Agriculture Operations Jr. Manager

You may know McCormick as a leader in herbs spices seasonings and condiments and were only getting started. At McCormick were always looking for new people to bring their unique flavor to our team.McCormick employees all 14000 of us across the world are what makes this company a great place towork.We are looking to hire a Agriculture OperationsJr. Manager in a Hybrid (60/40) capacity forChihuahua Mexico.Please submit your CV in English.What We Bring To The Table:The best people deserve the best addition to the benefits youd expect from a global leader (health insurance paid time off etc.) we also offer:Competitive compensationCareer growth opportunitiesFlexibility and Support for Diverse Life Stages and ChoicesWe prioritize our communities and the planet we shareWellbeing programs including Physical Mental and Financial wellnessMcCormick & Company Inc. a global leader in the spice flavor and seasonings industry is seeking a full-time Agricultural Operations Jr. Managerbased in Chihuahua Mexico with frequent travel to the production facility in Las Cruces New Mexico. The Agricultural Operations Jr. Manager will report to the Senior Agricultural Operations Manager in the Procurement Department.McCormick & Company Incorporated is a global leader in flavor with approximately 14000 employees worldwide. With over $6 billion in annual sales across 160 countries and territories we manufacture market and distribute spices seasoning mixes condiments and other flavorful products to the entire food industry including e-commerce retail food manufacturers and foodservice businesses. Our most popular brands include McCormick Frenchs Franks RedHot Stubbs OLD BAY Lawrys Zatarains Ducros Vahiné Cholula Schwartz Kamis DaQiao Club House Aeroplane and Gourmet Garden. Every day no matter where or what you eat or drink you can enjoy food flavored by McCormick. Our Purpose is To Stand Together for the Future of Flavor and our Vision is A World United by Flavorwhere healthy sustainable and delicious go hand in hand.As a company recognized for its exceptional commitment to employees McCormick offers a wide variety of benefits programs and services. Benefits include but are not limited to tuition assistance medical dental vision disability group life insurance 401(k) profit sharing paid holidays and vacations.POSITION OVERVIEW:This is a new role at McCormick that will be responsible for executing agricultural operations of McCormicks Franks Red Hot Sauce and supporting related strategic activities. Primary activities of the role will include supporting with the planning and forecast each years crop plan directly contracting cayenne growers in accordance with the plan and budget; and assisting in the oversight of all aspects of grower cultivation and harvesting. This role will also support commercial seed development activities.The main focus of the role will be grower relationship management to include all aspects of monitoring the crop to ensure the crop hits each years planned forecast. This includes providing growers with feedback and recommendations ensuring compliance to all regulations and Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) and reporting on grower pre-plant plant cultivation management and harvest activities. The Agricultural Operations Manager will support harvest readiness and planning under the guidance of the Agricultural Operations Director and will work with other team members are the processing plant during harvest to coordinate grower deliveries to the plant.Finally this role will also support the Senior Agricultural Operations Manager and broader procurement team in the development a long-term yield improvement strategy and implementation of that strategy.KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:1. Grower Relationship Management Grower Contracting and Field ScoutingVisit each potential growers fields prior to contracting to identify optimum fields for growingTake soil and water samples and oversee tracking of results and analyticsSupport the development of market intelligence and grower pricing by helping to gather and stay current on local costs of pesticides fertilizer irrigation equip water quality & availability at each farm & delivery to field farm equipment availability & cost of labor transportation costs & distance estimates etc.Gather info on processor & competitor pricing and price of competing cropsReview existing grower contracts and recommend updates changes and adds to develop standardization and ensure MKC goals are metLead the development of a McCormick Grower Handbook for chile growersMeet growers regularly to build trust & rapportContract acreageReview MKC Supplier Code of Conduct and sustainable agriculture code w/ growers and obtain signaturesParticipate in local grower / community events2. Crop Forecasting Planning and Industry ParticipationSupport the execution of the annual grower contracting planSupport yield forecasting participating in regular team meetings and providing relevant insights from the field / grower meetings and knowledgeSupport the development of related briefings to management and team membersParticipate in relevant industry boards and trade associations as approvedCultivate and support relationships w/R&D and University partners (NMSU especially) for program improvement thru field trials soil health programs and local presence / community development3. Crop Cultivation Oversight and ReportingDistribute seed and transplants to growersCheck fields for proper pre-plant practices (e.g. no plastic use for bed coverage).Understand and track all relevant data points and KPIs for each grower to provide accurate yield forecasting and crop improvement strategies (including and not limited to: plant dates bed sizes irrigation methods date of first flowering 1st chili pod and date of first red pod pod size no. pods per plant avg. and presence of pests disease and weather damage)Ensure that all seed & seedlings distributed match acres plantedObserve & track germination ratesVisit assigned growers / fields on determined schedule to oversee /manage crop progressEnsure growers are following recommended IPM fertilization and watering schedule and report deviations to Agricultural Operations Director.Provide advice and remediation according to determined MKC standards as necessary to ensure yields.Support / train growers on regenerative practices to support MKC claimsWork with growers to obtain appropriate certifications and improve practices to meet standards (Minimum future improvements to sustainable and regenerative)Support sustainability and marketing teams to meet growers and to gather stories to support PLP4. Harvest Readiness & Harvest ManagementProvide relevant updates to crop forecast model and participate in regular reviews with procurement and operations teamTrain growers on appropriate harvest methods to reduce foreign material and reduce other known or identified risksEnsure minimum standards for social conditions are met by assigned growers (e.g. water provided for laborers bathrooms available documentation fair wages etc.)Support the coordination of the harvest schedule and logistics to optimize delivery to mash facilities and maximum yieldEnsure assigned growers actual crop is delivered to facility and best qualityWork w/internal team to develop improved harvesting/ transition to mechanical harvesting to reduce cost and improve yield and efficiency5. Seed Management / Commercial Seed & Varietal Development IntegrationSupport seed development activities as requiredREQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:Bachelors Degree in Agriculture Agriculture Business Ag Tech or related field.5 years of experience in contracting growers and close monitoring of cultivation and harvest activities.Experience in supporting and influencing farmers for continuous improvement and sustainability initiatives.Strong knowledge of agricultural certification schemes including FSA/SAI Global GAAP.Knowledge of chile pepper cultivation for fresh harvest STRONGLY preferred.Knowledge relationships and experience in the U.S. southwest and Mexico growing regions strongly preferred.Demonstrated effective execution skills with some direction or oversight provided.Strong computer skills; primarily the ability to work effectively in MS Excel and MS PowerPoint.Solid organizational skills including attention to detail and multi-tasking skills.Proven effective verbal and written communication skills.Fluency in Spanish and English is a MUST.Valid drivers license passports and US visa.As an Equal Opportunities employer McCormick is committed to an inclusive workforce.Required Experience:ManagerKey SkillsGIS,Engineering,Engineering Practices,Data Collection,Irrigation Systems,Agriculture,CAD,GPS,Water Quality,Biology,Nursery,Emergency maitenance,Technical Assistance,Watetr conservation,Agricultural EquipmentEmployment Type : Full-TimeExperience: yearsVacancy: 1 #J-18808-Ljbffr