Technical Specialist - Viticulture (Contract)

Job Description:

Who We Are:

At Arterra Wines Canada, we aim to inspire the simple joys of life, and we come to work every day with a shared passion to build wine brands people love. As a pioneer in the Canadian wine industry with 150 years of experience, our success is driven by our people. We work together with integrity and pride, striving to reach our fullest potential every day, and we’re looking for people who do the same.

We are undergoing a pivotal transformation, actively in search of dynamic individuals poised to make a substantial impact within our ever-evolving organization. Are you someone who embraces change and excels in diverse roles that span across various functions? If so, we look forward to hearing from you!

Role Summary:

This is a technical position responsible for providing in house viticultural services. The role is focused on improving the quality of wine grapes produced in Arterra vineyards while maximizing the efficiency of vineyard operations. This person works closely with the Vineyard Manager, Senior Viticulturist and Director of Viticulture, providing direction for all viticultural activities including GIS management and maintenance, viticulture plan implementation, vineyard reporting, new development design and planning, and harvest coordination.

Key Responsibilities:

Viticulture Field work

• Vineyard Surveying – responsible for mapping new or redeveloped vineyards to ensure accurate reporting and planning.

• Soil surveys – responsible for creating annual sampling plans for soil testing for new vineyard developments and internal annual maintenance.

• With the assistance of the Senior Viticulturist, responsible for design and planning of new developments.

25%

Viticulture GIS Management and Maintenance

• Responsible for the creation and maintenance of the GIS dashboard which reflects current status of various vineyard labour tasks

• Responsible for GIS map creation for internal vineyards (Counts, Pest Monitoring, Planting, Efficiencies, Fertilizer, Observations, Soil sampling, Phenology, Alloc/Tier, New Developments, Frost Damage, Irrigation, NDVI)

• Responsible for GIS map creation for external vineyards (Growers - visits, Pest Monitoring, Planting, Efficiencies, Fertilizer, Observations, Soil sampling, Phenology, Alloc/Tier, New Developments, Frost Damage, Irrigation, NDVI)

• Accountable for overall health of the GIS system, including ArcGIS online backup and others as required, Operations Dashboard Creation & Upkeep

• Will order new devices (phones, ipads ) as required for staff using the GIS system

• Survey123 Creation & Database Upkeep (Spray, Irrigation, A5, Maintenance, Logbooks, Equipment Chargebacks, Task tracking)

• Responsible for upkeep of the Grower Database

• Responsible for NDVI Processing & Upload for analysis

• Microsoft Power Automate Creation & Upkeep

• Conduct regular training session on Collector & Survey Training for field staff

• Train vineyard management on the creation and use of maps for individual vineyard/ group use.

35%

Vineyard Reporting, Quality Assurance, CI

• Responsible for producing the annual vintage report, with inputs from others.

• Responsible for vineyard metric reporting of annual plan vs actuals

• Accountable for the timely update and reporting of crop estimate throughout the season

• Maintenance of historical records (vintage, phenology, sprays, nutrient testing, etc.)

• Responsible for creation of an asset database maintenance

• Will generate regular task by tier reports for vineyard managers.

15%

Viticulture process planning and implementation

• Responsible for annual technical task list review and updates

• Create the annual Soil Sampling Plan with assistance.

• Provide a breakdown of fertilizer costs by budget account

• Provide a breakdown of spray costs by budget account

• With assistance, generate the annual compost and cover crop plan for internal vineyards.

• With cooperation of vineyard managers and supervisors, manage chemical product stock.

• With assistance, generate the annual fertilizer and pesticide plan and purchase.

10%

Harvest Maturity Coordination

• Accountable for maturity result dissemination, harvest scheduling, and fruit delivery coordination.

• Enter JDE Harvest Estimates as required.

• In cooperation maintain the annual harvest schedule & tracking program.

15%

What You Bring:

• Bachelors (4 year) degree in Agriculture, Environmental, or related science.

• 3-5 years viticulture experience

• Knowledge/experience with pest identification and vine nutrition

• GIS system use and basic maintenance

• Valid drivers license

• Microsoft Office Suite (intermediate to advanced)

Preferred:

• Viticulture

• Equivalent horticulture or related plant science

• Advanced GIS diploma/certificate

• Knowledge in high end wine grape growing

• Knowledge/experience with Integrated Pest Management and sustainable grape growing

• Computer skills with GIS software

• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills

• Pesticide applicators license an asset

Working Conditions:

• Ability to work well independently; must be willing to work a flexible schedule especially during harvest; must be willing to work adverse weather conditions

Compensation: Budgeted Range – $68,462.00 – $88,597.00

The budgeted range considers several factors and qualifications that are considered in making compensation decisions including experience, education, training, licenses, certifications, and other business and organizational requirements. Base pay is only one component of the total rewards offering at Arterra.

The budgeted range will align with qualifications, including experience, education, training, licenses, certifications, and other business and organizational requirements.