The goal of the Nursery Manager position is to:
• Ensure contracted nurseries deliver plants in ordered quantity, meeting Driscoll’s quality standards on moments that have been agreed (QOTIF) within agreed cost levels
• Ensure availability of nursery capacity and commercial plant stock in line with Driscoll’s 5-year plan
• Monitor compliance of nurseries with Driscoll’s plant quality & health standards and agreed service levels
• Develop & maintain a solid working relationships with Driscoll’s external nursery partners as well and with Driscoll’s fruit operations & agronomy teams Responsibilities
• Implement quality control protocols in Driscoll’s own nurseries and contracted nurseries
• Implement metrics and KPI’s to measure nurseries’ performance
• Frequently monitor progress of plant production orders with the external nurseries; follow up on expected quality, quantity and costs of plants in production
• Initiate corrective actions or offer suitable alternatives in alignment with relevant stake holders in case targets for plant quantity or quality cannot be met
• Exchange relevant production information with plant supply team in order to facilitate adequate supply & demand planning, inventory management and logistics transactions
• Support the nurseries with technical advice on appropriate fertilizer programs, pest and disease control, fumigation, lifting dates etc. to make the best quality and maximize availability of plants
• Provide relevant production information to plant supply team in order to facilitate adequate supply & demand planning, inventory management and logistics transactions
• Support price and contract negotiations with external nurseries and monitor that services from nurseries are executed within the commercial agreements made
• Execute periodical performance reviews with external nurseries, including review of actual performance compared to agreed targets
• Collaborate with Plants Supply team, Applied Research, Operations and Breeding teams on forecast, planning and quality related issues
• Facilitate and drive continuous improvement & best practice sharing of plant production methods within own team, external nursery partners, and operations
• Manage any regional plant quality claims
• Any other task assigned by management which is considered to be within the scope of the post holder
Education and Training
• University Bachelor’s Degree with a specialization in Horticulture and/or Plant Science
• Knowledge of the physiology of plants
Experience
• Minimum 3 years of experience in similar position
• Experience in managing plant production
• Experience in managing external business partners on operational & tactical level
Languages
• Excellent working knowledge of English & French (spoken and written) required
Skills & behaviors
• Excellent communication skills
• Make things happen approach
• Performance & result driven
• Focus on quality of product & process
• Pro-active attitude, self-starter
Driscoll’s leadership competencies
• Plans & Aligns
• Drives results
• Collaborates
• Drives engagement
• Courage
Other
• Travel requirements (20-30% of the time)
• International focus, cultural awareness
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Top Skills
What We Do
Driscoll’s is the global market leader for fresh strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries. With more than 100 years of farming heritage and hundreds of independent growers around the world, Driscoll’s is passionate about growing great tasting berries.
Driscoll’s exclusive patented berry varieties are developed through years of research using only natural breeding methods – that means no GMOs. A dedicated team of agronomists, breeders, sensory analysts, plant pathologists and entomologists help grow baby seedlings that are then grown on family farms. Our independent berry growers then work with Mother Nature, using experience and know-how to get the very best out of each strawberry, blueberry, blackberry and raspberry plant.
Driscoll’s is serious about yummy berries! Driscoll’s is the trusted brand for Only the Finest Berries ™.
