Horticulture Specialist/Grower APPLY NOW

To be a successful Champlain Peony Company team HS, a successful candidate should demonstrate a passion for the outdoors, fundamental knowledge of the plant material suitable for our business niche, knowledge of current and trending agricultural machinery, planting, growing, harvesting, and storage tools & techniques. They will possess superior physical stamina and a dynamic self-starting nature. They should be an avid reader and researcher with a natural curiosity to know more about the plants we work with and the growing conditions needed in the landscape, field, or greenhouse. Being comfortable with learning and using the Latin binomial species names and the characteristics of each cultivar of plant we carry is an expectation and enhances the confidence the public and our clients have in our professionalism and expertise. The HG reports directly to an Owner or their assignee.

Responsibilities of the Horticulture Specialist:

• Safety is your primary responsibility, both for yourself and others
• Performing physically demanding manual labor sufficient to accomplish business objectives
• Contributing to evidence-based planning of crop production cycles with 1, 2, 3, and 5-year projections
• Utilizing information technology systems to record production information on all crops being grown in order to use evidence to improve future crops
• Providing crop reports at established intervals appropriate for each crop in order to assess production milestones for purposes of horticulture, sales, and profit/loss
• Maintaining and improving skills, certifications, and licenses required for all phases of crop production including planting, culture, fertilization, integrated pest management (IPM), harvest, and climate controlled storage
• Staying abreast of market trends in plant material and recommending changes in product mixes
• Submitting materials lists, schedules, spending plans, and other fiscal management tools to the Business Manager
• Performing routine daily farm maintenance of structures, machinery, tools, and systems
• Operating appropriate machinery as necessary to support efficient execution of responsibilities
• Supervising teams or individual farming associates and others, and assigning, teaching, and demonstrating horticulturist/grower tasks
• Communicating proper execution of tasks and assignments to other team members under their supervision
• Engaging the public on topics within their field of expertise, referring clients to others more suited to engaging their needs, or assisting in making a plan to address a customer's inquiry at a later time
• Assisting any customer who is in need by focusing attention, expertise, and genuine interest in our products and services to facilitate a positive transaction
• Working with the Business Manager and Sales & Marketing Agent purchasing materials as a wholesale client and liasing with plant suppliers, growers, breeders, and hobbyists to source new and needed plant stock
• Collaborating with Agricultural Equipment Technician to budget, design, source, schedule, install, operate, and maintain complex systems necessary for production of plant materials
• Carrying out the priorities of their supervisor and performing all such tasks as necessary to achieve business goals and maximum overall efficiency of the team
• Multi-tasking, prioritizing, and executing complex tasks, projects, and collaborating operations