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Controlled Environment Agriculture Jobs (NOW HIRING)

BrightFarms Inc

Director of Maintenance

Yorkville, IL · On-site

Across our BrightFarms and Mucci brands, we're a national leader in controlled-environment agriculture, growing smarter with less space, no pesticides, and environmental control. Our operations span ...

BrightFarms Inc

Director of Maintenance

Macon, GA · On-site

Across our BrightFarms and Mucci brands, we're a national leader in controlled-environment agriculture, growing smarter with less space, no pesticides, and environmental control. Our operations span ...

BrightFarms Inc

Director of Maintenance

Lorena, TX · On-site

Across our BrightFarms and Mucci brands, we're a national leader in controlled-environment agriculture, growing smarter with less space, no pesticides, and environmental control. Our operations span ...

Tamus

Lead CEA Research Specialist

Dallas, TX · On-site

This role involves building a collaborative relationship with our plant science program faculty and staff, including but not limited to, CEA (controlled environment agriculture) turfgrass science ...

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How much do controlled environment agriculture jobs pay per hour?

As of Sep 4, 2026, the average hourly pay for controlled environment agriculture in the United States is $22.83, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $18.03 and $26.92 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is controlled environment agriculture?

A Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) job involves working with advanced farming techniques that optimize plant growth using technology such as hydroponics, aeroponics, and vertical farming. Professionals in this field manage climate control, lighting, nutrients, and automation systems to ensure year-round crop production. Jobs in CEA can range from farm technicians and growers to researchers and engineers. These roles require knowledge of plant science, environmental controls, and sustainable agriculture practices. The goal is to improve efficiency, maximize yields, and reduce resource use compared to traditional farming.

What are some typical challenges faced in controlled environment agriculture?

Professionals in Controlled Environment Agriculture often manage challenges like maintaining precise climate conditions and quickly addressing equipment malfunctions that can impact crop health. Balancing the needs of multiple plant varieties and quickly adapting to technology updates are common tasks. You’ll frequently collaborate with agronomists, technicians, and supply chain teams to ensure smooth operations. These environments can be fast-paced and require constant monitoring, but they also provide valuable opportunities to innovate and make a tangible impact on food production.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive in controlled environment agriculture?

To thrive in Controlled Environment Agriculture, you need hands-on experience with plant production, crop management, and environmental control systems, often supported by a degree in horticulture or a related field. Familiarity with technologies such as hydroponics, climate control software, sensor networks, and certification in pesticide application is highly valuable. Strong problem-solving abilities, teamwork, and keen attention to detail distinguish top performers in this role. These competencies are essential to optimize crop yields, maintain consistent quality, and efficiently manage the high-tech environments found in modern agricultural facilities.

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Controlled Environment Agriculture jobs near you
Infographic showing various Controlled Environment Agriculture job openings in the United States as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 1% As Needed, 78% Full Time, 18% Part Time, 2% Contract, and 1% Nights. Highlights an 92% Physical, 1% Hybrid, and 7% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $47,483 per year, or $22.8 per hour.

Director of Maintenance

BrightFarms Inc

Yorkville, IL • On-site

Full-time

Re-posted 8 days ago

Job description

Director of Maintenance

Cox Farms — spanning the BrightFarms and Mucci brands

Cox Farms is on a mission to revolutionize how fresh produce is grown. Across our BrightFarms and Mucci brands, we're a national leader in controlled-environment agriculture, growing smarter with less space, no pesticides, and environmental control. Our operations span Georgia, Texas, Illinois, Ohio, New Hampshire, and Kingsville, Ontario (Canada), delivering fresh product to thousands of retail stores across North America.

The Role

This is a critical, network-defining hire. We need a top-tier maintenance leader who can unify and elevate an already-established maintenance organization — bringing site-level teams across BrightFarms and Mucci under one strategy, one set of standards, and one functional leadership structure, while building what's still missing (systems, career paths, capital planning) from the ground up.

What You'll Own

Strategy & Network Build

  • Unify and elevate the maintenance function across our multi-site network — bringing existing site teams under one strategy, one set of standards, and one organizational design.
  • Own and drive a network-wide asset management strategy, including equipment lifecycle planning and long-term capital replacement roadmaps.
  • Design and stand-up preventive, predictive, and reliability-centered maintenance (RCM) programs network-wide.

Team & Talent

  • Recruit, develop, and lead a high-performing maintenance organization — this includes designing the org structure itself, not just the people in it.
  • Design and drive career ladders and technical training programs that build internal capability and a real growth path for technicians.

Systems & Compliance

  • Own CMMS implementation and adoption network-wide, including work order discipline, PM scheduling, and asset documentation.
  • Develop, implement, and drive KPIs — downtime, maintenance cost, schedule compliance, spares inventory — and hold the organization accountable to them.
  • Ensure all maintenance activity meets EHS and food safety/quality (FSQ) compliance standards.
  • Lead emergency response for critical equipment failures across the network.

Reliability & Operations

  • Direct all maintenance operations — mechanical, electrical, instrumentation, controls, facilities, and utilities — across systems including HVAC, climate control, irrigation, lighting, water treatment, and pumps.
  • Drive OEE and asset uptime, and lead root cause analysis and corrective action for major equipment failures.
  • Champion Lean, Six Sigma, TPM, and continuous improvement initiatives to eliminate recurring failures at the source.

Financial & Capital

  • Own annual maintenance opex and capital budgets; partner with internal and external engineering teams on capital project development and execution.
  • Build and standardize a network-wide spare parts and inventory strategy that protects uptime while controlling cost.

What Success Looks Like — First 12 Months

  • CMMS live and adopted network-wide, with accurate PM scheduling and work order discipline.
  • A documented network-wide maintenance strategy and standard work rolled out across all sites.
  • Measurable reduction in unplanned downtime / improvement in OEE [set target once baseline is known]
  • Org design finalized and existing talent assessed across all sites, with a clear, documented plan for closing any capability gaps.
  • A 3–5 year capital replacement roadmap built and aligned with leadership.
  • Site maintenance teams unified under one set of standards, with a clear, agreed-upon path toward solid-line reporting as the function matures.
  • Establish the foundation for future system and process governance across the network (ISO, Lean Production Systems, etc)

Travel

Regular travel across the network required, estimated 50-60%, spanning Georgia, Texas, Illinois, Ohio, New Hampshire, and Kingsville, Ontario (Canada) — heavier during the initial build phase as programs and standards are stood up on-site.

What You Bring

  • Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Electrical, Industrial, or Manufacturing Engineering, or equivalent experience.
  • 10+ years of progressive maintenance leadership in manufacturing.
  • Has led a maintenance function through a multi-site build-out, greenfield stand-up, or significant scale-up — not just steady-state operation of an existing program. This is a must-have, not a nice-to-have.
  • Experience leading maintenance in 24/7 food manufacturing; controlled-environment agriculture or greenhouse experience strongly preferred.
  • Track record owning capital project execution and reliability programs (RCM, TPM).
  • Hands-on CMMS/EAM implementation experience — you've stood one up, not just used one.
  • Strong controls/automation background (PLC, SCADA, or BMS systems).
  • Proven ability to recruit, build, and lead a team from the ground up in a fast-growing environment.