The Tomato Category is a key division of Costa, Australia's largest producer, marketer, seller and distributor of premium quality fresh produce. We currently have an opportunity for a Nursery Manager to join our state of the art glasshouse facility in Guyra (near Armidale) a small town in northern New South Wales, Australia. Armidale is a large regional city with excellent schooling and a large University and has a population of some 24000 people. Guyra is located around 30 minutes from Armidale.
This substantial glasshouse facility produces approximately 10 million Kg. of truss tomatoes annually and covers around 50 acres in area. Additionally, a new glasshouse facility is currently being built close by to boost production.
The primary purpose of this position is to manage the Nursery team so that the propagation operations of the nursery will grow the best quality seedlings within specifications, and deliver the ordered quantity on schedule. In addition the Nursery Manager will investigate and implement new strategies and infrastructure to improve propagation capacity and quality such as grafting chambers, misting, seeding room etc.
Major Accountabilities include:
- Manage the nursery team and propagation operations both on site and externally
- Supervise, support and train department employees
- Liaise with third party nurseries ensuring the delivery of high quality seedlings on schedule and in accordance to specifications and quantities ordered
- Resolve technical problems in any of the systems in the Nursery
- Manage annual preventative and calibration programs of all systems in the Nursery
- Control and produce reports on propagations being done.
To be successful:
- Proven technical and agronomy skills in Nursery Operations and propagation of plants (Minimum 5 years)
- Relevant tertiary qualifications (Agriculture or Science Degree – Horticulture/Hydroponics)
- Experience within the tomato industry as well as grafting experience
- Strong people management experience
- Project management skills
- Proven experience in design and implementation of scientific research methodology
- Negotiation and influencing skills with internal & external stakeholders
- Communication skills both verbal and written
- Good computer skills
