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Lead Shop Production & Logistics Manager

Company: Plants On Walls / Florafelt Living Wall Systems

Location: Sebastopol, CA (Boutique Production Studio)

Compensation: $40.00 / Hour

Schedule: Part-Time | Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday (Approx. 18–24 hours per week based on seasonal order volume).

Shift Times: Highly Flexible. Open to early self-starters who like to independently kick off the day, mid-day shifts, or afternoon operators. We will design a consistent shift window that fits your lifestyle.

About the Role

We are seeking a highly autonomous, reliable, and mechanically inclined Lead Manager to run our boutique manufacturing shop floor in Sebastopol, California. This is a premium position for an independent operator who takes pride in workspace organization, quality craftsmanship, and absolute efficiency.

Because the business owner handles client consulting, design calls, and administration in the mornings, you will enjoy a high degree of autonomy on the shop floor. You will be trusted to independently audit customer dimensions for our Florafelt vertical garden product lines, operate specialized production machinery, assemble custom kits, and prep freight for shipping.

To see the exact product lines, global projects, and vertical garden systems we manufacture here in the shop, please review our product site atFlorafelt.com.

Key Responsibilities

1. Product Expertise & Order Architecture (Technical Gatekeeping)

System Mastery: Develop a deep, thorough understanding of the Florafelt living wall systems, product lines, and how the various components mechanically integrate.
Project Plan Review: Read and interpret project dimensions and customer order specifications to accurately calculate, plan, and lay out the material cuts required for production.
Order Auditing & Error Catching: Review incoming client orders against project notes to identify discrepancies, catching potential customer mistakes (e.g., mismatched hardware, incorrect quantities, or wrong system types) before production begins to protect shop inventory.
Technical Troubleshooting: Work proactively with the owner to clarify order ambiguities or address custom layout challenges to ensure the final product matches the client’s actual space requirements.

2. Core Shop Production & Machine Operation

Material Handling: Safely loading, moving, and stacking heavy bulk materials, including manually lifting and positioning 50 lb rolls of felt onto processing machinery.
Machine Operation: Operating specialized felt-processing and roll-slitting machinery utilizing pneumatic tools, air guns, and roll-slitting guides.
Safety & PPE Compliance: Strict adherence to safety protocols, including the mandatory use of personal protective equipment (PPE) such as eye and ear protection. The shop operates as a 100% drug-free and alcohol-free environment.
Finishing & Inventory Prep: Utilizing felt trimmers to cleanly cut, edge, and finish materials to exact design specifications, stacking finished components to build out product inventory.
Ergonomics & Physical Stamina: Maintaining the physical ability to comfortably stand for extended periods on concrete shop floors and perform repetitive manual tasks safely.

3. Product Assembly & Kitting

Hardware Systems: Assembling boutique recirculating hardware units involving water pumps, timers, and specialized tubing.
Irrigation Kits: Piecing together custom irrigation kits (including tubing, emitters, and pre-wired timers safely housed in control boxes) ready for client mailing.
ProSystem Units: Utilizing stainless steel wire grids and slit rolls of Florafelt to assemble complete, modular systems for customer orders.

4. Fulfillment, Shipping, & Shop Operations

Logistics & Freight: Packaging, boxing, and labeling small orders; building out larger wholesale orders on pallets and securing them for LTL (Less-Than-Truckload) freight pickup.
Shipping Software: Utilizing online label printers and Stamps.com to manage outgoing tracking, documentation, and orders.
Courier Runs: Coordinating regular shop UPS pickups and handling occasional deliveries/drop-offs to the local UPS store using a personal vehicle.
Facility Security & Keyholding: Responsibly opening the shop and securely locking down the facility at the end of each shift, ensuring all machinery, climate controls, and power mains are completely shut down.
Receiving: Offloading incoming raw materials from delivery trucks, checking packing slips for accuracy, and inspecting freight for damage before signing.
Shop Care & Waste Management: Maintaining a highly organized, clean, and vacuumed boutique environment daily, with a dedicated deep clean scheduled weekly. This includes breaking down bulk cardboard, managing production waste, and staging bins for commercial pickup.
Tool Maintenance: Cleaning, oiling, and maintaining shop tools and machinery according to strict manufacturer specifications to prevent downtime.
Inventory Control: Tracking raw materials, hardware, and packaging stock, and proactively ordering supplies as necessary to prevent production gaps.

