Farm Manager at Saro Lifecare Limited

Job Description

• The position of the Farm Manager is a leadership and management position in the Company.
• The Farm Manager is charged with the overall responsibility of ensuring that all farm activities run smoothly and profitably with sound administrative and technical practices.

Primary Responsibilities
Technical:

• Undertakes the supervision of all farm production planning, operations from land clearing, through soil preparation, crop management and harvesting up to delivery to factory gate.
• Shall be responsible for the preparation and execution of farm budgets and investments in line with set goals and targets.
• Shall be responsible for the efficient deployment and routine maintenance of farm machineries, selection and application of appropriate agro inputs in a cost-effective manner.
• Maintains high level relationship with key farm and factory technical personnel to produce the required feedstock as at when due.
• Recruits and Supervises the activities of the block and field supervisors as well as casual workers to ensure high level performance in line with Greenhill strategy.
• Maintain an high level and professional relationship with collaborators that will aid in delivering planned Green Hills strategy

Commercial:

• Liaises with input suppliers and service providers to ensure prompt delivery of goods and services with minimum wastages.
• Monitors the delivery of products to ensure that goods are received in good conditions by the farm.
• Ensure that cassava root delivery to the factory is as planned with minimum delay and wastage.
• Ensures that production costs and controls are in line with expectations and must strive to be cost efficient at all times.
• Ensure efficient cost management that will deliver improvement in cost reduction and make Green Hills remains the most cost-efficient producer of Cassava root

Risk and Control:

• Ensure that identified risks in the farm operations are mitigated according to the plan.
• Ensures that issues of security, community relations, flooding and fire are adequately planned for and mitigations put in place before they occur.
• Provide the leadership that will ensure that subordinates provide solutions to farms technical problems responsibly and ensure adequate safety precautions by associates, contract worker and customer.

Process Improvement:

• Will continuously ensure processes are followed and improved upon by adherence and proposing ways of improvement.

Reporting:

• Provides reports of functions on weekly and periodic basis as may be needed by the Top Management.

Others:

• Any other job that may be assigned by the Greenhill MD

Competencies Required:

• Experience in managing the human and material resources to profitably produce and sell arable crop produce especially cassava roots based on projected costs and returns.
• Experience in optimizing production inputs including mechanization activities to deliver cassava roots at least costs.
• Clear understanding and practical experience in the profit and loss analysis of cassava production
• Ability to select and recruit suitably qualified other farm technical staff (Supervisors, Tractor operators, Farm Assistants and casual labourers.
• Understanding of the commercial and marketing activities as well as production and price cycles of farm produce especially Cassava roots.
• Should have experience in rural community relationship management
• Should have Knowledge and practical field experience in managing profitable large scale mechanized farm preferably cassava production farms by adopting best management practice (agronomic, human and material resources).
• Should have knowledge and experience in achieving targeted cassava yield (volume and starch content) through planned activities from land preparation to harvesting including varietal selection across cassava growing seasons.
• Knowledge and Experience in the utilization of full farm mechanization options to optimize yield and lower production cost.
• Should be innovative and ready to adopt new improved technology for production, monitoring and decision making including digital apps.
• Experience in the organization and management of outgrowers/ingrowers schemes to achieve production targets will be an advantage.
• Ability to create relationships around his activities such as networking with other farm managers, processors, NGOs , communities and research institutes for knowledge exchange, social harmony and sourcing of required farm labour as may be needed.

Qualifications/ Experience

• Minimum of a Second Class Upper B.Agric (Hons) in Agronomy, Agric Economics or Extension from a reputable tertiary institution.
• Post graduate certificate in agriculture and business studies will be an advantage.
• Should have minimum of 10 years' experience as a large-scale farm Manager and preferably in a commercial cassava farm.
• Age: 32 - 42