Key Hires for Your Cultivation Team

Hiring can be a daunting task for any start-up or expanding business, especially in the cannabis industry. In most early start-ups, a few individuals wear many hats, because there is not enough work to justify multiple new hires. But once the company starts growing, a number of critical positions must be filled to guarantee success. Consider the following positions when it’s time to begin sourcing your cultivation dream team.

Director of Operations

The director of operations coordinates all of the moving parts of a commercial cultivation facility. This goes beyond just growing to include extraction, purchasing, shipping, security, retail and human resources. This leader also makes sure these departments function in unison and move the entire company toward the same end goal. Due to its regular contact and influence in each department, this position helps create and promulgate the company culture across all functions of the production facility.

When searching for candidates for this role, don’t restrict yourself to the cannabis industry. Be open to considering someone with at least 10 years of experience managing operations for a manufacturing facility. Grow-ops and manufacturing plants have a lot in common, and these kinds of individuals can infuse valuable work experiences and lessons learned from other industries.

Master Grower

Also referred to as the head grower or cultivation manager, this position is the single most important asset for any commercial cultivation facility and is 100% responsible for your cultivation program. This individual draws on support staff and previous growing experience to turn a company’s cultivation goals into reality. They do this through crop scheduling, staff training, and regular interaction with the crop. Master growers have an innate ability to “read” plant needs, which is a critical component in forecasting potential crop problems and resolving current plant issues. They also tend to be level-headed, rational thinkers who avoid any sudden changes in production that could risk affecting the entire crop.

While the ideal master grower should have experience cultivating cannabis, this is not a requirement. The most critical skill that they should bring to the table is commercial growing experience of any crop (preferably at least 10 years). In large, dynamic and actively expanding grow-ops, cultivating cannabis is only half the job. (For a deeper dive into this critical position, see “How to Find and Hire the Right Master Grower,” in Cannabis Business Times‘ May 2018 issue.)

Section Grower

A section grower manages cultivation activities for a specific area of the grow facility. In greenhouses, this is usually defined by greenhouse bays, while indoor operations typically define sections by grow room. Section growers keep the company’s cultivation plan on schedule by coordinating tasks like transplanting, pruning, spraying and harvesting. They forecast labor needs, coordinate additional help when necessary, and alert the master grower to any anomalies in plant performance that could affect the outcome of the crop. Section growers are responsible for operating and maintaining the grow equipment within their respective sections, and they schedule repairs if they identify problems with lights, irrigation or climate control equipment.

Job candidates should have former cannabis growing experience, but if previous greenhouse work appears on their resume, that’s just as good. For cultivation companies with future expansion plans, section growers are usually first in line for promotion to master grower at the new site.

Plant Technicians

Plant technicians support the master grower and section growers by handling day-to-day plant maintenance and grow-facility cleaning. These individuals are the true labor force behind any commercial grow, and they have a hand in every part of the cultivation process. As such, it is critical that plant technicians are properly trained on company protocols and the importance of compliance. A company may have impeccable cultivation standard operating procedures (SOPs), but if the individuals performing these tasks do not follow company protocols, it can result in unsalable cannabis or product recalls.

Ironically, a lack of cannabis growing experience can be a plus in this role. New hires with no prior experience but who are interested in joining a growing industry can make the best plant technician candidates as they generally have a great work ethic and learn quickly. They are blank slates who can be quickly trained and put to work.

Post-Harvest Manager

The post-harvest manager is responsible for the finished crop once it is removed from the cultivation area while also ensuring that finished cannabis flower is trimmed, dried and cured to company specifications prior to being released for sale or sent to extraction for further processing. They work closely with section growers to coordinate harvest dates and guarantee the availability of space and people to process the raw plant material. Post-harvest managers oversee the operation and maintenance of trim machines, as well as bulk packaging and labeling to ensure that dry flower is stored in a manner that won’t negatively affect quality.

When recruiting for this position, look for someone who is detail-oriented and computer-savvy. Computer skills are critical to managing the inventory tracking system that accounts for every leaf, seed and plant stalk that enters the trim room.

Trimmers

Trimmers are like soldiers on the frontline of quality control. Most commercial cultivators harvest on a weekly or bi-weekly basis, and trimmers are critical to the success of this final step in the cultivation process. Trimmers remove excess leaf from the harvested cannabis flower and help guarantee the end product is visually appealing and smooth tasting. Leaving too much dry leaf on a cannabis flower can result in harsh taste, as well as poor product presentation, unsatisfied retail customers, and the potential added expense of re-trimming a product. Trimmers are the company’s last defense against imperfections like seeds, mold or insects from entering the finished lot.

This job is the true entry-level position for anyone interested in entering the cannabis industry without prior cannabis growing experience. Trim work can be sporadic when there is no harvest, and monotonous when there is a large harvest. As a result, there is high turnover, and commercial operators are always hiring trimmers. When looking to fill your trim team, search for candidates who have a work history of performing repetitive tasks.

System Control Specialist

This is the techie on your grow team. This individual should have a special flair for understanding technology and the complexities of getting independent pieces of equipment to work together. This position supports both the head grower and section growers by allowing them to focus on growing, not technical troubleshooting. From climate control equipment to inventory tracking systems, almost everything in a commercial grow facility is online, in the cloud or on your computer. This is where the system control specialist comes to the rescue. They can usually solve any systems issues or know who to contact to fix the problem, meaning minimum downtime for the grow team.

Look for candidates familiar with managing interdependent systems. Previous experience setting up HVAC systems, computer networks, or sound and audio equipment is ideal. Search for individuals experienced in scheduling regular maintenance of manufacturing equipment, or IT geniuses who are good with hardware installations, updates and repairs.

Ryan Douglas provides cannabis consulting services through his company, Ryan Douglas Cultivation, LLC.

Editor’s note: This article was originally published in the July 2019 issue of Cannabis Business Times.