Senior Supervisor Growing

Role Purpose

To monitor and control crop nutrition process, greenhouse climate and water treatment for use in the farm.

Key Responsibilities

• Supports in location planning to ensure that each variety in the production assortment has the M2 needed, appropriate day length, Growing media, certification levels and climatic conditions to meet the production focus (planning as per the specified growing requirements).
• Ensures sterilization of irrigation water as per the protocols to achieve set standards.
• Samples the different input and drain solutions in different crop stages for analysis by an accredited laboratory.
• Corrects the recipe formulations as per lab analysis and visual crop observation to deliver a well-balanced crop for quality cuttings production (consultation required).
• Ensures timely requisition and mixing of fertilizer
• Ensures timely dosing of various fertilizer solutions (recipes) to achieve the desired target pH/EC.
• Monitors irrigation of the crops in the greenhouses to ensure it is done with the appropriate right recipe specifications and with prevailing weather conditions in mind.
• Ensures that all Fertigation machines and equipment including drip lines are in good working conditions and promptly reports any malfunction for repair.
• Supports the production team on matters regarding water management to achieve a healthy crop throughout the season.
• Facilitates plant treatment through drips (drenching) in liaison with crop protection supervisor.
• Ensures all irrigation related data is collected, tabulated, analyzed, and presented on time and actions taken to achieve a healthy crop throughout the season.
• Ensures supervisors on duty are aware and coached and assisted on fertigation processes including trouble shooting and reporting when on weekend and Holiday duty for effective running of operations in the Fertigation station.
• Ensures all the vendors and service providers are guided while working in the Fertigation for compliance and communicating to the relevant personnel on the progress.
• Monitors all the greenhouse vents and irrigation machines and valves to ensure they are in good working condition.
• Ensures all equipment and structures are serviced regularly and records kept accordingly (liaison with production Lead - Growing and Engineering team)
• Ensures all climate sensors (Example: Data loggers/ Sigrows etc.) are downloaded and data analyzed, disseminated and maintained for decision making.
• Maintains and updates all Fertigation documents and prepares Necessary/required reports for decision making and compliance.
• Ensures adherence to Phytosanitary standards in all Fertigation processes to control pathogens.
• Ensures all Quality Management Systems(QMS) documents concerned with irrigation are reviewed at least annually as per the document to capture any process changes.
• Trains the Fertigation team to enhance productivity and efficiency.
• Train the fertigation section representative and monitor performance.
• Set targets for the team and evaluate the day today performance
• Evaluates Fertigation team to measure performance and identify areas of improvement.
•  Enforces Health Safety and Environment (HSE) rules and regulations and champions the implementation of the Syngenta HSE policy in all business operations.
• Any other tasks & projects as may be allocated from time to time.

Syngenta is a Global Agribusiness Company with its headquarters in Basel, Switzerland. We are a market leader in the breeding and production of Seeds and Cuttings for high-quality pot and bedding plants. In Kenya, we have two production Sites; Kenya Cuttings Limited based in Thika, and Pollen Limited based in Ruiru.

Academic Qualifications

• Degree/ diploma in Horticulture/Agriculture

Experience

• 2yrs in relevant field
• Knowledge in hydroponics

Key Skills:

• Computer skills,
• Supervisory skills
• Communication skills.
• Analytical
• Organizational skills

Personal Attributes

• Integrity
• Team player
• Patience
• Pro-active

Essential Syngenta Competencies

Customer-focused - Ensure that the plants are grown and fed under the right conditions to ensure quality of the products to satisfy the customer requirements.

Innovative - Challenge and improve the current way of doings things in your area of responsibility to increase efficiency.

Decisive - Demonstrate ability to take prudent action with little oversight.

Communicative - Demonstrates openness in communication to others, able to communicate to general workers in a language they can understand, listens well and incorporates the thoughts and ideas of others.

Trusted - Track record for building trust and reliability to deliver required products.

Team-oriented - Ability to work in a team of other growers and other personnel, providing support.

Results-oriented - Ability to deliver products in defined quantities, quality time and cost.

Other behaviors critical for the role.

• Ability to work under pressure.
• Understanding and able to handle workers on a lower level.

Critical Success Factors and Key Challenges.

• Knowledge of plant physiology and nutrition
• Water management and appropriate fertilization.
• Proper people management and effective communication
• Crop management