Research & Development Farm Manager in Maidstone

About the Opportunity

The Research & Development Test Plot Farm Manager is a people-first leader responsible for building, developing, and leading a high-performing, technically skilled research farm team. This role drives excellence by aligning team capabilities, priorities, and execution with Driscoll’s innovation strategy, ensuring the successful delivery of experimental farming and research trials.

Partnering closely with cross-functional stakeholders, the Manager establishes a culture of accountability, continuous learning, and operational excellence, enabling teams to consistently generate high-quality data, implement best-in-class agronomic practices, and deliver strong outcomes for breeding and applied research programs. This leader plays a critical role in talent development, succession planning, and organizational capability building, ensuring the research farm teams are equipped to scale and support the enterprise’s long-term innovation goals. Through strong leadership, strategic execution, and team engagement, this position enables the full expression of new genetic material and maximises enterprise value.

Goal of the Position / Key Results Areas

• Build, lead, and develop a high-performing, engaged research farm team that consistently delivers high-quality trial execution and data.
• Enable team success by fostering strong technical capability, ownership, and accountability across all levels.
• Translate innovation strategy into clear team priorities and execution plans that maximise the potential of proprietary genetics.
• Strengthen organizational capability through talent development, succession planning, and continuous improvement.
• Ensure research farms serve as a centre of excellence, influencing commercial practices and grower adoption.

Responsibilities

People Leadership & Team Development

• Lead, coach, and mentor a team of research farm professionals, fostering a culture of high performance, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Build team capability by developing technical expertise, leadership skills, and career growth pathways.
• Drive succession planning and talent pipeline development for key operational and leadership roles.
• Establish clear goals, provide ongoing feedback, and conduct performance management, evaluations, and development planning.
• Create an inclusive and motivating work environment that reflects Driscoll’s values of passion, humility, and trustworthiness.

Team Execution & Operational Excellence

• Align team priorities with cross-functional partners (Breeding, Agronomy, Applied Research) to ensure seamless execution of trials and initiatives.
• Ensure teams consistently execute against best-in-class agronomic and research practices.
• Develop systems and processes that enable teams to efficiently manage labour, resources, and equipment.
• Champion a culture of data integrity, accountability, and operational discipline.

Strategic Leadership & Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner with key stakeholders to translate strategy into clear, actionable plans for the research farm teams.
• Influence enterprise decisions by ensuring teams deliver reliable, high-quality data and insights.
• Lead the adoption of innovative practices, technologies, and process improvements across research farms.
• Engage with external stakeholders, including growers, to demonstrate and scale successful practices.

Operational Oversight & Governance

• Provide leadership oversight of farm operations, ensuring safety, compliance, and adherence to company policies.
• Guide teams in maintaining accurate records, plant material tracking, and treatment documentation.
• Ensure effective budget management through team accountability and resource prioritisation.
• Oversee equipment management, safety programs, and facility standards through delegated team ownership.

Candidate Profile

The ideal candidate is a strong people leader with deep technical credibility, capable of building and scaling high-performing teams in a research-driven agricultural environment.

Experience & Knowledge

• Bachelor’s degree (8+ years experience) or Master’s degree (5+ years experience) in Horticulture, Agriculture, Biology, or related field.
• Demonstrated success leading teams in agricultural, research, or operational environments.
• Experience in people management, coaching, and organisational development.
• Strong foundation in agronomy, plant physiology, and crop production systems.
• Experience with budgeting, resource allocation, and operational planning.
• Project management and process improvement experience.
• Familiarity with agricultural research and trial execution preferred.
• Berry/soft fruit production experience is highly desirable.

Core Leadership Competencies

• People Leadership & Talent Development – Builds strong teams, develops future leaders, and fosters engagement.
• Communication & Influence – Clearly aligns teams and effectively partners across the organisation.
• Performance Management – Drives accountability, execution, and results.
• Strategic Thinking – Connects day-to-day work to enterprise goals.
• Operational Excellence – Implements scalable processes and continuous improvement.
• Innovation Mindset – Encourages experimentation and adoption of new technologies.
• Collaboration & Team Building – Creates alignment across functions and stakeholders.

Compensation & Benefits:

The following information is provided in good faith as a general description of the salary range and benefits for the position posted. The actual compensation offered to the successful candidate is dependent upon experience, skills, education, work location, internal pay equity, and other objective job-related factors.

Salary Range estimated for the Test Plot Manager: £45,000 to £60,000 GBP.

Driscoll’s is committed to a culture of care and offers an attractive benefits package that includes, amongst others:

• Health + Time Off: We care for the whole you. Strong health benefits and meaningful paid time off so you can focus on what matters most.
• Financial + Wellbeing: Plan your future with employer supported annual profit-sharing bonus, retirement or savings programs and wellbeing resources supported annually.
• Community + Balance: Join a team that invests in your wellbeing and gives you time to give back.
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP): Life can get complicated and when it does, we offer extra help with our EAP.
• Professional Growth: Driscoll's offers employees at all levels opportunities to acquire business, job-based, and leadership skills. It's a win-win combination.

Note: Benefits and eligibility vary by location/role. Additional country-specific benefit information is currently being developed in our career site; details are provided during the application process.