Job Opportunity - General Manager of Sea Greens Farms in Fair Haven

[Brendan Coffey]

Hi Chatham Square Neighborhood Community, 

We're hoping to find someone locally for this position and would greatly appreciate any ideas or leads you have. Thank you and I look forward to being in touch. 

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Sea Greens Farms (“SGF”) ( www.seagreensfarms.com) is harnessing the power of sea greens to deliver healthier, more sustainable food solutions and empowering communities to create the new ‘blue green economy’ based on restorative ocean farming.

SGF is a newly formed company which will engage in the business of processing, packaging and distributing ocean-farmed kelp and other seaweeds (“sea greens”), operating Thimble Island Ocean Farm ( www.thimbleislandoceanfarm.com) and providing scientific and business services to ocean farmers around sea greens cultivation and commercialization.

The Sea Greens Hub will be a first-of-its-kind seafood processing and food manufacturing facility, based in New Haven, CT. At full capacity, the new facility will process over 1 million lbs. of kelp and other seaweeds, and employ 300+ temporary workers during peak processing months (April-June). The Sea Greens Hub will also manufacture and distribute co-packed seafood products for wholesale and retail customers.

The General Manager will be responsible for the overall operations of the Sea Greens Hub, which will be transitioning from an existing, smaller facility in 2017, into a larger, 15,000 sq. ft. facility, which is slated for completion in early 2018. The GM will operate in the smaller facility through 2017 and be involved in the retrofit and/or new construction of the larger facility.

Specific duties and responsibilities include:
• Hire, manage and supervise teams of seasonal and full-time workers in the cleaning, trimming, cutting, processing and packaging of sugar kelp, mussels and clams.

• Hire, manage and supervise delivery and logistics personnel responsible for transporting raw kelp from farmers, managing inventory/warehousing and pickup from freight providers. This may include using outsourced transportation companies.

• Hire, manage and supervise personnel responsible for maintaining equipment and electrical/plumbing/ventilation/drainage/etc. Developing a network of service providers and contractors to handle small and large jobs is a plus.

• Work with Sales, Procurement, Farm Manager, Marketing and Operations team members to ensure efficient and seamless output of products.

• Ensure that the Sea Greens Hub and operations complies with all labor laws, workplace safety, manufacturing standards, building codes, food safety certifications such as HAACP, CT state labor laws, etc.

• Work with architects, building construction, inspectors for the design, construction, equipment installation and operationalizing the new Sea Greens Hub.

Qualifications and requirements:
• 15 years relevant experience (e.g., General Manager, Plant Manager) overseeing facility in related industry – seafood manufacturing/processing/distribution or agricultural business.

• Demonstrated ability to manage teams of seasonal, unskilled work force. Majority of labor consists of Spanish-speaking workers, so ability to speak Spanish and cultural understanding is a must. 

• Experience of operating HAACP certified manufacturing facility, including developing and implementing safety standards, quality assurance and processes

• Proven ability to hire, train and develop employees and create the right workplace culture.

• Excels at ‘fast-starting’ and relentlessly execution-focused

• B.A. desirable; certificate work in manufacturing or industrial operations a plus

• Entrepreneurial or startup experience a plus

• Broad interest/alignment with sustainability, ‘triple bottom line’ businesses a plus

Compensation/Benefits:
• Salary: $70k to $90k, based on qualifications and experience

• Health/Dental/Vision insurance, Workers Comp, Disability benefits

This job is based in New Haven, CT. Please send resume and direct inquiries to

([e-mail]).