Field Group Lead

Join EarthOptics as a Field Group Lead!

Our mission is to be the leading soil information company, delivering maps that growers, farmers, ranchers, and other stakeholders use to cost effectively increase yields and improve soil health and the climate. We are creating a future where traditional sampling methods are obsolete.

EarthOptics' tools help farmers and ranchers to sustainably increase their yields and feed the growing world through all things soil. With proprietary remote sensing technologies and machine learning, we create accurate and real-time maps with fewer samples in less time, ultimately saving our end users money, time, and resources.

We are a growing, distributed company with a passion for soil health, innovative technologies, and supporting all within the food value chain. We are currently ~90 individuals spread across 31 states, from all walks of life, industries, and experiences. We are deeply focused on building the future of AgTech and sustainability, and help the world to see soil differently.

Our Field Group Lead will join our Field Management & Support team to impact our mission through people manager responsibilities. We have certain criteria across all our hires at EarthOptics, no matter the position or team. Regardless of the role, our team embraces learning, craves collaboration, and is driven by a fast-paced environment. If you resonate with our values and goals, we encourage you to apply-even if you don't meet every requirement. You could be the perfect fit for this role or future opportunities.

The digs:

• Job Type: Full-Time, Exempt

• Work Location: This is a remote position, for anyone that is authorized to work in the US, and currently resides in the continental US.

• Travel: Travel up to 25%

• Compensation: $54,000-$70,000 annually.

• Your actual base pay will depend on your geographic location, job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training. EarthOptics uses compensation regions that vary depending on location, so ask your recruiter to share more about the specific salary range for your preferred location during the hiring process.

What you'll cultivate as a Field Group Lead:

Supervisory Responsibilities:

• Serve direct reports, customer needs, and departmental/company goals with a holistic approach; develop and enforce methods and guidelines for accurate and efficient Field Technician performance in accordance with productivity and efficiency goals, timekeeping, expenses, and safety policies.

• Partner with the Field Resource Manager to ensure the delivery of high-quality work per designated protocols, schedules, and budget.

• Maintain accountability for field technicians through pre-run calls, weekly touch bases, and daily reports to deliver quality work in adherence to designated protocols, on schedule, and budget.

• Elevate and document critical and recurring issues to leadership to collaborate in developing solutions.

• Proactively, promptly, and accurately maintain records of current Field Team/individual locations, associated vehicles/equipment, Concur/Brex expenses, and submitted timesheets and correct records when necessary.

• Manage the day-to-day functions of the Field Technicians with assistance from the Field Resource Manager

• Promptly review submitted hours, ensure overtime hours are explicitly approved and/or directed in writing and in adherence to budget and schedule, and approve in advance of payroll processing deadline.

• Evaluate direct report travel arrangements and ensure they adhere with policy and budget; review validity of expenses in Concur and Brex

• Serve as the first point of contact for field technicians experiencing issues with equipment problems or breakage and provide advice and problem solving support for field technicians.

• Ensure company policies, Pre- and Post- Run Assessments, daily acres reports, and other company and client assignments are completed accurately and timely by each Field Technician.

• Manage field technicians' feedback, performance reviews and professional development activities for direct reports.; collaborate with leadership to determine and execute corrective action, recognition, and learning and development opportunities.

• Proactively provide guidance to team and individuals falling behind or at risk of falling behind on goals and performance; provide coaching, support, resources, and strategies to realign.

• Monitor reported data in Soil Collector and Airtable, cross-departmental information, company policies, and performance metrics to proactively identify risks and potential solutions for Field Operations.

• Ensure Field Technicians receive complete and thorough initial and ongoing training by leading onboarding calls, ensuring completion of Trainuals, communicating with the team during training runs, monitoring performance for skill competency and improvement, and teaching new protocols to FTs.

• Practice and encourage EarthOptics' cultural concepts; promote participation in company surveys and other cultural and engagement opportunities.

Duties & Responsibilities:

• Coordinate customers and protocols with the Program Management Office, schedule kick off calls, monitor protocol usage, and develop methods for efficient service delivery.

• Contact growers via text 48 hours prior to FTs arriving at the field to ensure success in field accessibility. Call 24 hours prior to arrival and then elevate to Program Management Office non responses contacts.

• Partner with Field Resource Manager and Inventory & Asset Management Coordinator to ensure the scheduled maintenance of vehicles, side by sides, ATVs, and trailers to ensure longevity, safety, and compliance.

