description is not intended to be a comprehensive list of the duties and responsibilities of the position, and the duties and responsibilities may change without prior notice.

Required Qualifications:

• 1-2+ years of professional experience in: Horticulture, greenhouse production, green industry sales, garden center management, or other plant-based industry. A degree in Horticultural studies would also qualify.
• Demonstrate strong knowledge of annual, perennial, tropical plant material.
• Understand and direct irrigation and fertility techniques.
• Operate a pallet jack, forklift, skid steer, cart tug or other equipment and vehicles with a clean driving record.

Essential Functions:

• Mix, load, and handle restricted use chemicals.
• Roll and unroll hoses from irrigation and application equipment.
• Work in a variety of weather conditions including hot, cold, wet or dry, and direct sun exposure. Temperatures vary 10 to 20 degrees above or below ambient temperature.
• This position routinely requires employees to individually lift, carry, and maneuver heavy or awkward items that may exceed 50 pounds. Employees must use proper lifting techniques, follow all training and safety procedures, and exercise sound judgment when determining whether a load can be handled safely. When an item is too heavy, bulky, or unstable to lift alone, employees are expected to request assistance or use available mechanical aids to prevent injury.
• Work on a variety of surfaces including gravel, concrete, mud, dirt, or others.
• Be available to work weekends, evenings, early mornings and holidays.
• Be available to work 6 (six) days per week March, April, May, through mid-June depending upon business, 5 days a week for the remaining months.
• Able to stand and walk on your feet for multiple hours at a time with breaks as required by law.
• Operate effectively in a high paced setting involving various individuals and teams.
• Strong technology acumen, with Microsoft products and/or other digital products.
• Be willing to work in other areas of the business such as operations, receiving and production.

Key Expectations:

• Leadership- Support Head Growers and Section Growers to achieve common goals.
• Management- Manage processes and tasks involving growing to support department performance.
• Accountability- Take ownership of area, effectively executing and directing through clear communication.

Additional Expectations:

• Act as a secondary crop irrigator that assists in irrigation decisions. This includes selecting, mixing and applying proper fertility.
• Keep injectors and chemical areas clean and organized.
• Make a minimum of 3 crop checks per day.
• Assist in daily record keeping, which may include- primary irrigations, ppm and fertilizer used, chemical applications, water alkalinity, soil pH and/or E.C., crop pictures.
• Assist in greenhouse opening and closing procedures.
• Maintain a clean greenhouse and growing space by removing trash, dust, debris and weeds.
• Assist in scouting for pests and diseases.
• Demonstrate the ability to maintain a positive attitude despite stressful situations.
• Multitask in a fast-paced environment and tackle high pressure situations with clear focus.
• Be available to Head Grower/Assistant Head Grower/Grower and peers to ensure proper execution of tasks.
• Collaborate with Head Grower/Assistant Head Grower/Grower upon completion of tasks. This may include another department leader if asked to help cover in other departments.
• Prioritize responsibilities with Head Grower to reach high efficiency while maintaining quality that meets regulatory guidelines.
• Be able to work independently with minimal supervision.
• Be flexible regarding scheduling and working hours as they will fluctuate dependent on the timing of applications and seasonality in relation to temperature and pest pressure.
• Be willing to work early mornings and late shifts.
• Adapt to new technologies.

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