Responsibilities:
This role is weighted heavily toward operational scale-up and organizational build-out, with meaningful involvement
in strategy, financing structure, and growth-market development. Time allocation is structured as follows:
• 30% | Operations & Production Scale-Up
• 20% | Growth Strategy & Ownership Transition Planning
• 20% | Talent & Workforce Development
• 15% | Financial Management & Investor Relations
• 15% | Business Development & Market Expansion
Operations & production scale-up
• Lead the buildout of systems, staffing, and processes required to grow monthly greens production from approximately 1,200 head to 20,000+ head, and beyond as facility capacity allows.
• Establish production planning, quality control, and food-safety protocols suitable for supplying restaurants, grocery retailers, and eventually large food-service distributors.
• Evaluate how to bring additional square footage of the existing facility into productive use over time, given current utilization is well under 25% of total capacity even at target volumes.
Growth strategy & ownership transition planning
• Partner with ownership to stress-test the current strategy of scaling to 20,000 head/month as a precursor to a potential acquisition by a major food-service distributor, and lay out alternative paths to value creation if warranted.
• Develop a credible long-term plan that reflects ownership’s goal of building a viable, higher-value business rather than a land/building sale, with a target ownership transition or retirement horizon of approximately five years.
• Bring creative financing and equity structuring options to the table, including approaches appropriate for a business with a large existing investor base and no near-term expectation of investor returns.
Talent & workforce development
• Design a staffing and organizational plan capable of supporting a significant increase in production volume, in a rural labor market with limited access to a reliable, skilled workforce.
• Recruit, structure, and mentor the operational team needed to relieve ownership of day-to-day production management.
Financial management & investor relations
• Work with ownership (including the co-owner’s corporate accounting background) to build out financial planning, budgeting, and reporting appropriate for a scaling production business.
• Help manage and structure incoming government grant/blended funding to support the production expansion.
• Provide clarity and structure around the existing investor base, and advise on options for addressing investor expectations as the business scales.
Business development & market expansion
• Develop relationships and distribution pathways with local farm-to-table restaurants and rural grocery retailers, capitalizing on strong regional demand for fresh, high-quality greens given Northern Alberta’s short growing season and long import supply chains.
• Assess and pursue the opportunity to supply larger food-service distributors seeking to secure their own reliable production sources amid a shifting Canadian agricultural supply landscape.
Desired Qualifications:
- Executive operating experience: Proven track record in a senior operating role (COO, VP Operations, General Manager, or similar) within controlled-environment agriculture, specialty produce, or food production, with direct experience scaling production volume.
- Growth financing experience: Familiarity with government agricultural grant or blended grant/loan funding programs, and demonstrated ability to structure creative financing or quity arrangements for growth-stage or capital-constrained businesses.
- Financial acumen: Strong budgeting, forecasting, and P&L management skills, with the ability to partner effectively with an owner who has a corporate finance/accounting background.
- Workforce development: Experience building teams and operational capacity in rural or remote labor markets with limited talent availability.
- Distribution and sales experience: Familiarity with food-service and grocery distribution channels; experience with or exposure to large food-service accounts (e.g., national distributors) strongly preferred.
- Ownership transition experience: Prior experience helping a founder-owned business build enterprise value ahead of a sale, recapitalization, or leadership transition.
- Communication and trust-building: Ability to engage credibly and directly with founder-owners, translate complex options into clear recommendations, and build trust with a skeptical but reasonable decision-maker.
Compensation & Logistics:
- Rate: To be determined; open to a blended cash and equity/success-based structure given the company’s growth stage and capital constraints.
- Commitment: Fractional, estimated 15–20 hours per week to start, with flexibility to scale as production ramps.
- Employment type: Interim/Fractional, with potential for an expanded or evolving role as the business grows.
- Location: Hybrid, with regular on-site presence required given the operational nature of the role.
- Reporting structure: Reports directly to ownership.
- Start date: To be finalized pending confirmation of government growth funding.
Interested candidates should submit a resume or CV along with a cover letter that specifically addresses experience scaling agricultural or food production operations, growth financing, and workforce development in resource-constrained or rural settings. All inquiries will be held in strict confidence.
This search is managed exclusively by 5FT View Consulting. The hiring organization is not identified at this stage and will be disclosed to shortlisted candidates under NDA.
