Farm Manager - Fresh Produce, Colchester, Essex

A Farm Manager opportunity has arisen at Agrial Fresh Produce, producer of the Florette salad brand, to join our farming team in Colchester, CO7 7HG. This is a fantastic opportunity for someone ready to take a senior operational role, with scope to grow into farm leadership and strategic input.

In this new position, we’re looking for an experienced and motivated Farm Manager to lead day-to-day salad growing operations across our sites and growing areas in Essex and Suffolk. You’ll be taking charge of our management teams covering core farm operations including growing, harvesting, and technical, ensuring crop programmes are delivered efficiently, to spec, and on time.

The Farm Manager will report into and directly support the Head of Farming in delivering crop programmes, coordinating labour and resources whilst implementing continuous improvement initiatives across all areas of the operation.

Working hours: Year-round role, Monday to Friday but where hours and days will scale based on the season. Busier in summer and quieter in winter.

Pay: £Competitive Pay, with annual managerial level bonus as well as a personal company vehicle.

Main Responsibilities:

• Oversee daily operations across indoor (including 27ha polytunnels) and outdoor growing of wholehead and baby leaf salads.
• Develop and drive clear communications lines with our factories to ensure consistent supply of crops to specification and quality standards.
• Plan and forecast seasonal labour requirements whilst managing and coordinating our teams across growing, harvesting, and technical roles.
• Support the Head of Farming in driving innovation and assist with CAPEX planning and grant funding applications.
• Collaborate with agronomists, seed breeders and technical specialists to adopt and improve new practices and technologies.

Skills and Experience Required:

• Proven experience in commercial crop production, ideally in fresh produce, leafy salads, or baby leaf.
• Well-founded technical understanding of commercial field-scale crop production and subsequent sustainability practices, ideally within a fresh produce whole head or baby-leaf produce background.
• A strong people-person who can confidently lead and inspire people using exceptional management skills whilst remaining both approachable and credible in all aspects.
• Hands-on knowledge of both outdoor and protected cropping systems who is confident around topics of soil health, nutrition, integrated pest management, irrigation, and harvest operations.
• Proven decision maker who can make confident decisions quickly whilst under a high-pressure farming environment.
• Commercial awareness, including cost control and input/resource management.
• Understanding and experience of managing a farm operation with both outdoor and indoor growing fields (polytunnels).
• PA1, PA2, BASIS, FACTS and other relevant certifications are a bonus (or willingness to gain them).

What You Will Get In Return:

• A highly competitive salary, inclusion in our annual managerial-level bonus scheme and a range of employee benefits you’d expect from a market leading business.
• Life Assurance: 3x your basic salary paid to your nominated beneficiary.
• Employee Assistance Programme: Providing a Remote GP service along with a 24/7 helpline for financial, legal, medical and life issues.
• Annual leave entitlement: 33 days annual leave per annum inclusive of UK Bank Holidays which increases with service, as well as an option to purchase an additional working week of holiday.
• Training and Development: Personalised induction as well as regular training and development courses and schemes.
• Benefits Platforms: Employee discount platform for multiple retailers as well as salary finance schemes for bicycles, gyms, and financial assistance.
• Other: Recognition awards, Regular Employee Engagement days, attendance incentives, an annual volunteering day, and much more!

About Us: Florette is one of three UK food manufacturing factories within Agrial Fresh Produce, which is an autonomous part of the larger 22,000 employee strong French co-operative group, Agrial. The business operates mainly under its recognisable Florette salad brand and we are one of the UK’s leading producers in the industry.

Next Steps: It’s an exciting time to join our business as we look for new starters to join us in innovating in everything we do! We’re looking for positive and driven people to join our professional team. If you have the skills and experience we are looking for, and want a fresh challenge we would love for you to join us on our journey!