Head of Production

Head of CultivationFull-time, OnsiteCundinamarca, ColombiaOur client is a licensed Colombian cannabis operator specializing in the cultivation, processing, and development of medical cannabis products. They are seeking a Head of Cultivation to own the day-to-day execution, performance, consistency, and continuous improvement of the cultivation operation, from propagation through harvest.The Head of Cultivation combines strong plant science and cultivation knowledge with disciplined operational management. This is a hands-on leadership position requiring daily involvement in crop steering, environmental management, irrigation and fertigation, plant health, pest and disease prevention, labor management, production scheduling, data analysis, and quality control. The successful candidate identifies problems before they materially affect yield or quality, develops data-driven corrective actions, and ensures that cultivation teams consistently execute established SOPs, all within the company's GACP framework and chain of authority.This role requires someone who can operate within a structured, GMP-aligned environment, following established protocols and leadership direction, including guidance from international technical partners, rather than operating independently based on informal growing experience alone. The primary objective of this position is simple: produce healthy, consistent, high-quality crops on schedule while maximizing yield, quality, labor efficiency, facility utilization, and overall profitability.MUST HAVE5+ years of experience in agronomic or commercial crop production roles, including cannabis cultivation experience.2+ years of cannabis cultivation experience within a legal, licensed medical cannabis operation.Demonstrated experience leading cultivation teams.Advanced knowledge of irrigation, fertigation, and environmental crop management (EC, pH, VPD).Candidates must already hold the legal right to live and work in Colombia. Visa sponsorship and relocation assistance are not offered for this role.Fluency in Spanish, in addition to the required English proficiency, to support daily team leadership and on-site operations.Core ResponsibilitiesCrop Management & Cultivation ExecutionOversee the complete cultivation cycle: mother plant management, propagation and cloning, vegetative growth, transplanting, flowering, crop steering, and harvest preparation.Conduct regular walkthroughs of all cultivation areas to identify nutrient deficiencies or toxicities, irrigation issues, root-zone problems, environmental stress, pest or disease pressure, genetic abnormalities, and canopy inconsistencies.Develop and execute corrective action plans whenever crop performance deviates from established targets.Environmental Management & IrrigationEstablish, monitor, and maintain environmental targets (temperature, relative humidity, VPD, CO₂, light intensity and distribution, photoperiod) appropriate to each stage of plant development.Review environmental trend data rather than relying solely on instantaneous readings, and immediately investigate excursions that could affect crop health or quality.Develop and oversee irrigation and fertigation strategies: frequency, shot size, substrate drying targets between waterings, substrate EC and water content, feed and runoff EC and pH, adjusting based on plant demand rather than fixed schedules.Work with irrigation and fertigation personnel to ensure accurate nutrient mixing, proper dosing, and uniform, well-maintained irrigation systems.Plant Nutrition, IPM & Plant HealthDevelop and maintain nutritional programs for all stages of production, monitoring for deficiencies, toxicities, and root-zone imbalances.Maintain an aggressive preventative Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program, including scouting, preventative treatments, biological and cultural controls, and application rotations, in compliance with Colombian phytosanitary and cannabis regulations.Maintain strong biosecurity practices to prevent systemic pathogens and viroids, including clean mother stock, quarantine protocols, sanitation, and tool sterilization.Genetics, Propagation & Flower Room ManagementMaintain a healthy genetic inventory, evaluating cultivars for yield, potency, terpene production, disease resistance, and commercial scalability.Oversee propagation performance, ensuring healthy plant counts on schedule and investigating deviations in rooting time, quality, or loss rates.Own flower-room execution from transplant through harvest: room loading, spacing, irrigation, trellising, defoliation, and harvest timing based on maturity and trichome development.Data, Performance & Continuous ImprovementTrack production, quality, plant health, and operational indicators (grams per square meter, kilograms per harvest cycle, percentage of premium sellable flower, potency and terpene performance, plant mortality, labor hours and cost per kilogram, room turnaround time) and drive continuous improvement against internal targets.Review data across environmental, irrigation, substrate, and laboratory systems to identify trends and reproduce successful strategies.Develop, maintain, train, and enforce cultivation SOPs so they reflect actual best practices, recommending revisions whenever operational data demonstrates a better method.Team Leadership & Labor ManagementLead, organize, and supervise the cultivation operating team, distributing daily work assignments and labor scheduling.Establish clear production expectations, train and coach employees on the reasoning behind cultivation practices, and hold the team accountable.Build a professional, accountable culture where issues are identified quickly, communicated clearly, and corrected systematically, never hidden or ignored.Actively develop team discipline and technical standards, given the team's current level of experience.Compliance, Sanitation & FacilityEnsure cultivation activities comply with GACP and Colombia's regulatory framework for medical cannabis, including ICA, INVIMA, and Fondo Nacional de Estupefacientes traceability and licensing requirements, working closely with compliance and quality personnel during audits and inspections.Maintain accurate cultivation records and ensure plant movement and destruction are properly documented per Colombian traceability requirements.Monitor cultivation inventory and purchasing to prevent production interruptions, evaluating products on performance and cost.Skills, Qualifications, and ExperienceRequired5+ years of experience in agronomic or commercial crop production, including cannabis cultivation experience.2+ years of experience in cannabis cultivation with a legal medical cannabis operation.Demonstrated experience leading, training, and holding cultivation teams accountable.Strong understanding of plant physiology, irrigation and fertigation, EC and pH management, and environmental crop management.Experience with environmental-control systems and IPM programs, with strong pest and disease identification skills.Ability to manage multiple cultivation rooms simultaneously in a fast-paced production environment.Strong attention to detail, high personal accountability, and excellent observational skills.Data-driven decision-making and strong problem-solving ability.Calm decision-making under pressure and a strong sense of urgency.Genuine openness to instruction, structure, and coaching, including from international technical partners, without treating it as a threat to their own expertise.Judgment to identify problems and propose solutions, balanced with the discipline to execute the decisions and structure defined by the company: leadership without authoritarianism, and autonomy without losing alignment.Energy and enthusiasm for the role and the opportunity to build and professionalize a growing operation.PreferredExperience working within a multinational company or larger corporate structure.Experience operating within a GACP or similarly structured quality environment.Experience with automated irrigation systems, substrate sensors, and crop-steering platforms.Experience with HLVd (hop latent viroid) testing and prevention, and developing commercial cultivation SOPs.Degree or advanced education in horticulture, plant science, agronomy, biology, or a related field is a plus but not required; demonstrated commercial cultivation results are valued more highly than academic credentials alone.LanguagesSpanish: Fluent C2+/Native language, required.English: B2 level or higher, required. Must be able to hold a fluent conversation in a professional context.Equal Opportunity StatementEmerald Lane Recruitment is committed to advancing equity and inclusion across the global cannabis industry. We proudly support our clients in building teams that reflect the full diversity of the communities they serve. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to any protected characteristic, in accordance with applicable human rights legislation.