Optimisation Engineer

Your Role

At GrowUp, we believe in pushing the boundaries of what's possible! As a Optimisation Engineer, you will be at the forefront of our mission to continuously improve and enhance the efficiency, impact, and performance of our existing and future vertical farms production lines.

On a given day, you'll be the Sherlock Holmes or Miss Marple of the vertical farming world, investigating production bottlenecks, unlocking hidden inefficiencies, and collaborating across departments to engineer ingenious solutions that will improve our farm operations. You’ll need to be a curious, proactive and pioneering problem solver to flourish in this role.

This role reports to one of our Project Managers and you will also work closely with our Head of Farm Commercials and Operations. This role based at Pepperness, just outside of Sandwich, UK. You will thrive in a fast-paced and collaborative environment, where independence is celebrated, and teamwork is paramount. You will work together with the Project, Engineering and Production teams to optimise our operations, drive efficiency, and ensure continuous improvement in our farms and processes.

How to Apply:

If you are ready to take on this exciting opportunity as a Optimisation Engineer and contribute to the success of GrowUp, please submit your CV and a cover letter highlighting your relevant experience and why you believe you are the ideal candidate for this position. We look forward to reviewing your application!

Closing Date: 31st August 2023

Requirements

Your areas of knowledge and expertise that matter most for this role:

• Graduate or early career engineering background with a degree-level qualification or equivalent experience.
• Strong understanding of MES systems and their application in production line optimization.
• Experience in automation and familiarity with automated systems implementation.
• Excellent problem-solving skills with the ability to perform root cause analysis and develop effective solutions.
• Initiative-driven and self-starter attitude with the ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Strong time management skills to prioritize tasks and manage multiple projects effectively.
• Good interpersonal and communication skills to collaborate with cross-functional teams.

All the responsibilities we will trust you with:

• Problem Solving: Analyses production line operations, identify areas for improvement, and implement effective solutions to optimize productivity and efficiency.
• Root Cause Analysis: Investigate production issues and conduct thorough root cause analysis to determine underlying factors impacting performance.
• Production Bottleneck Identification: Identify bottlenecks in the production process and develop strategies to alleviate constraints, streamline workflows, and improve overall throughput.
• Collaboration: Work closely with the operations and projects teams to understand their requirements, provide engineering insights, and develop effective solutions to production challenges.
• Engineering Solutions: Design and implement engineering solutions to resolve production line issues, improve equipment reliability, and enhance overall production performance.
• MES Systems: Utilize your understanding of Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) to optimize data collection, analysis, and reporting for efficient decision-making and process improvement.
• Automation Experience: Leverage your expertise in automation to identify opportunities for implementing automated processes and systems to increase productivity and reduce manual labour requirements.
• Initiative and Problem-Solving: Take the initiative to proactively identify areas of improvement, anticipate challenges, and provide innovative solutions to enhance production line operations.
• Time Management: Manage multiple projects simultaneously, prioritize tasks effectively, and meet deadlines in a fast-paced production environment.
• Health and Safety and Food Safety: Understand and ensure that manufacturing procedures follow safety and environmental regulations

Benefits

What’s in it for you?

• Be part of a great business – you will be in one of the fastest growing and most exciting businesses in the vertical farming industry.
• Be part of a great team – you will work with and learn from a friendly, smart, growing, and passionate team who care about each other and the business.
• Grow yourself – a chance to develop yourself and make the role your own as the business and team builds, broadening your knowledge and capabilities to push you to the next level.
• Share our passion for driving change for good – sustainable production is at the heart of what we do and we’re on the journey to B Corp certification

Package

• £30,000
• Annual bonus based on company, team, and personal performance.
• Employee incentivisation scheme.
• 25 days holiday.
• Income Protection
• Employee Health Scheme provided by Vitality at Work.
• Enhanced maternity and paternity leave.
• Pension (5% employer contribution)
• Employee benefits programme with Bravo Benefits.
• Cycle to Work Scheme

About Us

We bring customers food that doesn’t cost the earth.

We’re a leading UK vertical farming company who have spent almost a decade growing salads at three vertical farms, bringing customers restaurant-quality leafy greens that stay fresher for longer. Salads are just the tip of the iceberg – our future is more farms, more crops, and the technology to make vertical farming the norm.

We’re passionate about getting people to rethink their salads and delivering healthy, affordable, British-grown food to more customers, with a lighter environmental footprint and a more resilient year-round supply chain. We bring purpose and impact to the fresh produce category and expect a transformational impact over the next decade as we add in new crops.

We are a fast-growing dynamic team, that cares passionately about what we’re doing. We’re interested in people who want to help turn food production on its head, who are naturally entrepreneurial, commercial and relentless to make it happen.

We have developed industry-leading technology integrated with renewable energy to drive down the costs and carbon footprint of vertical farming while cutting down on food waste in the supply chain and at home. Our fourth farm is now operational in Sandwich, Kent and began delivering its first harvest of ready-to-eat salad leaves to U.K. supermarket shelves earlier this year.

Our team is the most valuable part of our business – our success is defined by the hard-working, brilliant and enthusiastic people we employ. Our recruitment process and employment decisions are based on our business needs, job requirements and individual qualifications. We provide equal employment opportunities to all applicants without regard to race, colour, age, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin or disability status. We don’t tolerate discrimination or harassment based on any of these characteristics and we encourage all suitable applicants to apply for open positions.