Join EarthOptics as a Field Support Manager!
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.
With the recent merger of EarthOptics and Pattern Ag, we are combining cutting-edge genomic analysis, data science, microbiology, and remote sensing to revolutionize agriculture. Our unified mission is to help farmers and ranchers sustainably increase their yields and feed the growing world through all things soil.
We are a growing company with a passion for soil health, innovative technologies, and supporting all within the food value chain. We currently have ~140 individuals spread across 32 states and 2 countries, and they come from all walks of life, industries, and experiences. We are deeply focused on building the future of AgTech and sustainability and helping the world see soil differently.
Our Field Support Manager will join our Field Operations team to impact our mission through people manager and individual contributor 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.
- Start Date: January 2025.
- Travel: Estimated 30% domestic travel.
- Compensation: $75,000-85,000 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 Support Manager: (Your responsibilities)
- Oversee and support the success of field technicians performing soil sampling and scanning, including training, equipping, and providing ongoing assistance. Manage support of both internal teams and external contractors and dealer-partners.
- Lead and develop a small team while contributing directly to technician support; this role combines management with hands-on responsibilities.
- Ensure all technicians are properly equipped with EarthOptics’ proprietary sensor suite and associated devices (GroundOwl, Automatic Direct Cone Penetrometer); Coordinate with the Hardware Engineering team on equipment manufacturing, performance tracking, and repairs.
- Conduct on-site and virtual trainings on equipment and proprietary software. Enhance training effectiveness through technology and refine remote training processes.
- Travel for on-site training may reach 80-100% of the time for 4-6 weeks in Spring and Fall; travel in other seasons will be roughly 0-20% of the time.
- Provide real-time support to technicians for equipment issues and inquiries. Optimize support processes for 7-day coverage via phone, text, Slack, and video-enabled tools.
- Collaborate on the deployment of in-field cameras and expand support modalities to include video-enhanced support.
- Maintain active dialog with Hardware Engineering team. Manage user acceptance testing on hardware and associated software products, and provide continuous, rich feedback from technicians and your support team to drive product development and innovation.
- Manage inventory of soil-sampling tools, vehicles, and rig setups. Ensure project needs are met while reducing costs through process improvements and strategic procurement.
- Oversee maintenance of these tools and vehicle. Ensure support team is equipped to provide guidance on routine maintenance, and manage service programs for motorized vehicles.
Are you our soil-mate? You’ll bloom in this role if you have: (Your qualifications)
- 5-10 years of experience providing support services to field teams.
- 2+ years managing people.
- Experience with quantitative business operational disciplines, including one or more of inventory management, hard asset management, capacity and utilization planning, and procurement.
- Experience delivering training or other educational content.
- Experience or demonstrated interest in farming, ranching, agronomic services, or ecosystem services.
- Ability to work both independently and collaboratively.
- Capability of managing multiple tasks simultaneously in a dynamic environment.
- Keen attention to detail with strong organizational skills.
- Facility with spreadsheets.
**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:
- Prior experience in a fast-paced, start-up environment
- Bachelor’s degree with major in a business or agricultural field
- Agriculture industry experience
- Prior experience working in a scaling startup environment
- Familiarity with using AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT) to improve efficiency.
Aside from “the green”, we can offer you:
- Medical, Dental & Vision Insurance - 85% funded by EarthOptics for benefit-eligible employees and 65% 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 10 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.
Compensation$75,000-85,000 annually.
