Cultivation/Harvest Support Technician —

About This Role

Cultivation Support Technician — Harvest
Job Description

Job Summary
The Cultivation Support Technician works as part of the seasonal harvest crew and may be assigned to any station across the harvest workflow — from cutting and transporting branches in the field to sorting, bucking, weighing, defoliating, or floating between stations as needed. Assignments are made daily (and may change during a shift) based on harvest volume, crew staffing, and workflow bottlenecks.
This job description covers the full range of duties a Cultivation Support Technician could be asked to perform. Not every technician will perform every duty listed, and no single shift is likely to involve all of them — the Harvest Lead will assign specific stations and tasks based on the day's needs.
Possible Station Assignments
Below are the stations a Cultivation Support Technician may be assigned to, in whole or in part, on any given shift. Each station has its own detailed Standard Operating Procedure (SOP); the summaries below describe the general nature of the work.
Floater
Team size: 1  -  Moves between stations to keep the whole harvest flowing

• Continuously monitors the harvest workflow and identifies bottlenecks before they stop production.

• Moves fresh flower from bucking stations to the Weighers and stems to the Mulcher.

• Restocks gloves, scissors, bags, liners, and cleaning supplies at each station.

• Temporarily fills in at any station that is falling behind or waiting on material.

• Maintains general cleanliness and organization throughout the harvest area.

Cutter
Team size: 1-2  -  Field-based, cuts branches and loads them for transport

• Cuts branches from designated harvest plants using loppers or harvest scissors.

• Places cut branches onto hangers and loads them onto wagon-mounted branch racks.

• Paces cutting based on rack capacity and direction from the Transporter or Floater.

• Collects METRC plant tags and keeps them separated by harvest batch.

• Works outdoors and monitors radio communications throughout the shift.

Transporter
Team size: 1-2  -  Moves wagons between the cutting and sorting areas

• Cycles wagons between Cutters and Sorters, keeping branch order intact.

• Assists Cutters with loading branches onto hangers and racks.

• Delivers loaded wagons to the sorting station using first-in, first-out rotation.

• Manages the flow of empty and loaded hangers between stations.

• Communicates rack capacity and hanger availability across the crew.

Sorter
Team size: 2-4  -  Sorts branches into A, B, and C size categories

• Receives loaded hangers and processes them in first-in, first-out order.

• Removes branches from hangers and sorts them by size (A, B, or C).

• Fills and stacks labeled trays without overfilling or crushing flower.

• Supplies A trays to Hand Buckers and B/C trays to Machine Buckers.

• Monitors tray levels and bucking-station demand to avoid backups.

Hand Bucker
Team size: 2-4  -  Manually removes flower from A-grade branches

• Processes only A-grade branches, using scissors to remove flowers by hand.

• Collects flower directly into a food-safe bag lined inside a five-gallon bucket.

• Handles flower with extra care to preserve structure and quality.

• Notifies the Weigher when a bucket of flower is ready for pickup.

• Keeps stalks and branches separated from finished flower.

Machine Bucker
Team size: 2 primary, plus 1 overflow as needed  -  Mechanically buckets B/C-grade branches

• Operates a bucking machine assigned to either B or C branches.

• Feeds branches fresh-cut-end-first and collects flower in a lined 27-gallon tote.

• Directs stripped stems into a designated collection bin.

• Follows machine safety procedures, including lockout during jams or malfunctions.

• Wears required eye and hearing protection while operating equipment.

Weigher
Team size: 2-3  -  Packages bucked flower into 2,270g bags for the freezer

• Weighs freshly bucked flower into turkey bags at a target weight of 2,270 grams.

• Seals, numbers, and logs each completed bag in chronological order.

• Keeps strains and harvest batches clearly separated at all times.

• Transfers completed bags to the freezer promptly.

• Retrieves full containers from bucking stations when needed.

Defoliation
Pre-harvest process  -  Hand-removes designated leaves before harvest

• Pinches and plucks designated leaves from plants by hand.

• Collects leaves in clean totes for transfer to the Mulcher or Weigher.

• Works on only one strain or harvest batch at a time to prevent mixing.

• Follows the Harvest Lead's direction on how heavily to defoliate each plant.

• Reports plant-quality concerns such as mold, pests, or disease.

PPE & Physical Requirements
PPE Required:

• Work gloves (all stations)

• Eye protection — required for Machine Bucking, available as needed elsewhere

• Hearing protection — required when operating bucking machines

• Two-way radio / walkie-talkie — issued for most stations

• Clothing appropriate for outdoor or greenhouse conditions

Qualifications

• Must be able to lift up to 50 lbs.

• Prolonged standing, walking, bending, and repetitive hand motion.

• Work may take place outdoors, in a greenhouse, or in a covered processing area.

• Working above ground: Yes (varies by station and task).

General Expectations — All Stations
Regardless of station assignment, all Cultivation Support Technicians are expected to:

• Follow first-in, first-out (FIFO) handling to preserve flower quality and workflow order.

• Keep different strains and harvest batches clearly separated at all times.

• Maintain sanitation standards — clean tools, gloves, and containers before and during use.

• Communicate promptly with the Harvest Lead or Floater about bottlenecks, shortages, or concerns.

• Immediately report mold, pests, foreign material, contamination, or damaged product.

• Follow all safety procedures, including proper lifting technique and equipment guarding.

• Stop work and notify a supervisor if an unsafe or unsanitary condition develops.

• Be flexible and available to move between stations as the Harvest Lead directs.

• Must be at least 21 years of age

A Note on Assignment Flexibility
Because harvest workflow needs shift throughout the day, technicians should expect to move between stations rather than remain in a single role for the full shift or the full season. Being cross-trained across multiple stations is valued but not required for every technician — initial assignments will be based on availability, prior experience, and current crew needs. About Vangst:
Vangst is the cannabis industry's hiring platform. Vangst helps cannabis companies find the talent they need to grow their business. From on-demand gig workers to trained & credential full-time employees, Vangst has built the industry's go-to talent marketplace for all cannabis hiring. Vangst is proud to work with 1,200+ of the cannabis industry's leading businesses.
Since raising their seed round in 2018, Vangst has become one of the fastest-growing companies in the cannabis industry and was recognized as one of Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies.
Today, over 300,000 people have full-time jobs in the cannabis industry and this number is expected to triple over the next five years. Vangst is on a mission to fill every job in the cannabis industry.
Vangst's headquarters is in Denver, CO. Vangst is a Series B company backed by Lerer Hippeau, Colle Capital, Level One Fund, Snoop Dogg's Casa Verde Capital, and others.
Vangst provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.
This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.
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Licenses & Certifications

• METRC certification preferred