Summary
Date Posted: Wednesday, December 08, 2021 , Base Salary: Not Disclosed

JOB DETAILS:
Chief Agronomist & Operating Officer
Overview

Our client, a farm engaging in the growing and export of cut roses, both sprays and t-hybrids, is looking to hire a suitably qualified and competent Chief Agronomist & Operating Officer (CAOO) to manage the end-to-end operations of the farm and manage its employees. The CAOO will be in the senior management team and report directly to the CEO.

Key Responsibilities
Direct line management responsibility for 5 departments. Each department is headed by a manager who will report directly to the CAOO. The CAOO will be involved in:
• Overseeing the day-to-day operations of the rose production department activities which include crop husbandry, harvesting, uprooting, planting, crop timing, greenhouse management & forecasting of crop yield.
• Managing the various fertigation regimes. Anticipate and follow-through on maintenance of ferti-irrigation equipment, and hydroponic growing system.
• Managing and evaluating the operations involved in Integrated Pest Management for crop protection, including climate management.
• Supervising the entire supply chain from entry into the cold value chain, to processing of a ready-to sell rose bunch. Ensuring the departments are aligned to customer needs and demands. Ensuring staff optimization and advance preparation for peak times such as Valentine’s Day.
• Preparing annual maintenance schedules, coordinating planned and unplanned maintenance activities, ensuring department managers are up to date on job progress status, ensuring adequate staffing of the department, putting in place safety protocols and legal compliances to ensure safety and ensuring equipment are well maintained with no downtime.
• Preparation of departmental budgets, capex plans and presenting them to the board for approval and helping departments keep within the budget.
• Ensure each departmental team is staffed to maximize productivity in line with historical farm benchmarks or in line with benchmarks in the floriculture industry in Kenya.
• Work hand in hand with the continuous quality improvement manager, to improve on the processes and deliver on the quality standards.
• Conduct operational reviews and make recommendations to the CEO to improve the business functioning.
• Work with a group of consultants in the areas of quality, trials, production, fertigation and IPM who have intimate knowledge of the farm since 20+ years.
• Produce reports in the agreed frequency for the management team and the Board.
• Support compliance with the various legal, labour, gender, HSE and integrity laws pertaining to the floriculture industry.
• Requirement to work on the farm 5.5 days/week.

The ideal candidate should have the following attributes:
• 5-15 years’ experience in horticulture with farm management experience (rose production & Africa-specific experience is a plus).
• MSc/PhD in agronomy or related fields.
• Fluent in English.
• Fully conversant with MS office suite (Excel, Access, Word, Power point, Outlook).
• Strong leadership skills in a labour-intensive business.
• Strategic planning and organizational skills.
• Detail oriented and able to drive excellence.
• Able to deal with ambiguity, adapt to change in an unstructured work environment.

Work Hours: 8

Experience in Months: 60

Level of Education: Bachelor Degree

Job application procedure
Please send your CV and cover letter to Agri Frontier Limited at info@agrifrontier.com, no later than 13th December 2021. Both European and Kenyan jobseekers who qualify are invited to apply.

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