Looking for Technical Director-Greenhouse Operations

[mitchmiles]

I am a consultant and I'm trying to help a client find a Technical Director for their greenhouse operations. The position description is below:

CONTACT: MITCH MILES, MITCH MILES ASSOCIATES AT 908-281-9266
E-MAIL: mitch@mitchmiles.com

JOB DESCRIPTION

GENERAL INFORMATION


POSITION: Technical Director PHONE:
INCUMBENT: New DIVISION:
DEPT. R&D - Quality

IMMEDIATE SUPERVISOR


TITLE: (Superv. #1) Vice President Quality, R&D, Purchasing LOCATION: San Antonio, Texas
Mexico
TITLE: (Superv. #2)

NAME (Superv. #1) WRITTEN BY:
NAME (Superv. #2)

APPROVALS: DATE:
DATE:


MAJOR PURPOSE

This position is to be viewed as the “go to” technical resource for agricultural operation improvement as well as for quality and productivity improvement. The scope of the position includes all the technical aspects from seed to consumer. Specific functions involved are commercialization of new techniques or products, which includes detailed training of operations for new items or processes, variety selection, standardization of growing practices, and administering farm experiments.

REPORTING RELATIONSHIPS

YOUR POSITION: Technical Director
IMMEDIATE SUPERVISOR(S): VP Quality, R&D, Purchasing
POSITIONS TO WHICH SUPERVISOR REPORTS: Chairman & CEO
OTHERS REPORTING TO SAME SUPERVISOR: VP Sales & Marketing; CFO; HR; Farm General Managers
SUBORDINATE POSITIONS: Four Farm R&D Managers and
2 Variety Selection Managers
FUNCTIONS SUPERVISED: Experimental design, experiment implementation and results reporting, evaluate and discover new technology, finding best varieties for farm commercialization of new varieties and techniques, post harvest optimization.

DUTIES / RESPONSIBILITIES and % OF TIME SPENT ON EACH

MAJOR DUTIES % OF TIME
SPENT
1. Variety development and selection 10%
2. Commercialization of techniques or products 20%
3. Quality improvement recommendations 20%
4. Farm experiment coordination and communication 20%
5. Develop standard growing practices 10%
6. Develop agricultural improvements 20%


TYPICAL DECISIONS
1. How do we develop a variety from 20 plants to 50 hectares?
2. How do we transfer learning from farm experiments to all farms?
3. What farm experiments do we do and how?
4. What is the newest (best) way to prevent virus infections?
5. How do we make farm output more predictable?
6. What should our standard growing practices be?
7. What is required to have a major quality & productivity increase year on year?

JOB CONTACTS - INTERNAL

General Managers, V.P. Sales & Marketing; CFO; Purchasing Director; Quality Director; Farm R&D Manager; Farm Growers & Irrigation Managers

JOB CONTACTS - EXTERNAL

Universities, Seed Companies, Equipment Vendors, Other Growers, Competitors, Agricultural Supply Vendors

QUANTITATIVE DATA:

TOTAL REVENUE: $ 105,000,000
OPERATING BUDGET: $ 800,000
TOTAL PAYROLL: $ 100,000
CAPITAL BUDGET: $ 200,000
NUMBER OF ACCOUNTS: $
ACCOUNT DOLLAR VOLUME: $
OTHER ITEMS



PERSONNEL SUPERVISED:

DIRECT INDIRECT TOTAL

FULL TIME: 2 4 6
EXEMPT: 12 50 62
NON-EXEMPT: 14 54 68
TOTAL:
PART-TIME (EFT):
CONTRACT:
TOTALS: 14 54 68



POSITION REQUIREMENTS:

EDUCATION: Masters or PhD. in agricultural growing sciences

SKILLS / KNOWLEDGE: Very knowledgeable in experimental design & turning data into information. Skillful in training managers and workers in new methods and new varieties. Very organized. Meets deadlines. Detailed scientific approach, knows agriculture (greenhouse growing) and post harvest processes. Self starter, persistent, passes on praise, accepts blame.

EXPERIENCE: 15 years post graduate work experience in scientific side of agriculture.

ABILITIES: Gets things done. Gently persuasive, recognizes opportunities, looks for ways to get answers and sets direction of the technical aspects of an agricultural operation.




TECHNICAL “MUSTS”
1. Full understanding of greenhouse vegetable growing methods and experience as a supervisor or
manager in a greenhouse operation.
2. Strong science background including either chemistry, physics, microbiology, agronomy, plant science or
Plant pathology, plant physiology, experimental design, and statistical analysis.
3. Extremely organized and skilled with computer analysis
4. Demonstrated ability to see the big picture yet values details. Always analyzes the right thing with
appropriate controls to get needed information
5. Demonstrated ability to develop processes so routine things are handled routinely.
6. Keen ability to gather many isolated facts or observations and turn them into value-added information.
7. Fully bi-lingual – Spanish/English
8. Strong analytical skills to optimize experiments to get required answers in efficient manner.



PERSONAL/HUMAN RELATIONS “MUSTS”
1. Be outgoing and make pals with farm managers as well as the newest workers.
2. Assertively look for ways to improve processes, techniques, gathering input from universities, customers, consumers, other growers or even competitors.
3. Does not shy away from conflict. Firm but professional approach.
4. Be respectful, trusted and be viewed as a source of sound knowledge not theoretical statements.



COMMITMENT “MUSTS”
1. Willing to work in remote areas of Mexico either living in Mexico or U.S. with extended periods of
time away from home in U.S.
2. Ability to be patient but persistent and dedicated to results removing real or imagined obstacles.
3. Enjoy delegating work to him/her self.
4. Know what time it is! Work efficiently. Results not motions count.


Please contact Mitch Miles at 908-281-9266