Farm Manager - Kirinyaga at Corporate Staffing

Our Client is an innovative hydroponics farm located in the Kirinyaga County that produces a variety of Vegetable, Fruits and Fodder. They seek to recruit an experienced Agronomist who would serve as the Farm Manager overseeing the overall operations within the Farm. The incumbent will be tasked to produce high grade quality horticultural crops, optimize farm operations and maximize production outputs to realize revenue. All are encouraged to apply.

Responsibilities

• Managing all on-farm activities to include planning of all seeding, nursery, growing and harvesting, sorting, packaging, pruning, record keeping, maintenance of standards of health and safety as per G.A.P Certificate
• Overall welfare of the plants in order to meet the 90% yield quota
• Assign duties, such as cultivation, irrigation, harvesting, pruning, packaging, grading and equipment maintenance
• Management, training and supervision of all farm staff.
• Observe workers to detect inefficient or unsafe work procedures or to identify problems and initiate corrective action as necessary
• Ensure that all the SOPs stipulated by the Head office are met
• Ensure that proper clothing is worn during the handling of any produce or while within the Greenhouses
• Review and inspection of reports made by subordinates on the Greenhouse conditions
• Oversee the Nutrient balancing and management of the hydroponics system, plant health, control of pests,
• Water quality testing (including pH, EC, temperature and other critical parameters Stock control;
• Adherence to and where required improvement of Standard Cultivation Operating Procedures and health and safety requirements, and ensuring that all farm activities are carried out accordingly
• Providing periodic operations reports to the management team, reporting on progress vs targets and production reports
• Requisition or purchase of supplies, such as insecticides, machine parts/lubricants, tools and implementation of stock control measures.
• Ensure adherence to Horticultural Crops Development Authority regulations, including Food Safety and Quality, Environment Safety and Workers Welfare, Health and Safety
• Post-harvest processing including storage and packaging in preparation of sale
• Coordination with logistics and sales staff to ensure correct timing of harvest-ready produce

Qualifications

• Degree in Agricultural Sciences/ Horticulture
• Must have minimum of 2 years’ experience in hydroponics farming (nutrient formulae, preparing solutions, nutrient requirements, deficiencies, toxicities, pH, Do, conductivity, salinity, growth regulators)
• 5-7 years of extensive practical experience and knowledge about cultivating common greenhouse crops. Additionally, knowledge on Mushroom, Cattle and Goat farming would be an added advantage though not deciding factor.
• A proven track record of meeting various targets set.
• Knowledge of organic farming and permaculture techniques is an advantage
• Keen on learning, growing, and contributing with a small team of experienced people in a dynamic environment
• Ability to work independently while constantly informing the head office in terms of reports, charts and memos.
• Demonstrated computer skills and proficiency in all MS Office applications
• Demonstrated ability to multitask, prioritize responsibilities and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment
• Strong leadership capabilities with minimal supervision and ability to take initiative.