VP Commercial Farm Operations (Start-up)

The organisation

UrbanFarmers (UF) develops and operates urban farms growing ultra-local fish and vegetables that excite consumers with their freshness, taste and quality.

Rooftop farms provide a new experience by revolutionizing “fresh”. Food is grown directly on the roof, just a few steps away. Rooftop farms are also monetizing empty rooftop spaces in the city and reduce the environmental impact of food miles in the city.

UF was started in 2011. Since then, the company has grown substantially and secured financing for corporate and farm projects internationally. The company is currently operating in Switzerland and The Netherlands and has just recently also opened a North American subsidiary in New York City.

Since 2012 UF owns and operates two commercial-scale, industrialized Aquaponic rooftop farms in Basel, Switzerland and The Hague, NL. UF has achieved full validation of the business model and technology. With a roll-out of further farms in development, the company is poised to become a global niche champion in ultra-local food production.

The company was awarded with several prizes including the CTI start-up label qualifying UF as a Swiss life sciences champion and enjoys significant global media coverage (e.g. USA, Russia, Japan, Europe).

The position

The VP of Commercial Operations of UrbanFarmers AG is responsible for running our farm portfolio worldwide. In this role, the main responsibility is managing the farm operations and the commercial and marketing teams.

The VP of Commercial Operations has full P&L responsibility for our farms under management, and ensures sound operational procedures, management alignment and a culture of excellence. Financial Management, Budgeting, Reporting and Analysis are a key part of this hands-on job. Good People management in hiring, training and HR planning are making you the natural leader.

Customer facing, the VP of Commercial Operations is responsible for sales into both Foodservice B2B and B2C Channels and successfully executes our marketing and communication programs. Supported by the Director of Farm Operations and the Commercial Director, the VP of Commercial Operations is the head of a multi-disciplinary, international organization that lives by the motto: Fresh.Revolution.

This role also works closely with the COO and CEO to ensure internal processes are lean & mean. This function works closely with the Management Team to drive internal alignment and results by implementing and sustaining process and quality improvements.

Ideally, the VP Development combines a strategic and highly entrepreneurial mind-set that helps the company grow fast and reliably at the same time.

The position requires travelling, both domestic and international (up to 50%), and is based in The Hague, Netherlands.

Tasks & responsibilities

• Commercial Management: Sustain sales into Foodservice accounts (GastroPartners), build and execute a new B2C Sales Strategy with direct-to-consumer deliveries and promote the Fresh.Revolution with winning marketing and communication initiatives
• Budgeting, Controls and Reporting: Manage annual and quarterly budgets and forecasts of farm operations and commercial teams, build KPI reporting, drive lessons learned and cost improvement initiatives
• Hiring and Training, Culture of Excellence: Develop a culture of excellence and build a strong team with good HR processes

Candidate profile

The job position requires strong and hands-on Sales & Marketing experience, preferably in Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) or other consumer product categories.

Secondly, the VP Commercial Operations needs to be a natural leader with the ability to manage a multi-functional and international team. The VP’s role to build capabilities internally and externally is a vital part of a high-grow company

Additional requirements:

• MBA with a concentration in Marketing, Operations or Finance
• 5+ years total professional with sales and marketing experience in Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG), Key Account Management in consumer product categories or Retail sector

Interested?

You are invited to apply for this position by using the form below.