How to hire a greenhouse manager

How to hire a greenhouse manager, step by step

Here's a step-by-step greenhouse manager hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a greenhouse manager job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new greenhouse manager
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

Post a greenhouse manager job for free, promote it for a fee

Post free

1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your greenhouse manager job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a greenhouse manager for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A greenhouse manager's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, greenhouse managers from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list shows salaries for various types of greenhouse managers.

   Type of Greenhouse Manager	Description	Hourly rate
   Greenhouse Manager	Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers operate establishments that produce crops, livestock, and dairy products.	$10-34

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Customer Service
   • Greenhouse Operations
   • Pest Management
   • Greenhouse Management
   • Plant Growth
   • Research Projects
   • Pest Control
   • Hydroponic
   • Greenhouse Facility
   • Plant Care
   • Nursery Stock
   • Greenhouse Space
   • Greenhouse Production
   • IPM

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Develop and manage plant propagation using hydroponic and soil systems at the college greenhouse.
   • Implement annual mailings, capital campaigns, and special appeals.
   • Plan and implement multiple direct mail appeals in alignment with a relationship-building focus.
   • Control application of irrigation, fertilizers, growth regulators and pesticides to follow a conservative IPM strategy that supports beneficial insects.
   • Maintain inventory and help with Quickbooks.

   More greenhouse manager duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the greenhouse manager job description is a good way to get more applicants. A greenhouse manager salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for a greenhouse manager in Missouri may be lower than in New York, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level greenhouse manager. Additionally, a greenhouse manager with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average greenhouse manager salary

   $39,998yearly

   $19.23 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level greenhouse manager salary

   $22,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 17, 2025

   Average greenhouse manager salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	New York	$49,911	$24
   2	Pennsylvania	$36,441	$18
   3	Massachusetts	$36,321	$17
   4	District of Columbia	$34,272	$16
   5	Wisconsin	$33,904	$16
   6	California	$33,679	$16
   7	Illinois	$33,199	$16
   8	Texas	$31,891	$15
   9	West Virginia	$31,631	$15
   10	Minnesota	$29,388	$14
   11	Nebraska	$24,167	$12
   12	South Carolina	$23,994	$12
   13	Colorado	$22,145	$11

   Average greenhouse manager salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Deloitte	$85,503	$41.11
   2	PSEA	$70,831	$34.05
   3	Unity College	$50,685	$24.37	1
   4	University of Nebraska at Omaha	$49,626	$23.86
   5	ArborGen	$38,801	$18.65
   6	West Virginia University	$38,417	$18.47
   7	Eurofresh Farms	$37,380	$17.97
   8	Speedling Incorporated	$36,559	$17.58
   9	Kurt Weiss GH	$36,196	$17.40
   10	Columbia Care	$35,527	$17.08
   11	City of Lakewood	$33,863	$16.28
   12	Linder	$28,774	$13.83
   13	Lakeland Yard & Garden	$26,642	$12.81
   14	Mahoney's Garden Centers	$26,164	$12.58
   15	The Salvation Army	$24,972	$12.01

4. Writing a greenhouse manager job description

   A greenhouse manager job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. Below, you can find an example of a greenhouse manager job description:

   Greenhouse manager job description example

   The Morning Star Company and its affiliates operate three tomato processing facilities in Central California, processing over 1/3 of the California processing tomato crop, in addition to tomato transplanting, farming, harvesting and trucking operations. The company employs approximately 600 year-round and 2,500 seasonal colleagues.

   The Morning Star Company is the largest independent producer of bulk tomato ingredient products (tomato paste and diced tomatoes) in the world. We also produce canned tomatoes, tomato products and specialty sauces in pouches for customers in the retail and food service markets. The company is known worldwide for its innovation and integrity.

   We are organizationally structured through a system we term Mission Focused Self-Management™. Our company is operated by Colleagues without titles or an appointed hierarchy of authority. Authority relative to other Colleagues’ activities is lateral, with our Mission as our guiding principle of action, and respect, influence and success built based on each Colleague’s integrity, competency, effort, persistence, and straightforward persuasiveness. Although we have grown significantly, we intend to maintain a culture of individual responsibility and Mission Focused Self-Management™.

   The Opportunity

   The Mission of this individual is to produce and supply our hotel and restaurant with fresh produce, herbs and flowers from an 18,000 square foot, glass greenhouse, plus surrounding open ground (one to two acres for vegetables, olives, and grapes). Any additional production should be sold at local farmers’ markets. In addition, the Hotel property is about 20 acres in total, with extensive landscaping where your expertise may be applicable. The greenhouse may be required to perform tomato seed development research.

   This Colleague will require a decent technical agriculture and some business background. This individual will work with associated Colleagues in our commercial greenhouse operations, and other opportunities in the company as their abilities enable them. The company has other facilities which require landscaping expertise.

   Elements of the Position

   All aspects of product production are expected to be accomplished, including, but not limited to product variety selection, growing techniques, personnel, resource acquisition, facility operations and maintenance, information acquisition and analysis and marketing and sales. It will be your operation to make a go of it.

   Compensation

   Compensation and benefits provided will depend on the market for these capabilities, but somewhere in the range of $50,000 to $75,000 would be expected. We will entertain any arrangement which is mutually beneficial.

   Powered by JazzHR

   SgTH2xaGPb

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right greenhouse manager for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with greenhouse managers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit greenhouse managers who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your greenhouse manager job on Zippia to find and recruit greenhouse manager candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit greenhouse managers, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new greenhouse manager

   Once you've decided on a perfect greenhouse manager candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new greenhouse manager. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

   Sign up to download full list

   Sign up

How much does it cost to hire a greenhouse manager?