POSITION SUMMARY (General Accountabilities)

• The Farms Specialist role works closely with the Head of Operations and is responsible for the identifying suitable lands and farms for the development of  business plans.
• This Role will develop into “Head of Farms” subsequently where the incumbent is expected to manage day-day running of the farms to deliver the desired yield

PRINCIPAL FUNCTIONS

• Develop a comprehensive plan to assess the identified lands in Madinah and neighboring areas for either purchase or lease in line with the business plan
• Develop plans for detailed scientific analyses for Lands, Water availability, Soil Fertility and projections for the future (next 5 years) with respect to Development of the farms
• Provide a comprehensive road map to develop and implement good agricultural practices from the design stage that can meet or exceed GAP standards for Farming
• Develop standard operational and working practices as the plan extends to operations in multiple farms / locations
• Responsible for seeding, plantation (offshoots) and development of crops to the desired levels as established in the business plan
• Responsible for offshoots management via Nursery route to mitigate any risk owing to infestation and suitable development of Offshoots
• This may also include Development of “tissue culture based plants’ that is vital to the business plan to support the demand in the next decade for particular cultivars
• Assist in building “state-of-art” laboratory for tissue culture development and also to facilitate the periodic in-house testing related to all farming aspects and eventually “dates” as appropriate
• Identify suitable machinery / farming equipment that is fundamental to the farms development
• Supervise compliance with all relevant quality, health, safety and environmental management procedures and controls within the FARMS facility to guarantee crop safety
• Maintain quality and monitor product standards while implementing quality control programs to ensure that the final product meets the desired quality parameters
• Control any damage to offshoots and young trees from Red Palm Weevil and similar infestations by following proper Plant Control procedures and insecticide administration as required.
• Responsible for undertaking all necessary tasks and leading work to ensure compliance to GAP (Global Agricultural Practices) across all farms
• Prepare periodic reports relating to Development and production operations accurately to meet the established objectives
• Identify and recruit relevant resources / manpower as we progress with the farms development (purchase or lease or joint farmer management program)

ACADEMIC & PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATION:

• Master degree in Agriculture and Farming or similar discipline.
• Professional Certifications and / or Functional Trainings in relevant discipline highly desirable.

RELATED EXPERIENCE:

• Minimum 10 years of related work experience in agricultural food production in a Farm environment, preferably with 5 years handling a similar role in “DATES” production within KSA
• Demonstrated knowledge of managing technical date production processes in the KSA climatic conditions.
• Ability to Manage in-house labs and working knowledge on “Tissue Culture” will be a huge advantage
• Fluency in English and Arabic language is a must.