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 maximizes 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 maximize the potential of proprietary genetics.
• Strengthen organizational capability through talent development, succession planning, and continuous improvement.
• Ensure research farms serve as a center 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 labor, 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 prioritization
• Oversee equipment management, safety programs, and facility standards through delegated team ownership
Candidate ProfileThe 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 organizational 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 organization
• 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.
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Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree in Horticulture, Biology, Biochemistry or Agriculture
- 8 years of experience in related field
- Master's degree with 5 years of experience
- Knowledge of horticulture crops and agronomy
- Berry production knowledge and experience with soft fruit production
- Practical farming experience including equipment operation and management
- Valid driver's license
Driscoll'S Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Driscoll'S and has not been reviewed or approved by Driscoll'S.
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Healthcare Strength — Health coverage includes comprehensive medical, dental, and vision, alongside wellness resources and an Employee Assistance Program. Company materials emphasize easy access and breadth as part of a formal Total Rewards program.
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Retirement Support — A 401(k) with employer match and participation in profit sharing are offered to support long‑term savings. These components complement base pay as part of the overall package.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — Paid vacation, sick time, and personal/family care leave are provided, with parental leave and volunteer time off also referenced. The mix indicates a well‑rounded time‑off framework.
Driscoll'S Insights
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 ™.
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