Nursery Operations Specialist
Role Description
The Nursery specialist will be responsible for the management and production of nursery plants required to produce the planting material needed for an innovative community based renewable energy project. Specifically, he/she will be required to:
- Set up the nursery sites and recommend appropriate nursery equipment and materials
- Set up nursery greenhouse and ensure that the nursery site adheres to the most modern nursery operations available in Ghana.
- Source for parent material of the following crops: Napier Grasses, Ginger, Sweet Potatoes and Avocadoes
- Ensure timely acquisition of these materials and their safe transport to the nursery site
- Support the procurement of nursery inputs such as substrates, PPEs, nursery accessories etc.
- Manages the labour that will be required to support nursery operations such as filling of polybags with substrates, seeding and regular watering
- Responsible for digital recording of all day-to day nursery operations on a technology platform using mobile devices
- Adhere to all Good Agricultural Practices regarding nursery production and ensure the planting material produced is free of diseases, insect infestation and of any noxious material
- Produce all required planting material in the most efficient and cost-effective manner.
- Establish and document policies and procedures that produce high quality planting material
- Provide accurate and timely feedback and reports to senior management on the operations at the nursery site
- Develop metrics to measure and manage the performance and effectiveness of the nursery procedures established.
About You
- 3-6 years’ experience in agricultural nursery management with particular interest in crops produced under vegetative propagation methods
- A minimum of advanced diploma in Agriculture with specialization in crop or horticulture. Bachelor’s degree is preferred.
- Demonstrated field experience in the following crops: Ginger, Avocado, Sweet Potatoes and Grasses or generally good knowledge of root & tubers, rhizome-based crops, tree crops or horticultural crops.
- Creative, intellectually curious and an original thinker
- Process driven – the ends do not always justify the means for you
- Quantitative – data makes you giddy
- Empathetic leader – your EQ is as high as your IQ
- Passionate about working in a business with strong social impact
- Passionate about innovative technology and ability to use android based Apps with good knowledge of Microsoft Office.
- Experience managing farm labour in a rural setting is desired
- Have a consultative approach to problem solving for clients
- Born of the soil and have strong interest in sustainable agriculture
- Ability and wiliness to live and work in farming community.
- Ability to speak excellent English and Akan
Esoko is a pioneering technology company powering Africa’s digital revolution. The company does this through the development of simple but powerful mobile and web-based tools and services that empower organizations seeking to provide critical services to the last mile. Our mission is to improve the revenues of Africa’s rural people and we hope to drive economic empowerment for Africa’s rural folks through digital and financial inclusion.
Esoko started in 2005 as an experiment to see how the emergence of mobile technology in Africa, could improve the lives of rural communities across the continent. The first project enabled the delivery of market prices via SMS, in support of work that FoodNet was doing with MTN in Uganda. In addition, Esoko set up a call centre to support local languages and address issues with literacy.
Over time we realized farmers needed much more than price information, and added weather alerts, crop advice, and linking buyers with sellers. Various research finds such services can improve incomes for farmers by roughly 10%.
The company then leveraged its technical platform and field force for the collection of information, using tablet devices and smartphones. This technology, Insyt, became the backbone of many large scale social protection programs in Ghana – helping agencies convert from paper, thus reducing cost, time and errors in targeting beneficiaries.
Organizations all over Africa have used our technology to collect and disseminate different types of information on people and markets via smart phone, tablet, web, SMS and voice SMS.
Esoko has evolved over the years but remains committed to improving the welfare of rural communities by empowering them – and the businesses that serve them – through mobile technology. Join us!