Description
Upward Farms designs and operates complete ecosystems of plants and fish in vertical farms, supplying these organic products to local grocers. We are currently expanding, opening a new cutting edge, fully automated facility in Brooklyn. More and larger farms are in the works. Our mission is to heal the broken food system and reconnect eaters with flavorful and nutritious local food.
In this role, you will lead Full Cycle Recruiting. You will collaborate with colleagues across the company to understand their work and contributions to Upward Farms, proactively identify hiring needs, and drive efficient processes from sourcing through onboarding, and everything in between. You will foster and promote our employer brand, and implement recruiting and HR best practices. You will report to the Chief Operating Officer and work closely with the Chief Executive Officer and other leaders from across the company.
Success
Your objective is to run sourcing and hiring for the most talented, passionate, and downright delightful team at the company reimagining how and where food is grown. Success in this role will mean making hires on time, on budget, with incoming colleagues that not only achieve the specified outcomes, but continue to grow within our company. We strive for cultural addition (vs cultural fit) and for a team that is ever richer in backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. Your objective is to scale that pursuit, building a team that highlights and serves the communities in which we live and work.
We tripled headcount in 2020 and are on track to grow at a similar breakneck pace in 2021. During this period of extraordinary growth, People Operations is a critical and still developing group within our organization. The ultimate responsibilities and contributions of this person will be shaped around the individual we hire and their background. There is tremendous room for growth at our company.
Responsibilities
- Be the first (and, as of yet, only) in-house recruiter.
- Analyze current processes in recruiting, hiring, and onboarding; recommend and implement strategies and best practices to achieve business outcomes.
- Advise on hiring plans, including “seeing around the corner” and mitigating issues / gaps before they arise. Given the current pace of hiring and headcount growth, foresight is essential to success.
- Contribute to overall People Operations (HR) plans, programs, and strategies, including participation in onboarding of new hires and training across the organization.
- Develop and update job descriptions in collaboration with key stakeholders to each role.
- Manage CMS / ATS software platform (Workable).
- Post and promote jobs, including curating appropriate job boards and other forums to reach targeted candidate pools (specialized technical areas, underrepresented groups, etc.).
- Participate in growing the team at all levels — from autonomously running processes end-to-end, to coaching and acting as a force multiplier for non-recruiter / stakeholder colleagues. This may include sourcing, screening, interviewing, performing reference checks, negotiating offers, onboarding, or any other related steps.
- Contribute to the development of Upward Farms’ employer brand, including acting as a spokesperson in that context.
- Contribute to the development of strategies and measurable outcomes for accountability in attracting candidates with diverse backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives.
- Evangelize! Upward Farms is the best place to work.
Requirements
- Experience as a recruiter, either in-house or on long term / repeat engagements where you functioned as an extension of the team.
- Recruiting generalist. Ability to quickly get up to speed on new technical areas, and humble commitment to deliver the same extraordinary service regardless of role seniority, from recruiting C-level executives to hourly employees.
- Ability to cite measurable outcomes and impacts driving diverse and inclusive recruiting.
- The highest degree of personal and professional ethics and integrity.
- Excellent listening, clear and concise oral and written communication.
- Goal oriented, supported by excellent deadline and process management.
- Question-driven, curious, open minded. Eager to give, receive, and integrate feedback.
- Mastery of CMS / ATS software platforms.
- Fluency with modern workplace technology, including Slack, Zoom, G-suite, etc.
Preferred Skills + Experience
- 2+ years experience as an in-house recruiter at a startup or high-growth company.
- Experience managing or coaching people.
- Experience in broad People Operations / HR matters.
- Bachelor’s degree or other higher education.
Benefits
We offer a dynamic work environment and benefits that include:
- Aetna Medical, Aetna and MetLife Dental, and Aetna Vision insurance; FSA/HSA plans; and HIPAA-compliant health advocates. Upward Farms contributes 78-100% of the premium for Medical benefits for employees and their families.
- Unlimited paid sick time. For extended illness, we offer short term disability.
- Up to 20 days paid time off per year, depending on experience, in addition to paid holidays.
- For new parents, an extension of New York State’s paid family leave for up to 12 weeks of fully paid parental leave. This leave is in addition to Disability leave available to pregnant and postpartum mothers.
- 401(k)
- Commuter benefits, discounted gym memberships, and other perks.
- Fresh salad, and lots of it!
