About the Opportunity
The Plant Supply Department is responsible for adequate production and supply of good quality plants to Driscoll’s growers. Within the department a team of Nursery Managers is responsible for managing Driscoll’s own nursery operations as well as managing Driscoll’s external nursery partners. The team of Nursery Managers is based in various locations throughout EMEA (Netherlands, United Kingdom, Spain and Morocco).
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 nurseriesImplement metrics and KPI’s to measure nurseries’ performanceFrequently monitor progress of plant production orders with the external nurseries; follow up on expected quality, quantity and costs of plants in productionInitiate corrective actions or offer suitable alternatives in alignment with relevant stake holders in case targets for plant quantity or quality cannot be metExchange relevant production information with plant supply team in order to facilitate adequate supply & demand planning, inventory management and logistics transactionsSupport 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 plantsProvide relevant production information to plant supply team in order to facilitate adequate supply & demand planning, inventory management and logistics transactionsSupport price and contract negotiations with external nurseries and monitor that services from nurseries are executed within the commercial agreements madeExecute periodical performance reviews with external nurseries, including review of actual performance compared to agreed targetsCollaborate with Plants Supply team, Applied Research, Operations and Breeding teams on forecast, planning and quality related issuesFacilitate and drive continuous improvement & best practice sharing of plant production methods within own team, external nursery partners, and operationsManage any regional plant quality claimsAny other task assigned by management which is considered to be within the scope of the post holderCandidate Profile
Education and Training
University Bachelor’s Degree with a specialization in Horticulture and / or Plant ScienceKnowledge of the physiology of plantsExperience
Minimum 3 years of experience in similar positionExperience in managing plant productionExperience in managing external business partners on operational & tactical levelLanguages
Excellent working knowledge of English & French (spoken and written) requiredSkills & behaviors
Excellent communication skillsMake things happen approachPerformance & result drivenFocus on quality of product & processPro-active attitude, self-starterDriscoll’s leadership competencies
Plans & AlignsDrives resultsCollaboratesDrives engagementCourageOther
Travel requirements (20-30% of the time)International focus, cultural awarenessLI-LM1