Special Projects Manager @ AeroFarms Full Time

Who we are at AeroFarms:

The world needs our help. By 2050, there will be 9 billion people on the planet with less arable land than ever before. We need a solution to cultivate more using less and define the future of farming for generations to come. In 2004, AeroFarms began transforming agriculture with humans and our planet at the forefront.

In 2021, with 20+ current patents, 60+ pending patents, and 200+ invention disclosures, AeroFarms agriculture technology continues to grow unprecedented sustainable products, delivering elevated flavor, taste, experience, quality, access, and unmatched nutrition to you.

Here’s how we’re growing the best plants possible for the betterment of humanity:

• Researching and understanding plants to be better, more intuitive farmers
• Elevating local communities by increasing access to nutritious, high-quality, consistent, and safe products in a way that’s better for you and the planet
• Protecting and sustaining our environment for future generations
• Pioneering consistent, and scalable indoor vertical farming food safety & traceability practices, and manufacturing standards
• Investing in our AeroFarms humans and fostering our diverse company culture of inclusion, equity, excellence, teachability, and curiosity

As AeroFarms approaches our next phase of explosive growth, we seek out creative, motivated humans who will join us in disrupting industry standards and lead the way in vertical farming, artificial intelligence, and plant biology breakthroughs to solve and tackle global issues.

In scaling to new locations around the world, we are seeking a Special Projects Manager who can bring our products to new customers, reporting to the Chief Revenue Officer (CRO).

The Role

As a member of the farm development team, the Special Projects Manager plans and directs all activities associated with the business side of a new product offering. This includes coordinating across departments to finalize product development and liaising with customers and vendors to prepare for the initial deployment of the offering. The Special Projects Manager will be responsible for expanding our pipeline to close future contracts and will report up to the CRO with periodic updates to the CEO.

Responsibilities

• Manage end-to-end activity planning, scheduling, budgeting, and sequencing for project development and deployment
• Develop business plans, presentations, and all materials required for customer interactions.
• Manage and develop customer relationships and track adherence to contract requirements
• Coordinate across departments to align product development, drafting of supporting materials, and marketing efforts
• Analyze and monitor mitigation of project risks
• Develop and implement an outreach strategy to build a sales pipeline
• Work closely with executive leadership to develop, refine, and implement a strategic outreach plan to build a sales pipeline

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelors Degree in Business, Economics, Finance, Engineering, etc.
• Masters degree preferred but not required
• MBA preferred but not required
• PMP helpful but not required

Skills & Experience

• Direct Project Management experience helpful but not required – this is more on the business side
• 5+ years experience in business, product management, sales, marketing, operations etc.
• Experience doing project implementation
• Experience in a customer-facing, leading role
• Strong communication skills with the ability to manage third-party customer and vendor relationships
• Strong organizational skills that reflect the ability to perform and prioritize multiple tasks effectively with strong attention to detail
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Proficient in project management tools, including timeline management and issue tracking
• Advanced Microsoft PowerPoint and Microsoft Project skills
• Proven history with value-added selling strategies and developing and closing contracts
• Experience in product development, with specific acumen in defining specifications, preparing business plans, and developing training and customer-focused materials

Return to work policy details

We follow all COVID-19 Guidelines. This role can be expected to be 90% remote with infrequent office meetings at corporate Headquarters in Newark for the time being. The expectation will be in-office full-time once deemed appropriate (expected late fall 2021).