Job Summary:
The Manager, Agronomy Sr., is responsible for the development and management of Reiter’s local agronomy team, ensuring economic and strategic success for the region, implementation and use of agronomy technical innovation and science-based decision-making while demonstrating best practices related to operational activities such as irrigation and fertilization to maximize crop yields. The Manager, Agronomy Sr., acts as a regional technical leader, identifying opportunities to promote best agronomic practices, validating new technologies and products, to ensure continuous innovation in berry production and methods for growing quality berries year-round.
The role will be aligned with all regional district managers but report to the Agronomical Technical Manager. The role is responsible for ensuring the regional leads work as one team with the district leads and Production Managers in their regions to help solve local agronomic challenges and support local agronomic initiatives. Additionally, the Manager, Agronomy Sr will be responsible for connecting the global strategies back to the regions and districts to ensure implementation of the worldwide strategy that takes place in the region and districts.
Job Contributions and Key Responsibilities:
Regional Agronomy Responsabilities
Day-to-Day Growing Management
- Guide and support regional agronomist with hands-on field activities: irrigation systems design, fertility programs, pest and disease management protocols, pruning practices and harvesting optimization
- Work with Harvest, Operations (non-harvest) and Production Services to ensure alignment and efficiency in agronomic practices.
- Support the implementation of regenerative agriculture practices (e.g. cover crops, composting, soil biology and bio controls)
- Lead field diagnosis and problem solving using structured root cause analysis.
- Ensure all agronomic decisions are based on crop data, field observations, and environmental factors.
- Analyze trial data and create clear, actionable reports to operations.
Compliance
- Comply with all labor laws, prime audits or food safety, company policy, and workers' safety.
- Work with Driscoll’s pathology in developing Reiter’s organic program.
Production Collaboration
- Meet with district managers biweekly to ensure alignment with district needs.
- Participate in district production meetings at least once a quarter.
- Assist local production teams on agronomic planning.
- Ensure the agronomy team is embedded with local production teams, creating a strong alignment and sense of One Team.
Strategic Initiatives
- Work with the Agronomy Technical Lead and Agronomy Strategy Lead to prioritize projects and district land regional levels.
- Determine and manage how growth medium responds to scientific management techniques, thereby implementing it based on the results.
- Apply agricultural data and information into trends, reportable, actionable, and sustainable methods.
- Set up field trials and execute field trials as required for Agrodata projects or other agronomic practices
- Collaborate with Driscoll’s agronomist as required to enhance the agronomy program.
- Install, maintain, and evaluate horticultural trials. Report results and drive adoption. Focus areas may include trellis, pruning, tunnels, frost control, and plant date and source.
- Develop acreage study standards for management to support expansion of agronomy model farming.
Agronomy Team Development
- Ensure succession plans for the district agronomy team.
- Create a plan for developing out the team so that team members have a path forward to ensure retention in the agronomy department
- Collaborating with the agronomy technical lead to provide educational material and presentations to the agronomy team to enhance skills.
- Create accountability with the local agronomy teams in supporting production.
Validation and Innovation
- Lead field trials and evaluations for new products, technologies, inputs and tools.
- Develop protocols and methodology to assess efficacy, sustainability, and ROI of new products and tools (biostimulants, sensors, automation tehc).
- Collaborate with Driscolls R&D teams and external partners for innovation scouting and product pipeline evaluation.
- Translate findings into actionable recommendations for production teams.
- Provide technical reports and presentations to stakeholders for decision making
Outreach and Knowledge Transfer
- Learn and implement the latest and best current production practices from within the RAC organization, as well as from university and other outside industry resources; develop and advance knowledge and innovations that deliver competitive advantage.
- Engage all internal and external resources including universities, substrate grower peers, and the DSA and RAC knowledge networks. Communicate methods and results to peers and colleagues.
- Work with Driscoll’s in advancing the use of technology and scientific plant development.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:
- Expertise in berry crop management and sustainable practices.
- Strong diagnostic and analytical thinking
- Field trial design and statistical interpretation
- Substrate/soil drip irrigation, biostimulation, plant nutrition chemistry, biocontrols and pesticides.
- Demonstrate a sound and thorough understanding of agronomic principles and its application of scientific methods such as providing nutrition through growing via media substrate or soil on an ongoing basis, reverse osmosis systems, pathogens, etc.
- Plan and conduct work requiring judgment and the independent evaluation, selection, modification, and application of standard procedures and techniques.
- Solve unusual and complex problems.
- Demonstrate outstanding stewardship and relationship building/management/interpersonal skills.
- Demonstrate excellent managerial and financial skills in crop budgeting and planning.
- Demonstrate a high level of organizational and time management skills.
- Manage and/or supervise and coordinate the activities of other staff.
- Communicate effectively (verbal and written) in English and Spanish, required.
- Test and interpret soil chemistry for pH and EC and how to correct balances.
- Perform statistical analysis on a computer.
- Juggle competing priorities and changing expectations.
- Demonstrate an entrepreneurial spirit, create new and unique ideas.
Education Level:
Bachelor’s degree.
Field/s of Education:
Years of Experience:
- 7-10 years relevant experience in Agronomy or a related field
- 5+ years' leadership experience, either directly or indirectly managing a team of 2 or more.
Licenses:
- PCA, CCA or similar certification/license a plus.
Languages
- English: < 95%
- Spanish: 75 - 85%
Necessary Software
- Microsoft Office Suite – Intermediate
Travel Requirements
- Ability to travel 10-20 percent of the time – domestic and international.
- 75% of the time will be spent on the farm with the production and harvest teams and with crops; 15% on administrative, business, and planning functions; and 5% on travel for interaction with other districts, conferences, etc.
