Responsibilities:
- Planning, coordinating and executing shade house activities by work assignments, setting priorities and directing the work of the subordinate employees as per set priorities by management.
- Preparing and implementing annual budget for shade house operations.
- Supervising and providing technical assistance to Production Supervisors and shade workers.
- Plays an important role to oversee the day to day operations on the work area.
- Advising management on better and improved farming techniques and new innovations.
- Prepare schedules for planting, pruning, wrapping, weeding and harvesting on the shade house as per the budgets made.
- Maintaining transparency with the Management
- Maintenance of shade house structure, including irrigation systems, machineries, farm roads, fire breaks and waste management facilities in the farm.
- Appraising the performance of Production supervisors and Group leaders.
- Identifying staff development and training needs and ensure that required training is obtained to the respective persons.
- Prepare and submit regular report to management on shade house operations and activities.
- Ensure that all machinery and equipment is maintained and all crops in the shade house is harvested in the right maturity and time.
- Ensuring cost savings in all possible areas of operation by means of mechanisation, and showing the best method of operations so as to improve the efficiency of the workers.
- Identifying the appropriate and cost-effective plant protection chemicals and fertilizers for the crops and sourcing it.
- Keeping records of all day to day activities of the shade house.
- Ensuring the safety of the workers inside the shade house.
- Preparing for Global G.A. P audit every year.
- Liaising with Pack House Manager and Sales team every day
- Conducting regular varietal trials and reporting the findings to the management
- Impart regular training to Production Supervisors and Group Leaders
- Visit markets regularly to understand quality parameters and competitors’ activities
Expected Capabilities
- Ability to identify between diseases, phytotoxicity, nutrient deficiency, nematode damage.
- Be able to name the diseases common to our area and the crops we grow in the shade house.
- Ability to find valid, accepted, scientific information sources to correctly identify specific plant diseases.
- Ability to identify correctly insect pests common to our area. General idea of difference between sucking insects and feeding insects.
- Ability to correctly identify mites and the damage they do as opposed to a virus.
- General knowledge of and ability to plan for controlling disease and pests with multiple methods.
- Problem Solving – observational talent to see problems, old as well as new, preferably before they go to significant economic damage.
- Make a plan for growing a specific product - variety selection, plant nutrition program, plant protection program, schedule of operations. Selection and sourcing of inputs. Capital equipment selection if needed.
- High level of curiosity – proactively does his own research, keeps up with the latest news from suppliers and publications as to what is new in crop protection, plant nutrition, irrigation, fertigation, equipment
- Labour management and ability to work with a multi-cultural work force
Irrigation and Fertigation Management
- Calculate flows per hectare
- Manage pumps and pump heads
- Ability to do ET calculations – reference (ETr) and (Etc) for crop stage. Correctly calculate from Etc for example how much time between irrigations so as not to run out of available water
- Calculate irrigation time and flow from our irrigation system to meet the ET
- Calculate the correct amount of N, P, and K using PPM standards developed here, the amount of standard fertilizers we need to apply to reach those levels.
- Do irrigation designs, demonstrating from standard charts pipe sizes appropriate to the flow required for the area and using friction loss charts
Equipment Management
- Ability to operate equipment used in his area of operation
- Understanding of the maintenance schedule of equipment used in your area of expertise
- Familiarity with the operator’s manuals for such equipment – maintenance schedules, safety hazards, manufacturer’s recommended operating procedures
- Enough familiarity with your equipment that you can instruct others on how to use it.
- Ability to calculate cost of ownership of a farm implement and its cost of operation and when it would or would not be beneficial for us to mechanize an operation.
Required Qualification, experience and Skills:
- Masters/Bachelor’s degree in Agriculture
- Should possess a min of 10 years’ experience in a hydroponics project of repute
- Proficiency with computers, especially MS Office, Power Point and diagnostic scientific software.
- Exceptional active listening and verbal and written communication skills.
- Strong research, decision making, critical thinking, and problem solving skills.
- Awareness of industry trends, technology, and developments.