Production Assistant

Production Assistant – Leaf & Seed production

P3F is a new commercial agricultural company with breeding and agronomy trials coupled to commercial production in North Carolina. The company improves food crops to satisfy the needs of growers, processors, and consumers. P3F is a commercial production company built around in-house stevia breeding and genetics through a history with the crop that dates to 2014. The company is now seeking to grow its commercial production team in NC with outstanding individuals that will assist with flawless execution of greenhouse and field-based production and agronomic sampling activities.

P3Fs goal is to improve the lives of billions of people each year through its products, while making a significant contribution to improve the environment and save our planet. By bringing the best crop improvements in science and technology forward, improved stevia will bring value in the new regions where it is grown and in the health benefits brought to the populace due to reduced sugar consumption. As an employer, P3F operates with the highest standards of ethics. If you come to work for us, you will learn from a team of highly competent and well-respected scientists and be expected to use your individual skills to contribute to the ultimate success of the company.

Reports to: Commercial Operations Manager

Location: Sanford/Laurinburg, NC (Field-Based)

Start: February 2026

The Production Assistant provides technical field support across P3F's commercial and seed production stevia programs, ensuring agronomic consistency and data integrity from propagation through harvest. Working under the direction of the Commercial Operations Manager, the production assistant supports growers, propagation sites, and QA operations, maintaining continuous field visibility and objective reporting. This position reinforces the operational structure with field-level involvement, ensuring that propagation, production, and QA execution are aligned and compliant with P3F standards. It suits an individual who enjoys being in the field, translating observations into actionable insights and enjoys data collection and process improvement.

• Assist with grower's field scouting to assess establishment, irrigation performance, nutrient balance, pest and disease conditions per SOP protocols.
• Provide unbiased, data-backed field observations to the Commercial Operations Manager for operational decisions.
• Help verify field readiness before key milestones (planting, replanting, harvest).
• Recommend corrective measures within SOPs; implementation decisions remain with management and growers.

• Help monitor propagation quality and plant readiness across greenhouse partners.
• Assist with propagation teams to ensure consistency in tray health, rooting, and pre-transplant conditioning.
• Track and document rooting success rates, plant quality metrics, and propagation timelines.
• Provide feedback to Commercial Operations and QA to improve uniformity and reduce variability at transplant.

• Monitor and assist in the execution of leaf production fields for planting, irrigation, pest management, data collection, harvesting and drying.
• Help ensure fields remain free of significant disease and weed pressure through regular field observations, accurate data collection and reporting, and timely identification of flowering development.
• Bring up discrepancies in field observations to the commercial operations manager.
• Support QA execution during harvest and drying, ensuring sampling, moisture, and impurity checks follow SOPs.

• Monitor and assist execution in seed production fields, including fertility, irrigation, pest & pollination management
• Ensure compliance with isolation requirements and flowering synchronization plans
• Track seed maturity, harvest timing and yield performance in coordination with Commercial Operations and R&D teams.
• Document field conditions and coordinate QA sampling for seed purity and quality verification.

• Record and submit weekly field updates summarizing crop status, risks, and recommendations.
• Maintain digital records of scouting data, propagation metrics, and QA observations at internal databases.
• Share field insights with Commercial Operations, R&D, and QA for integrated decision-making.
• Ensure data is reliable, timely, and formatted for reporting and traceability.

• Identify recurring agronomic or propagation issues and provide ways for process improvement.
• Contribute to SOP refinements led by Commercial Operations.
• Support internal training
• Maintain awareness of new agronomic and propagation technologies relevant to stevia.

The Production Assistant reports directly to the Commercial Operations Manager and supports cross-functional collaboration between growers, greenhouse partners, QA, and third-party service providers. This structure ensures technical accuracy and unbiased data flow while maintaining clear decision-making authority within Commercial Operations.

• The Commercial Operations Manager owns overall operational planning, scheduling, and decision-making regarding corrective actions and grower communication.
• The Production Assistant assists with day-to-day operations from propagation oversight, transportation, leaf and seed production, field management and drying facility support.
• The Production Assistant validates data accuracy, and reports actionable insights to the Commercial Operations Manager from leaf and seed production operations.
• All operational decisions, including corrective measures and grower instructions, are approved and communicated by Commercial Operations.

• B.S. in Agronomy, Crop Science, Horticulture, or related field. CCA (Certified Crop Adviser) license preferred.
• 2-4 years of experience in field agronomy, crop scouting, or propagation quality management.
• Strong observational and analytical skills with ability to report findings objectively.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills with growers and teams.
• Competency in data collection and digital reporting tools.
• Comfortable working outdoors in varied conditions.
• Location: Based in North Carolina, with potential travel to South Carolina and Florida production or propagation sites as required.
• Must be able to work extended hours during planting and harvest seasons and adjust to varying field and travel schedules.

• Experience with specialty or vegetatively propagated crops (e.g., stevia, mint, tobacco).
• Familiarity with propagation systems, QA sampling, heavy machinery, seed production and commercial drying methods.
• Bilingual English/Spanish.
• Basic understanding of irrigation, fertigation, and post-harvest QA systems.

• Accurate and timely agronomic, propagation, and QA field reporting.
• Consistent plant establishment and propagation quality across partners.
• Improved grower accountability and SOP compliance.
• Effective communication between Commercial, QA, and scouting teams.
• Actionable insights supporting yield, quality, and operational consistency.