Farm Manager at Nuts and Oils International

Job purpose

The farm manager is responsible for the daily planning, organization, supervision and administration of activities on the farm. He/she will also be responsible for organizing sales and purchase of livestock, farm equipment, crops and agricultural products and handling paperwork and keeping administrative records.

Duties and responsibilities

The duties of the farm manager shall include and is not limited to:

• Direct and coordinate worker activities such as planting, irrigation, chemical application, harvesting, grading, payroll and record keeping.
• Confers with purchasers and arranges for sale of crops.
• Records information, such as production, farm management practices, and parent stock, and prepares operational reports.
• Analyzes soil to determine type and quantity of fertilizer required for maximum production.
• Inspects equipment to ensure proper functioning.
• Inspects nursery and fields to determine maturity dates of crops or to estimate potential seedling damage from weather.
• Purchases machinery, equipment and supplies such as fertilizers and chemicals.
• Ensure that all the SOPs stipulated by the Head office are met
• 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
• 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.
• 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 a minimum of 2 years’ experience in farm work, planting and seedling maintenance.
• A proven track record of meeting various targets set.
• 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.

• Entrepreneurial experience
• High emotional intelligence: Self-regulation and empathy in particular.
• A true team player: You’ll be willing to do whatever it takes to help your fellow colleagues.
• Excellent judgement in sensitive people issues, management skills and creative problem solving.
• Strong communication skulls, both written and oral.
• A willingness to commit to working and residing at the farm location (Busia).
• English is required and Swahili speakers strongly preferred.

Working conditions

The job is full time and will be based at the nursery location (Busia). You will have to work long hours in unfavorable weather conditions if needed. You may also be required to do some heavy lifting at the nursery.