- Posted 18 December 2025
- Salary £35000 - £40000 per annum
- LocationBurton-on-Trent
- DisciplineHorticulture
-
Reference
EW20780
Growing Manager
Job description
Do you want full ownership of crops without fighting the weather?
Ready to lead growing strategy, not just follow it?
I'm recruiting a Grower Manager for one of the most exciting and fast-growing vertical farming businesses in the UK. This is a rare opportunity to take control of commercial growing and trial crops across two high-tech sites, working at the cutting edge of sustainable food production.
This is not a "keep-the-lights-on" growing role. You'll shape how crops are grown, trialled, scaled and improved - combining agronomy, data, and leadership in a climate-controlled environment built for performance.
The Role
As Grower Manager, you'll lead all growing activity across two sites, with responsibility for:
- Commercial crop performance
- Trial and innovation programmes
- Agronomy strategy and optimisation
- People leadership
You'll manage a small but capable team - two full-time growers and one part-time team member - while working closely with technical and commercial stakeholders to continually improve quality, yield and consistency.
What You'll Be Doing
You'll have full end-to-end ownership of the growing operation, including:
- Leading the cultivation of commercial baby leaf and herb crops to consistently high standards
- Designing, running and scaling crop trials
- Creating and refining detailed growing protocols to ensure repeatable success
- Managing and developing your team, setting clear priorities and driving accountability
- Working closely with seed, substrate and technology partners to stay ahead of innovation
What We're Looking For
You'll be an experienced grower who's ready to lead and you'll likely bring:
- A relevant degree or significant commercial growing experience
- Proven experience managing crops at scale, ideally in controlled environments (glasshouse, vertical, or advanced horticulture)
- Confidence making decisions, solving problems and taking ownership
- Experience leading or mentoring others (formally or informally)
Most importantly, you'll be someone who cares deeply about how crops perform - and isn't afraid to challenge, test and improve the status quo.
Why Join?
- Innovation at its core - you'll work with cutting-edge technology, constantly improving and evolving.
- Sustainability-driven - play a key role in reducing food miles, water use, and land consumption.
- Fast decision-making - work in a dynamic environment where you can have a real impact.
- Career growth - as the business scales up, exciting new opportunities will emerge, this is a great time to get on the bus.
What's on Offer?
- Salary - competitive
- 30 days annual leave
- Private healthcare scheme
- 7% pension increasing by 1% each year capped at 10%
If you're an experienced grower looking for a fresh challenge, this is your chance. For an informal chat about the position, please call me, Emily, on 01780 480530, email emily@morepeople.co.uk or drop me a message on LinkedIn. Don't worry if your CV isn't up to date, just send what you have already, and we can sort the rest later.