5. R&D, Infrastructure, & Climate Control

Automation Collaboration: Working collaboratively with the business owner to design, test, and mechanically automate machinery to continuously improve shop efficiency.
Facility Setup: Assisting in setting up shop infrastructure, specifically localized ventilation and filtration systems to manage airborne felt fibers.
Climate Management: Monitoring and managing the shop's heating, fans, and ventilation systems to keep a safe workspace and protect raw Florafelt inventory from moisture or environmental degradation.

6. Team Leadership & Labor Management (As Needed)

On-Site Supervision: Overseeing, directing, and managing temporary labor, assembly help, or junior shop hands during high-volume production runs.
Quality Control Oversight: Inspecting the work of secondary labor to ensure all assembled kits, finished panels, and freight prep meet the company’s high-end boutique standards before shipping.
Safety Enforcement: Ensuring that any additional shop help strictly adheres to all safety protocols, including mandatory PPE use and safe tool operation.
Workflow Delegation: Assigning daily tasks to helper staff to maximize shop efficiency and keep production timelines on schedule.

7. Client Relations & Off-Site Field Work

Customer Service & Communication: Professionally handling client emails regarding order updates, shipping timelines, and processing returns to ensure high-end satisfaction.
Company Representation: Maintaining a clean appearance and respectful, professional demeanor when communicating with high-end clients, property owners, and other trades.
On-Site Installations: Assisting with field installations, including wrapping plants, organizing flora according to architectural design grids, and delivering project components directly to job sites.
Contractor Relations: Working side-by-side with external General Contractors on-site to cleanly integrate the mechanical details and irrigation systems of a project.
Living Wall Maintenance: Ascending ladders safely to trim foliage, service liquid feeder bottles, program irrigation timers, and evaluate system health on existing client installations.
Problem Reporting: Documenting on-site installation challenges or machine malfunctions with photos and communicating them clearly to the owner for real-time troubleshooting.

8. Vehicle Requirement, Reimbursement, & Liability Insurance

Reliable Truck/Utility Vehicle Required: This role extends beyond the shop floor. You will occasionally be tasked with local off-site logistics, including picking up live plants from regional greenhouses, gathering hardware/supplies from suppliers like Home Depot, transporting fulfillment boxes to shipping hubs, and delivering finished system components directly to local job sites or installations in the city.
Generous Mileage Compensation: All business-related driving performed in your personal vehicle (excluding your standard daily commute to the Sebastopol shop) will be meticulously tracked and fully reimbursed at the official IRS business rate of 72.5 cents per mile.
Dual-Layer Insurance Coverage:
- Primary: The candidate must maintain a valid California driver’s license, a clean driving record, and active personal auto insurance that meets standard state liability limits.
- Company Extension: While operating your vehicle on official company business and job sites, our corporate policy provides Commercial Non-Owned Auto Liability coverage as an additional layer of protection for the business and the scope of your employment.

Administrative & Reimbursement Notes

Time Tracking: Meticulously tracking daily hours and project-specific tasks using the company’s digital time-clock application to ensure accurate payroll.
Expense Reimbursements: Business-related driving in a personal vehicle (excluding the daily commute to the Sebastopol shop) will be reimbursed at the standard IRS mileage rate. A monthly stipend will be provided for required business use of a personal cell phone.

How to Apply

If you are a self-motivated maker, fabricator, or independent shop operator who matches this description, we would love to hear from you.

Please send an email to jobs@plantsonwalls.com with the subject line "Lead Shop Manager Application — [Your Name]".

In your email, please include:

A brief summary of your hands-on shop, mechanical, or fabrication experience.
A copy of your resume (if available).
Your general availability for a brief phone screen.

> Note for Future Applicants: We are always looking for talented local makers, builders, and field installers in the Sonoma County area to join our network. If this specific role isn't a perfect fit but you would like to be considered for future project-based openings, please feel free to submit your information to our email above.