Director of Greenhouse Operations

Director of Greenhouse Operations

Full-time, Permanent

Location: Ontario Plants Propagation Limited (St. Thomas / Glencoe, Ontario)

Reports to: Vice President & Chief Operating Officer (VP & COO)

Salary Range: $125,000 – $175,000 annually, plus performance-based incentive eligibility

Company Overview

Ontario Plants is more than a propagation company — we're shaping the future of sustainable agriculture. As a leader in the controlled environment agriculture (CEA) sector, we specialize in producing high-quality starter plants for vegetables and soft fruits, delivering to greenhouse growers across North America. Our state-of-the-art facilities combine advanced technology, strict biosecurity, and year-round production to meet the evolving needs of our customers. We are expanding our soft fruits program, making this an exciting time to join a team committed to growth, quality, and operational excellence.

Position Summary

The Director of Greenhouse Operations is accountable for the day-to-day execution of greenhouse operations at Ontario Plants. This role translated the COO's operational strategy, standards, and priorities into disciplined, predictable execution on the ground. The role provides direct leadership over growing, operations, and maintenance teams, ensuring consistent plant quality, operational discipline, workforce readiness, and asset reliability.

This is a senior operational leadership role requiring a strong on-site presence, focused on execution, standardization, throughput, quality, and continuous improvement across multiple sites.

Key Responsibilities

1. Operational Leadership & Execution

· Leads daily greenhouse operations across all facilities, ensuring safe, efficient, and predictable execution within approved plans.

· Lead and coordinate Growing, Operations, Maintenance, Biosecurity, Sowing, Shipping, and Post-Harvest functions.

· Make day-to-day operational decisions, escalating material risks and deviations to the VP & COO in a timely fashion.

· Ensure crops are produced to specification, on time, and within defined quality and cost parameters.

2. Process Standardization & Performance Management

· Establish, standardize, and continuously refine operating procedures, workflows, and labor models to support scale.

· Define, monitor, and deliver against operational KPIs (yield, quality, scrap, downtime) and standards.

· Drive root-cause analysis and corrective actions for operational deviations.

· Embed a culture of proactive intervention, not reactive recovery.

3. Resource & Workforce Planning

· Translate approved production plans into weekly and daily labor deployment capacity, and scheduling requirements.

· Execute staffing plans and identify upcoming workforce risks or shortages and escalate planning needs accordingly.

· Partner with HR and Finance to ensure execution on approved labor frameworks align with budget and operational realities.

4. Financial Accountability

· Execute greenhouse operations approved OPEX and CAPEX budgets for greenhouse operations.

· Monitor operating costs, analyze variances, and implement cost-control initiatives; escalate structural issues to the VP & COO.

· Support investment decisions related to automation, infrastructure, and productivity improvements.

5. Team Leadership & Culture

· Lead and develop Operations Managers, Growers, and Maintenance leadership.

· Help build and reinforce a disciplined, accountable, high-performance operating culture in the greenhouse.

· Coach leaders to manage by data, standards, and early indicators—not end-stage outcomes.

6. Quality & Crop Assurance

· Establish and enforce quality control systems to ensure plant consistency, health, and predictability.

· Oversee data capture and record-keeping for pre- and post-production metrics.

· Ensure biosecurity and hygiene standards are rigorously applied.

7. Cross-Functional Collaboration

· Work closely with Sales, Planning, R&D, Finance, and Leadership to align operations with company priorities.

· Provide clear, factual reporting on operational performance, risks, and opportunities to the COO and executive team.

8. Compliance, Safety & Risk Management

· Ensure compliance with all regulatory, environmental, and worker safety requirements.

· Proactively identify operational risks and implement mitigation plans.

· Maintain audit-ready systems and documentation.

9. Technology & Continuous Improvement

· Evaluate and recommend opportunities for improved automation, systems, and technology in the greenhouse operations that improve consistency, efficiency, and scalability and present them to the CEO and executive team for review and approval.

· Stay current on greenhouse, manufacturing, and CEA operational best practices.

· Lead continuous improvement initiatives across sites.

Qualifications & Experience

· Proven senior leadership experience in greenhouse operations, manufacturing, or complex production environments.

· Strong operational execution mindset with experience running multi-disciplinary teams.

· Deep understanding of plant production systems, greenhouse technology, and operational controls.

· Demonstrated financial acumen, including budgeting, cost control, and capital planning.

· Experience scaling operations through standardization, systems, and process discipline.

· Clear communicator with strong decision-making and problem-solving capabilities.

What We Offer

• Base salary range: $125,000 – $175,000 per year, commensurate with experience.

• Eligibility for a performance-based annual incentive, subject to company and individual performance.

• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision benefits, plus retirement savings plan.

• A pivotal role in shaping the future of sustainable agriculture.

• Opportunities for career advancement in a rapidly expanding organization.

• A dynamic and friendly work environment, with an active social committee organizing events such as sports activities, BBQs, and fun gatherings.

• Thrive in a supportive, team-focused environment with work-life balance, team events, and perks like coffee/snack corners and referral bonuses.

Why Ontario Plants?

Ontario Plants is Canada's leading young plant propagator, serving major greenhouse vegetable and soft fruit growers across North America. As we expand our production capacity and innovation capabilities, this role offers the opportunity to shape the future of propagation and lead groundbreaking work in sustainable agriculture.

How to Apply

Submit your resume via one of the following methods:

• Email:
• Subject line: Director of Greenhouse Operations
• Website:

Ontario Plants Propagation Ltd. is committed to providing accessible employment practices in compliance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). Accommodation is available on request for candidates to take part in all aspects of the recruitment and selection process. If you require accommodation, please contact Human Resources on This job posting is available in alternative formats upon request. We thank all applicants for their interest; only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

Job Types: Full-time, Permanent

Pay: $125,000.00-$175,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• Dental care
• Extended health care
• Life insurance
• On-site parking
• Paid time off

Application question(s):

• How many years of experience do you have leading a multi-disciplinary team?

Experience:

• Greenhouse operation: 5 years (required)

Work Location: In person