Farm Operations Lead

Pearl of Africa Oil & Nut Co. Ltd — Mityana District, Uganda REPORTS TO: CEO LOCATION: On-site, Mityana District, Uganda CONTRACT: Full-Time, Permanent SALARY RANGE: USD $1,100 – $1,400 per month START DATE: As soon as possible SUBMITTED TO: Summit Recruitment & Search
ABOUT PEARL OF AFRICA OIL & NUT CO. LTD Pearl of Africa Oil & Nut Co. Ltd is a 1,005-acre freehold commercial farm in Mityana District, Uganda, producing Hass avocado (10,000 trees, 220 acres), macadamia (12,000 trees, 360 acres), and oil crops. The farm operates with solar power, a full irrigation system, a packhouse facility, and a dedicated field team of agronomists, supervisors, and casual labour.
The CEO manages the farm operations strategically, providing direction, weekly planning, and budget oversight through a purpose-built digital farm management system. Daily accountability, field reporting, stock management, and compliance tracking are all system-driven. This role sits at the operational heart of that system — the person who makes it real on the ground.
ROLE PURPOSE The Farm Operations Lead is responsible for ensuring the plan gets executed in the field — every day, to the standard required by a revenue-generating commercial export farm.
This person works closely with the CEO to contribute ground-level insight into weekly and seasonal planning, then owns the execution of that plan completely. They coordinate the agronomist and supervisors, manage day-to-day field operations, and ensure the packhouse is compliant and ready when harvest arrives. They understand that every field decision has a revenue consequence — and they act accordingly.
This role suits a commercially aware professional stepping up into their first real operations leadership seat someone with 4–7 years on a commercial export farm who is ready for ownership and accountability.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES 1. Field Execution & Daily Operations • Implement the weekly field plan — deploying supervisors and casual labour to the right blocks with the right inputs at the right time • Ensure daily activities (spraying, fertilisation, pruning, irrigation, weeding, mulching) are carried out on schedule and recorded in the farm management system • Hold supervisors accountable to their daily assignments — tracking attendance, task completion, and quality of work • Resolve operational issues at field level — equipment breakdowns, absenteeism, input shortages — without unnecessary escalation • Submit daily and weekly operational reports through the farm management system
2. Planning Contribution & Revenue Prioritisation • Work closely with the CEO to contribute ground-level input into weekly and seasonal planning — crop readiness, labour capacity, field constraints, equipment status • Understand which field activities are directly linked to harvest readiness and revenue — and prioritise those without prompting • Translate harvest timelines into backward-planned field schedules in coordination with the CEO • Flag immediately if any activity, input delay, or labour shortage threatens harvest quality or timing • Understand cost per acre and cost per activity — operate within the approved budget and escalate any risk of overrun early
3. Agronomist Coordination • Work alongside the farm agronomist to ensure crop programmes are implemented correctly in the field • Hold the agronomist accountable to their schedule and reporting requirements • Understand agronomic recommendations well enough to verify field compliance and raise concerns when reality differs from the plan • Escalate agronomic decisions that require CEO input — do not override crop science decisions without authorisation
4. Packhouse & Export Compliance • Ensure the packhouse is operationally ready ahead of each harvest window • Maintain GlobalGAP and MAAIF compliance records — grading, traceability, and documentation standards upheld at all times • Oversee post-harvest handling: grading, packing, cold storage, and dispatch coordination • Ensure nothing is shipped that does not meet buyer and certification standards — this is a personal accountability • Coordinate with the CEO on export logistics, documentation, and scheduling
5. Budget & Cost Management• Review weekly budget reports — understand labour costs, input costs, and cost-per-acre against the approved plan• Manage procurement of day-to-day operational inputs within authorised limits, coordinating with the procurement team• Identify cost inefficiencies and escalate to the CEO with a recommended solution• Never commit the farm to expenditure outside the approved budget without CEO approval
IDEAL CANDIDATE PROFILEExperience• 4–7 years of field operations experience on a commercial export farm (avocado, macadamia, tea, flowers, or similar perishable crop)• Demonstrated experience managing field supervisors and casual labour teams• Hands-on familiarity with GlobalGAP, MAAIF, or equivalent export certification requirements• Packhouse operations experience — grading, post-harvest handling, traceability documentation• Proven ability to read and work within a farm budget — cost-per-acre, input costs, labour reconciliation
Knowledge & Skills• Strong working knowledge of avocado or macadamia agronomy — sufficient to supervise and hold an agronomist accountable• Commercially aware — understands that field decisions carry direct revenue consequences• Competent with digital reporting tools; comfortable operating within a structured farm management system• Strong written and verbal communication in English• Proven problem-solver under pressure — escalates decisions, not noise
Personal Qualities• Disciplined and execution-focused — gets things done without being chased• Honest and transparent — surfaces problems early and with context• Comfortable working under a remote CEO with strong systems-based oversight• Ambitious — sees this as a stepping stone to senior operations leadership, and earns it through results
Qualifications• Bachelor's degree in Agriculture, Horticulture, Agribusiness, or related field preferred• Equivalent professional experience considered in lieu of formal qualification• East African candidates strongly preferred — Ugandan and Kenyan nationals particularly encouraged to apply
COMPENSATION & PACKAGEBase Salary: USD $1,100 – $1,400 per monthAccommodation: On-site housing providedTransport: Farm vehicle available for operational useReview: 6-month performance review with salary progression tied to resultsNote: Exceptional candidates with strong export credentials may be considered above the stated range