: Horticultural Manager (Controlled Setting Agriculture)Company: Be Verse Technologies

Location: Chennai (100% On-Site)

Employment Type: Full time

Compensation: Starting at ₹60,000 per month (negotiable upward depending on experience) + pathway to equity/partnership based on business growth

About Be Verse TechnologiesBe Verse Technologies is an integrated commerce and FMCG company building sustainable, scalable global trade and retail infrastructure. Rejecting subsidy-driven quick-commerce models, we prioritize intelligent digital retail systems, lean operations, and robust supply chain integration directly from the production floor upward. Connecting high-velocity consumer retail environments with international trade corridors, Be Verse operates as a digital-first, efficiency-driven enterprise focused on long-term value creation.

Role OverviewWe are looking for an entrepreneurial, technically proficient Horticultural Manager to lead and scale our precision cultivation operations on-site in Chennai.

In this role, you will take full operational ownership of setting up, commissioning, and managing our commercial controlled-environment agriculture (CEA) facility. Core operations center on high-value, high-demand crops—specifically Hydroponics, Microgreens, Specialty Mushrooms, and Saffron Cultivation.

Because this role requires hands-on facility setup, climate control calibration, daily yield monitoring, and direct supervision of farm personnel, it is a fully on-site position. For a high performer who successfully builds and scales this unit, this role offers a structured pathway to become an equity/business partner as the vertical expands.

Key Responsibilities1.

Facility

Setup &

• CEA Operations

- Lead the ground-up setup, commissioning, and daily management of indoor farming systems, including vertical hydroponic racks,



mushroom fruiting chambers, climate-controlled saffron units, and microgreen germination bays.
- Calibrate and monitor environmental parameters: HVAC, humidity, CO2 levels, VPD (Vapor Pressure Deficit), photoperiod lighting, and nutrient dosers.
- Design and execute nutrient delivery recipes (EC/pH management) tailored to distinct crop cycles.

2. Cultivation & • Yield Management
- Plan, schedule, and execute production calendars to meet FMCG pipeline targets and retail dispatch schedules.
- Implement strict Integrated Pest Management (IPM), bio-security, and sanitation protocols across cleanroom and growing zones.
- Oversee mushroom substrate preparation, sterilization, inoculation, and incubation cycles.
- Manage specialized growth cycles for indoor saffron (corm conditioning, flowering induction, and harvesting).

3.

Quality

Assurance &

• Compliance
- Establish Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for harvesting, grading, post-harvest cooling, packing, and cold-chain handover.
- Ensure all production lots comply with national food safety standards (FSSAI), GAP (Good Agricultural Practices), and organic/residue-free certifications.
- Maintain digital logs of batch yields, input utilization (water, energy, nutrients), mortality rates, and operational costs.

4. Team Leadership & • Resource Planning
- Recruit, train, and supervise on-site farm technicians, nursery workers, and harvesting staff.




- Manage inventory levels for seeds, corms, spawn, substrates, fertilizers, packaging, and facility spare parts to prevent downtime.
- Collaborate closely with supply chain, manufacturing, and retail teams to align harvest outputs with high-velocity distribution channels.

Candidate Profile & • Qualifications
- Education: Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Horticulture, Agriculture, Agronomy, Plant Biotechnology, or a related discipline.
- Hands-on CEA Experience: 3+ years of commercial cultivation experience with demonstrated expertise in at least two of the following: Hydroponics (NFT, DWC, or Dutch Bucket), Microgreens, Commercial Mushroom Farming, or Indoor Saffron.
- Technical Rigor: Thorough understanding of plant physiology, nutrient dynamics, substrate chemistry, climate control automation, and indoor pathology.
- Operational Drive: Proven capability to set up farming infrastructure from scratch rather than just maintaining mature facilities.
- Leadership & • Organization:

Experience supervising farm hands, standardizing farm logs, and tracking unit economics through data-driven reporting.
- Location Commitment: Willingness to be stationed 100% in office at the Chennai cultivation unit.

What We Offer
- Competitive Base Compensation: Starting from ₹60,000/month, with room to scale higher based on proven technical expertise and past commercial track record.
- Partnership Track: High-impact operators will have the direct opportunity to transition into an equity-holding Business Partner as the horticultural and FMCG vertical achieves key growth milestones.
- End-to-End Ownership: Complete autonomy to design workflows, test high-value cultivars, and build out a modern, commercial-scale urban agriculture engine.

📌 Horticultural Manager (Chennai)
🏢 Be Verse Technologies
📍 Chennai