Field Manager Assist - Farming Operations - Bethlehem

Minimum qualifications and experience

• Ideal candidate must have a minimum tertiary qualification, BSC Agriculture degree focusing on Agronomy or Agricultural Economics.
• Demonstrated work experience of minimum 1 to 2 years will be an advantage.

Duties & Responsibilities

Assist our Farming Field Manager responsible for the units in EFS and grow and develop to be able to handle his/her own units and area over time.
Assistance will be needed in planning, executing, managing, and reporting on designated farming units for the region detailed, but not limited, as:

1. Planning:

• Construct crop production plans for maize, soybeans, sunflower, wheat, and cotton for designated farming units in conjunction with the Operations Manager/Agronomy Lead and Independent Contractors.
  
  • The production plan includes making chemical- and fertilizer recommendations in conjunction with respective chemical representatives and agronomists.
• Building a set budget for each unit covering all necessary scenarios within an achievable cost range with the Operations Manager/Agronomy Lead.
  
  • Evaluate different input prices and farming practice to determine the most efficient production plan.

2. Execution:

• Execute the production plans within the set budget together with Operations Manager/Agronomy Lead and Farming Contractors.
• Oversee that land preparations are done accurately and on time.
• Ensure timely planting and application of inputs within correct procedure and circumstances as set out in the production plan with Independent Contractors and Operations Manager/Agronomy Lead.
• Ensure timely and accurate delivery of inputs and contracting services rendered.
• Ensure accurate delivery of harvested crops into designated silos and/or coordinating on-farm loading of harvested crops to end-point destinations.

3. Managing:

• Coordinate Independent Contractors by assisting with their day-to-day crop production activities and decision making.
• Continuously visiting designated farming units to follow up and help solve challenges, problems and monitor general progress.
• On-farm stock management with safe stock storage, regular stock taking and implementation of inputs.

4. Reporting:

• Frequent updating and reporting on crop progress as well as projecting production outcomes based on agronomical characteristics and facts for designated Farming units.
• Reporting on factors that influence the crops during the season and potential damage and/or solutions to it.
• Reporting on the planned budget and any factors that may influence it toward potential over or under spending for each designated farming unit.
• On-farm as well as storage facility stock quantities.
• Report daily rainfall from farms.
• Complete, report and update crop estimates pre-harvest.
• Report deliveries into designated delivery points of harvested crops and reconcile with reports from Support.

Essential skills

• Preferably some experience in a row crop production environment.
• Proven ability to construct, manage and report budgets and communicate them via the different Microsoft Office applications.
• Excellent people skills and understand the value of stakeholder relationships.
• Basic knowledge of inputs associated with crop production and ability to do research to evaluate alternatives.
• Solid administrative discipline with some understanding of accounting.
• Ability to function independently.

Core Competencies

• Customer focus: Strong external/internal customer orientation.
• Communication: Listens well and shares ideas and solutions.
• Teamwork: Seeks involvement and input from other people.
• Initiative: Proactive, drives processes and tasks to achieve results.
• Innovation: Comes up with resourceful ideas and solutions.
• Ownership & Accountability: Takes ownership of own decisions and actions – successes and mistakes.
• Management: Gives timely, constructive and specific feedback.
• Detail orientation: Organized, methodical, good attention to detail.

Desirable skills

• Knowledge of the grain industry.
• Experience in farming and/or agriculture.
• ERP systems experience.