Director of Agricultural Services Full Time

The Director of Agricultural Services will:

Lead vegetable agricultural operations and dry bean and pea acquisition nationally
Lead agricultural research efforts to drive quality improvement from raw product supply sources nationally with emphasis on plant breeding and all crop production agronomics
Develop agriculture plan that meets the annual pack plan and production schedules to maximize facility capacity
Assist procurement with co-pack relationships and help negotiate annual co-pack volumes with suppliers
Food Safety and Quality responsibilities:  Raw product quality, HACCP, agricultural pesticide programs lead, raw product security, raw product traceability systems administer
Lead to provide for and maintain a safe work environment for all affected employees
Provide industry insight into raw produce trends, including financial, applied agricultural sciences, research and business management, with a majority of time leading layers of managers and supervisors
Safety:

Following all safety policies, procedures and OSHA requirements; and make sure all team members follow the same. All Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and Safety Policies must be followed always while on property. Any unsafe conditions or acts are required to be reported to Upper Management.

Primary Responsibilities:

Serve point in mapping the production planning and pack planning calendar for the company.

Lead development of production capacity and historical throughput.
Develop, leverage and maintain relationships with raw product suppliers and competitive processors
Responsible for raw product procurement
Help negotiate with other processors for co-pack volume and pricing.
Develop, leverage and maintain good relationships throughout the industry.
Develop, leverage and maintain good relationships with suppliers.
Develop and leverage relationships with all land grant universities, state and federal agencies in the regions the company operates.
Develop and maintain in-kind research relationships with academia and extension scientists in all states we operate.
Lead direct reports to foster collaborative relationships with public plant breeding, plant pathology and other related areas nationally.

Lead vegetable seed evaluation and procurement to develop cooperative relationships with seed companies and land grant universities leveraging agreements for proprietary property right in dry peas, greens, spinach and sweet potatoes

With emphasis on proprietary need leverage genetic programs to achieve differentiated product to maintain market superiority
Maintain competitive intelligence through fostering a culture of collaboration among industry peers to know their respective crop latest technology and developments
Maintain a leadership role advising State Agencies and Federal Programs in the area of agricultural research and agricultural policy

Attend state / regional / national meetings (ie. IR-4 Minor Use Pesticide Registration program)
Provide support to pesticide program managers nation-wide to lead State level pesticide registration

Develop and lead to attain capex, fixed overhead and variable cost budgets as related to the agriculture department

 

Develop raw product contracts in concert with legal department that meet regulatory, quality and food safety requirements

 

Develop, leverage and maintain relationships with transportation providers

 

Leverage relationships with basic chemical manufacturers and suppliers remaining at forefront of emerging technology

 

Provide active support for company governmental relations efforts at local, state and federal levels

Lead research in the area of and maintain an awareness of emerging technologies in new harvesting equipment

 

Participate in business studies and with study teams to broaden the business and seek new ventures

 

Represent Company as a member of commodity groups, boards and associations

 

Participate in Grower Association negotiations where grower associations exist

 

Maintain competitor activity and key metrics to guide the business on an annual basis

 

 

 

Other duties as assigned:

Training and supervise employees
Must be able navigate through Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Word, and MAS
Must be able to adapt to changes that will better themselves and the company
Possess strong communication skills to collaborate with others
Critical thinking, problem solving, and organizational skills
Safely and continuously work with and around fast-moving equipment
Work in extreme temperatures
Lift 20-lbs to 40-lbs (a two-man lift is suggested for anything over this amount)
Must be able to work flexible hours which may include Saturdays and Sundays
Other duties as may be assigned by your manager

 

Knowledge:

Understand processing facility challenges with respect to raw product.  Plan and lead agricultural research and agricultural operations to supply a steady high-quality product.
Understand customer needs and expectations. Organize, plan, and problem-solve to exceed expectations and develop positive relationships.
Forward thinker and innovator. Understand key financial indicators and how day-to-day decisions impact the bottom line and other parts of the organization.
Possess high moral standards with integrity in all decisions, honest in word and deeds. Promote dignity, fairness, and consideration among the organization.
Understand manufacturing capacity and growing regions that meet and best utilize the facility’s capacity.

Skills:

Ability to multi-task and remain flexible. Possess and display desire, goodwill, initiative, and discipline.
An effective communicator – Use excellent oral and written skills to communicate with all levels including executive management, outside vendors, and major customers professionally. Keep executive management abreast of emerging situations as needed.
Teach, coach, mentor, counsel, motivate, and empower. Nurture relationships that result in a productive environment that is founded on mutual trust and respect.
Demonstrate leadership skills to all levels, particularly guiding reporting managers to approach their respective areas in same manor. Translate vision and strategy into explicit plans and action. Rally support behind the vision. Inspire and motivate people to achieve high performance, rewarding and recognizing successes.
Solution Oriented – work to overcome obstacles or roadblocks always working to resolve in a positive manner. Overcome challenges or obstacles even when it means choosing the hard right over the easy wrong.

 

Actions:

Be a decision maker –weigh in and determine the course of action. Set and pursue goals with a sense of purpose and urgency.
Be a standard-bearer – demonstrate ownership of policy and the Code of Conduct. Use authority in an appropriate manner.
Train and empower the organization to run with expectations. Set clear expectations, guide and trust people to decide how to complete high-quality work. Align work and resources to ensure success. Stay focused on the critical priorities. Connect individual work deliverables to organizational goals.
Demonstrate professional knowledge and good judgment with focus on achieving necessary tasks at hand and make course-corrections to ensure success. Focus on annual operating plans and drive to achieve results.
Measure progress against plans and goals.

 

Physical Demands:

Must be able to physically handle walking, climbing, in a wide range of conditions for extended periods maintaining endurance.
Must be able to endure exposure to all potential weather climates.
Must be able to climb stairs, occasionally.
Must be able to stand, stoop and walk, occasionally to frequently.
Must be able to sit sustained periods of time, frequently.
Must be able to wear protective clothing –hard hat, glasses, hearing protection, steel toe shoes, hair/beard nets as required.
Must have ability to carry up to 50lbs., occasionally.
Must be able to balance or maintain body equilibrium to prevent falling when walking, standing or crouching on narrow, uneven or slippery surfaces.

 

Education:
4-year degree related to Horticulture, Agronomy, Entomology or related Agricultural Sciences with business emphasis preferred.

 

Special Requirements:

General knowledge of:Agronomy
Integrated Pest Management Strategies, including:Plant pathology
Entomology
Weed science
Organic Agriculture
Environmental compliance
Experienced in business management and financial management
Strong vegetable industry knowledge and respected nation-wide
Ability to identify and develop new business opportunities
Track record of growing business relationships
Strong negotiation skills
Excellent presentation skills, ability to communicate and excellent listening skills
Demonstrated ability to manage multiple initiatives
Strong organizational skills and professional business practices a must
Experience leading other organizational leaders with layers of supervision
Travel up to 40% of the time