Job Description

Job Description

Union Grove Farm, an innovative and certified regenerative table grape vineyard in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, is seeking a dedicated and experienced Vineyard Manager. This is a unique opportunity to play a crucial role in the expansion of our vineyard, which specializes in world-first varieties of seedless muscadine grapes, known for their exceptional antioxidant and nutrient content. As we grow from 100 acres in 2025 to a projected 350 acres in five years, we are looking for a skilled individual to lead our vineyard operations and develop into a Director role overseeing multiple sites.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Soil Health & Vine Nutrition: Implement and manage regenerative soil health practices, vine nutrition management, and grazing strategies.
• Vineyard Operations: Oversee tasks including pruning, canopy management, harvesting, and post-harvest handling, ensuring adherence to regenerative principles and minimal environmental impact.
• Integrated Pest Management (IPM): Employ IPM strategies focusing on biological and cultural control methods over synthetic pesticides.
• Coordination: Coordinate planting, maintenance, and spraying activities with vineyard staff.
• Irrigation Practices: Implement efficient irrigation systems and practices to conserve water resources.
• Data Management: Enhance data collection and record-keeping processes to monitor vineyard practices and inform decision-making.
• Expansion Planning: Lead the planning and development of vineyard expansion across multiple sites.
• Leadership & Staff Management: Supervise, train, and promote a culture of sustainability among vineyard staff, ensuring compliance with regulations.
• Financial Oversight: Oversee the profit and loss (P&L) aspects of vineyard operations.

Essential Background Requirements:

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in viticulture, agriculture, horticulture, or a related field preferred; extensive practical experience may be considered as a substitute.
• Experience: 8-10 years of vineyard management experience.
• Preferred Regenerative Agriculture Knowledge: Understanding of soil health, integrated pest management, water conservation, and biodiversity.
• Business Acumen: Strong leadership, decision-making, problem-solving, and communication skills.
• Continuous Learning: Commitment to ongoing education in regenerative agriculture practices, research, and technologies.
• Technical Skills: Proficiency in grapevine pruning and training techniques for table or wine grapes.
• AgTech Interest: Experience with or interest in vineyard AgTech support technologies, AI, and automation.
• Grazing Knowledge: Familiarity with holistic, intensive rotational, and adaptive sheep grazing.
• Software Proficiency: Working knowledge of agricultural databases, farm software, and mapping platforms is advantageous.
• Organizational Skills: Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities, along with excellent verbal and written communication skills.

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