The Group Head of Cultivation

Location: Breitenbach, Switzerland

Full-time, Onsite

Our client is an international holding group seeking an experienced Group Head of Cultivation to lead its Swiss cannabis cultivation and wholesale operation in Breitenbach.

This is a senior, hands-on leadership role with responsibility for the operational, financial, and organizational performance of the group’s Swiss business.

The Group Head of Cultivation will lead the continued development of a disciplined, professionally managed agricultural production operation. The immediate focus will be on strengthening cultivation reliability, improving cost and yield performance, implementing clear operational and financial controls, and building a strong management structure and culture of accountability.

This role is suited to a practical and visible leader who is comfortable moving between the cultivation floor, management team, and boardroom while guiding the organization through meaningful operational change.

MUST HAVE:

• Must be a Swiss or EU citizen, or otherwise have the legal right to live and work in Switzerland.
• 10+ years of senior operational leadership in agriculture, horticulture, controlled-environment farming, or similar production industries.
• Demonstrated experience managing complex operational turnarounds or restructuring situations.
• Strong financial and operational management capabilities.
• Experience leading teams through organizational change.
• Ability to work onsite in Breitenbach, Switzerland.

Key Responsibilities

Operational Stabilization

• Implement daily operational reporting and KPIs.
• Establish production dashboards and performance metrics.
• Ensure strict adherence to SOPs and quality standards.
• Enforce incident reporting and root-cause analysis.
• Improve communication and coordination across teams.
• Introduce structured operational discipline across the organization.

Cultivation Performance Improvement

• Work directly with the Head of Cultivation to improve production performance and plant health.
• Improve yield per square metre, grade distribution, and product quality.
• Strengthen crop-cycle reliability, integrated pest management, and environmental stability.
• Ensure the cultivation operation consistently meets production and quality targets.

Cost Reduction and Productivity

• Improve labor productivity.
• Reduce production cost per gram.
• Optimize facility utilization.
• Control purchasing and operational spending.
• Establish a cost structure that supports long-term competitiveness.

Quality and Risk Management

• Lead and enforce a culture of workplace health and safety.
• Ensure compliance with all applicable regulations and company policies.
• Improve sanitation and contamination control.
• Implement stronger integrated pest management protocols.
• Ensure traceability of product movement.
• Strengthen internal quality systems.
• Ensure production failures and operational incidents are prevented, documented, and corrected systematically.

Organizational Development

• Build the management and supervisory structure of the company.
• Recruit key management and technical talent.
• Improve supervisor training and accountability.
• Implement performance management systems.
• Reduce staff burnout and improve retention.
• Build a professional operating culture focused on accountability and continuous improvement.

Financial Control and Transparency

• Improve cost tracking and operational reporting.
• Ensure budget discipline.
• Strengthen purchasing controls.
• Improve cash-flow visibility and forecasting.
• Ensure management decisions are based on accurate financial and operational data.

Strategic Direction

• Work with the holding group to help define the long-term strategy of the Swiss business.
• Build a profitable CBD production platform.
• Evaluate opportunities in medical or recreational THC markets.
• Improve facility infrastructure and operational capabilities.
• Identify potential strategic partnerships or market expansion opportunities.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of senior operational leadership in agriculture, horticulture, controlled-environment farming, or similar production industries, with specific cannabis experience strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated experience managing complex operational turnarounds or restructuring situations.
• Strong financial and operational management capabilities.
• Experience leading teams through organizational change.
• Academic grounding in plant-related science highly favored.

This is a full-time, onsite position based in Breitenbach, Switzerland.

Please Note: At Emerald Lane Recruitment, we truly appreciate every application we receive. Due to the high volume of interest in our roles, our team will carefully review all submissions and contact candidates whose skills and experience align with the requirements of the position. We are committed to ensuring a fair, inclusive, and respectful recruitment process that adheres to global HR best practices. If you don’t hear from us this time, please know that your application will be kept on file for future opportunities that may be a better fit. Thank you for considering a role with us!

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