With the USA’s cannabis sector booming, more people are seeking a career in the industry – so what do various jobs pay?
Vangst has put together some numbers in its Cannabis Industry Salary Guide 2018. Here’s the averages in US dollars for various selected positions.
Director of Cultivation
Focuses on the production of high-quality cannabis. It’s a complex role, involving designing standard operating procedures, schedules for nutrient application and harvesting and controlling pests. It also involves a HR element – hiring, training and personnel management. Salary: on average $88,000 pa.
Director of Extraction
This role involves oversight of cannabis extraction and refinement, including design of facilities, the setup of labs developing procedures, compliance with regulation and human resources tasks; all with view to producing safe products in an efficient and consistent manner. Salary: on average, $72,000 pa.
Compliance Manager
As the title suggests, the compliance manager has the responsibility of ensuring local, state, and federal compliance with all laws and regulations, which includes the development of policies and procedures to ensure the company stays sweet with various levels of government. Salary: on average, $62,500 pa.
Trimmer
A very hands-on position – a trimmer clips and prepares flower products, ready for sale. Hourly rate: on average $12.25/hr.
Dispensary Store Manager
Looks after the day-to-day operations of a dispensary, including managing staff and inventory, compliance at a store level and in-store procedures. Salary: on average, $56,250 pa.
Budtender
A play on the word “bartender”, a budtender carries out a similar role, serving patients and customers in medical and recreational dispensaries. Hourly rate: on average $13.25/hr.
Outside Sales Representative
Just like a sales rep in any other industry, cannabis sales reps seek to establish new accounts with dispensaries and other cannabis retailers and manage existing relationships. Salary: on average, $58,800 pa.
It’s important to note the above figures are just averages. For example, the range of pay for a Director of Extraction was $47k to $191k according to Vangst. You can learn more about the various roles above and pay ranges by visiting the Vangst Cannabis Industry Salary Guide 2018.
These aren’t the only jobs in the sector of course – other roles include those involved with gardening, research, security, finance, laboratory work, marketing and quality assurance; to name a few.
According to Vangst, there was a 690% growth in job listings between January last year and August this year, and the average salary increased 16.1% between 2017 and 2018.
