Plant Growth Facility Manager
Gardin
Who are Gardin?
Gardin combines remote optical plant phenotyping with machine learning to optimize yield, nutrition, and quality of food production.
The changing climate and growth in the global population is putting significant stress on our current methods of food production, exacerbating existing issues of topsoil erosion, chemical treatment, and water scarcity.
Gardin enables the food industry to tackle these issues through data-driven precision farming and create positive outcomes for the climate by domesticating food production, quantifying supply chain carbon emissions, increasing resource efficiency and unlocking unproductive farmland to be repurposed as carbon sinks through nature-based climate solutions.
Who we are looking for
Gardin is seeking a talented agronomist with extensive experience in setting up and running CEA environments to grow herbs, leafy greens and berries.
You'll be a crucial member of the science team, and will primarily focus on designing and running our new R&D plant growth facility. This will involve everyday management of the control systems and day to day trial work.
Additionally, you will be providing your specialised knowledge in agronomy, physiology and control systems to the engineering and product teams to help them identify technical requirements and promising product ideas.
You will have the exciting chance to work together with plant scientists and optical engineers to test novel sensing technology that will benefit growers globally. Finally, the role will involve the opportunity to manage facility technicians and supervise students to ensure we grow the best quality produce and collect the highest quality data.
Gardin will be rapidly expanding during the next 18 months, and by joining us at this crucial stage you will be able to help to build our science team from the ground up and make a direct contribution to the company growth and success.
What you will be achieving with us
- Drive the design of a new R&D CEA growing facility from the ground up.
- Support the science team with designing and managing experiments and collect agronomical and physiological data.
- Be responsible for new sensor prototype testing in the facility infrastructure.
- React to technical problems - control system failures, pest outbreaks, etc.
- Liaise with technicians and scientists to ensure experiments are carried out successfully according to protocols.
- Help our breakthrough innovation reach as many people as possible by actively engaging with your networks, attending AgTech shows, and being a champion for the company.
- Manage facility setup and day to day maintenance.
What we are looking for
- Extensive experience in agricultural science or plant science - MSc minimum requirement.
- Proven track record of successfully setting up and running controlled environments for plant R&D.
- Strong background in agronomy, plant physiology and plant pathology.
- Deep knowledge of soil-less irrigation systems, LED lighting systems and HVAC systems in controlled environments.
- Evidence of project management experience for plant R&D using modern collaboration tools.
- Experience working with any of the following crops: herbs, leafy greens, strawberry, tomato.
- Self-started attitude that can cope with uncertain and fast paced environments.
- Strong communication skills - spoken and written.
- For you to have a sense of humour!
Additional highly desirable skills
- A strong network of growers and farmers.
- Experience with automation in AgTech - especially if in automated phenotyping; but also with automated tray preparation, sowing and harvesting.
- Relevant qualifications for use of machinery and pesticides (PA1 + PA6).
- Experience in early startups.
Apply
[Start your application by dropping us an email to [email protected] with your CV and a cover letter.](mailto:[email protected]?subject=Plant%20Growth%20Facility%20Manager)
Gardin is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on any grounds. We empower, engage, enable and value differences between people, including; different races, ethnicities, genders, ages, religions, disabilities and sexual orientations, with differences in education, backgrounds, skill sets, experiences and knowledge.