Site Manager

Job Purpose

To develop, implement and lead the long-term strategy of the site by transforming it into the most efficient and preferred production location with high HSEQ standards, to produce the best quality plants for our customers. Lead the site resources and continually improve the capabilities, processes, and assets to meet business needs in terms of customer responses, cost efficiency, and full compliance with internal and external standards and legislations.

Provide visionary leadership and develop a high-performing, well-integrated site team by creating a strong succession pipeline. Foster a collaborative environment where team members work in harmony, like a well-oiled machine, to drive the implementation of a site-wide strategy. Secure Flowers and Seeds production processes and ensure a reliable, sustainable production system is in place.

The ideal candidate will excel at building synergy among team members, recognizing that a cohesive, tightly knit workforce is crucial for achieving operational excellence and maintaining our position as an industry leader.

Key Responsibilities

• Autonomous leadership of the site in line with the Syngenta Flowers culture and strategy.
• Directs and guides functional leaders in execution of responsibilities for cost, volume, people and quality management for continuous and sustainable business operations.
• Sets targets and evaluates performance as per Syngenta policy for the management team to achieve overall business objectives.
• Ensures sourcing of required resources for assets acquisitions and replacements in a cost-effective manner to produce for each season according to the forecast and quality standards.
•  Maintains the site Master plan & ensures implementation of short and midterm investment plans as per strategy to achieve targeted objectives.
• Reviews and approves site budget and latest estimates to ensure reasonableness of the annual estimates in meeting business objectives.
• Manages the budget and handle communications with Global flower controllers to ensure changes to the budget are agreed and aligned.
• Ensures detailed reports on country events, business activities, investment progress, corporate social responsibilities and financial reports are prepared and distributed to various stakeholders for smooth running and monitoring of the business.
• Establishes reviews and sustains communication lines with the seeds and flowers global managers, Global research teams with the local teams of all levels for smooth execution of the company’s activities.
• Implements and maintains integrity and security of company assets and personnel especially the SOX compliance while taking the local context into account to ensure adherence with local legal and other stakeholder’s requirements for sustainable and consistent farm operations.
• Enforces HSE rules & regulations and champions the implementation of the Syngenta HSE policy in all business decisions and activities.
• Adhere with Syngenta code of conduct and be ambassador in fully implementing our D&I policy and speak up cultures.
• Oversees compliance to phytosanitary and other local and international regulations.

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

Knowledge Skills & Experience:

Experience

• Minimum 10 years of management experience in a production environment
• Experience in leading and guiding multiple teams in operations
• Experience in stakeholder management
• Experience in influencing and cooperating with external partners
• Keeping helicopter view
• Able to communicate on all levels in the organization
• Willingness to listen and open for feedback

Key Skills

• Strategic thinking
• Leadership
• Works, thinks and analyzes at BSc level, preferably in horticulture
• Fluent in English, both in speech as in writing
• Knowledge in Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams, Zoom, etc.
• Basic green technical knowledge

Working relationships:

Internal

• EAME
• Site Managers
• TI

External

• Auditors,
• Kephis,
• Tax authorities,
• Compliance Bodies
• Banks
• Suppliers
• Local communities
• Government officials

Extent of Authority

• Sign off new hires and separations
• Contracts signing
• Site expenditure approval

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 and work odd hours during peak season.
• Integrity.
• Ability to prioritize tasks.

Critical Success Factors and Key Challenges.

• Maintaining a factual overview of the production possibilities
• Timely planning of order confirmation
• Timely and factual communication of capacity updates.
• Adequate preparations in production planning in conjunction with the Production Manager.