• Coordinate with the Field Business Manager to finalize schedules and communicate needs and reasons for delays to the team.

• Present team performance, root issues, and current/future solutions to leadership.

• Promote and enforce a culture of safety by addressing safety issues, reviewing weekly safe driver reports, consistently and strategically implementing and monitoring quality control procedures, and quickly elevating workers compensation and vehicle incidents to Field Resource Manager.

• Drive projects, demonstration plots, key influencers, and act as champion of EarthOptics mission, vision, policies, and protocols.

• Work with leadership to develop and promote best business and safety practices and ensure appropriate use of company funds.

• Some travel, up to 25%, sometimes on short notice, to support Field Technicians, conduct soil sample collection at field sites during high-volume periods, and document new protocols and procedures.

Are you our soil-mate? You'll bloom in this role if you have:

• Previous supervisory and leadership experience with a proven ability to motivate and manage distributed teams.

• Proficiency in setting performance standards and expectations, providing constructive feedback, facilitating professional development, implementing corrective action, and conducting performance evaluations.

• Ability to analyze data in different forms, such as timesheets and expenses, gain insights, and develop and implement process improvements based on these insights.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with expertise in interpersonal collaboration and customer service.

• Excellent attention to detail and the ability to interpret data and make informed decisions.

• Energized and motivated by data, details, organization, and problem solving.

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills and ability to act on issues with perspectives that represent company values, mission, and policies.

• Comprehensive knowledge of workplace safety practices/procedures and experience with conducting safety training and enforcing compliance.

• Ability to adapt to change, prioritize tasks, delegate items when appropriate, and take initiative to flag when roadblocks occur.

• Proven application of time and task management methods; facility of calendar management, different forms of communication (virtual meetings, written, phone, etc), and sense of urgency in responsiveness.

• Proficiency with Google Suite and Slack, coupled with the ability to learn and use new technologies.

We are interested in every qualified candidate who is eligible to work in the United States. However, we are not able to sponsor or transfer visas at this time.

Although not required, we'd love to see roots in:

• Previous experience managing and motivating remote teams.

• Positive, solutions-oriented disposition, and a strong sense of accountability.

Aside from "the green", we can offer you:

• Medical, Dental & Vision Insurance - 80% funded by EarthOptics for benefit-eligible employees and 70% for dependents

• Company paid LTD, STD, and Life Insurance

• Meaningful equity option grants

• 401k Plan+ Employer Match up to 4%

• 17 days of paid time off, plus 9 additional company holidays

• Parental Leave

• Professional Development Stipend + access to learning platforms

• Candidate Referral Program

• Above and Beyond Bonus Program

• Flexible Schedule & Hybrid/Remote Work Environment

• Regular opportunities to give feedback on our benefits offerings

How we stay grounded:

Although we have teammates working in the field, in-office, and at home, we aim to create a cohesive, diverse, and enriching environment for all of our employees. We embrace different tools to enhance our workflows and communicate intentionally, both live and asynchronously. A few quick facts you should know:

• We rely on Slack to communicate. Although there are a variety of team-specific systems to facilitate your work, this is our primary!

• We love both food and emojis at EarthOptics. If hired, you'll come to love (and use many) taco and donut emojis.

• Our core business hours are Monday through Friday 11am-4pm EST. We have teammates in every time zone, and have some teams that operate outside of that timeframe. As a remote employee, you are asked to honor those hours to ensure enough time to overlap with key cross-functional teams.

• In order to maximize our remote culture, we host company-wide opportunities to connect (virtually and in-person) and create space for focus work. For example, we have a weekly all-hands stand-up meeting on Monday and reserve Fridays as a regular "No Meeting" day.

• Instead of values, we believe in actionable "cultural concepts". Collectively, we hold one another to act and give feedback with these concepts in mind. Ours are information and intent, recognition and respect, and autonomy and accountability.

Inclusion and Diversity at EarthOptics:

At EarthOptics, we embrace diversity and equality, and stand against any form of discrimination or harassment. We base all hiring and promotion decisions on business needs, job requirements, and individual qualifications, regardless of race, color, religion, gender, gender identity, national origin, age, marital status, parental status, veteran status, or disability.

We are deeply committed to welcoming and including every qualified individual. As a part of this commitment, we ensure that persons with disabilities have access to reasonable accommodations. If you require assistance during the job application or interview process, need support to perform essential job functions, or seek other benefits and privileges of employment, please reach out to us at accommodations@earthoptics.com.