Assistant Grower - Delta, BC

Mastronardi Produce pioneered the commercial greenhouse industry in North America, and we're now the leading greenhouse vegetable company on the continent. Our award-winning, flavorful produce is packed under the SUNSET brand and is available at leading grocery retailers across N ...

Job description

Mastronardi Produce pioneered the commercial greenhouse industry in North America, and we're now the leading greenhouse vegetable company on the continent. Our award-winning, flavorful produce is packed under the SUNSET brand and is available at leading grocery retailers across North America. Family owned for over 65 years, we pride ourselves on having the most flavorful products and the best people in the industry. We are constantly pushing boundaries to be a leader in fresh produce innovation. We seek individuals that demonstrate our PRIDE values (Passion, Respect, Innovation, Drive, Excellence) to help us fulfill our mission to inspire healthy living through WOW flavor experiences.

Fresh4Sunset Farms Ltd, our growing partner based in Delta BC is a greenhouse farming operation growing vegetables and berries. We are committed to producing and packing safe produce through the use of good agricultural practices, with a focus on principles of quality, taste, and food safety. Integral to this commitment is an organized and well-functioning operation. This role is an integral part of this commitment.

We are seeking an Assistant Grower, responsible to support the Grower with the efficient use of human, physical and financial resources in the growing program. This position is a core contributor to staff planning and budgeting and will be engaged all year in managing to those plans to ensure success.

Values:

To perform the job successfully, the incumbent's behavior must be consistent with the PRIDE values expected of all Mastronardi Produce employees: be Passionate; have Respect; be Innovative; be Driven and strive for Excellence.

Primary Responsibilities:

Crops:

• Become familiar with all the systems and procedures of the Greenhouse to be able to act as an alternative when a Grower, or a Labour Supervisor are absent.
• Responsible to assist the Head Grower with all aspects of growing specified crops, include irrigation, fertilizing, pruning, pest scouting and spraying in assigned areas and purchasing materials and inventory
• Works, communicates, and supports the Grower by assisting or performing greenhouse related tasks such as: creates crop schedules and ensures execution of them, monitors the effectiveness of the pollination.
• Assist the Grower in the collection of data including daily collection of water samples for testing pH, EC and drainage percentage, weekly collection of water samples for lab analysis of Feed, Drain and Media, information about coming orders of bio controls and/or bees and ensure they are distributed and placed correctly and timely.
• Constant care and monitoring for optimum quality, climate, and placement of plants, diseases, insects, and fungi, as well as plant treatment options to ensure maximum yield at lowest costs, while ensuring quality standards. This also includes monitoring and controlling computerized greenhouse environments
• Making sure that emergency calls and alarms are responded through 24 hrs. per day, 7 days per week. If unable to attend to the alarms or if unsure as how to fix the issue, employee must contact the Grower or Operations Manager or designate who can then respond to the alarms immediately. If onsite, the Assistant Grower must remain on site until the problem is resolved. Under no circumstances can an alarm be left unattended
• Provide timely labour and production data; maintain growing records that include specifics about plant growth, fertilization, pest problems (any treatments) and weekly harvest details
• Participation in Scientific Research & Experiment Development (SRED) projects, including identifying projects, documenting and reporting
• Support the jobs of cleaning and disinfection of the Greenhouses at the end/beginning of each crop cycle; must learn to operate machinery and know all the procedures in these kinds of jobs
• Manage and plan space allocation for new plants scheduled for production
• Conduct regular inspections and plan for maintenance of greenhouse and irrigation equipment
• Participate in the Food Safety Program, including (but not limited to) SAWB tests, keeping fertilizer/chemical records, keeping the sprayer/pasteurizer cleaning and maintenance records
• Attend training or seminars when required

Manpower:

• Attend weekly meetings with all Growers working in the group of companies
• Attend weekly and daily communication meetings inside the company, including with sales (agency), warehouse manager, shipping and operations management
• Assign duties to the staff in each production area and then direct and supervise the teams to meet production timelines
• Estimate labour requirements for jobs and plan work schedules accordingly
• Ensure that crop production targets and labour budgets are being met
• Train staff and supervisors as necessary to perform efficiently and effectively and within the guidelines required. This includes training and providing orientation regarding Food Safety and WorksafeBC
• Maintain compliance with all company policies and procedures, including government programs such as Food Safety, WorksafeBC, Temporary Foreign Workers program, etc.
• Review workers' performance to evaluate the quality, and quantity and make performance evaluation reports
• Detect inefficient or unsafe work procedures or problems and initiate corrective actions as necessary
• Daily approval of timesheets for all crop positions through timeclock system (no later than lunch the following day)
• Respond to emails within 24 hours
• Ensure that suppliers and visitors receive prior approval, sign visitor agreement and wear appropriate food safety covering before entering the facility

Education/Background Requirements:

• Post-secondary in any of the following Forestry, Horticulture, Agriculture, or similar fields of study or equivalentThree years of experience in any of the mentioned areas of work
• Two to four years of supervisory/people management experience
• Possess a good understanding of boilers, irrigation systems and greenhouse equipment
• Possess good problem-solving skills and an excellent ability to prioritize work for up to 50 workers

Licensing/Registrations/Certification

• Pesticide Applicator Certificate
• Forklift Certificate
• First Aid Level 2 Certificate
• Food Safety Certificate

Please note: Mastronardi Produce has accommodation processes and policies in place and provides accommodation for employees with disabilities. If you require a specific accommodation because of a disability or documented medical need, please contact the Human Resource office so that arrangements can be made for the appropriate accommodation to be put in place.

$48,000-$55,000 per year