Head, Field Operations - Crop Production at Babban Gona Farmer Services Nigeria Limited

Babban Gona Agricultural Franchise is a financially sustainable, high impact and highly scalable social enterprise, which is part-owned by the farmers it serves. Babban Gona is an innovative model designed to serve the bottom of the pyramid and transform agriculture into a job-creation engine. Through this agricultural franchise, Babban Gona offers a suite of services to smallholder farmers, helping them to overcome the challenges of fragmentation and low economies of scale.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Head, Field Operations - Crop Production

Location: Kaduna
Employment Type: Full-time
Industry: Agriculture
Reports to: The Deputy Managing Director

Role Summary

• The holder of this position will oversee the operations of the Field Operations Units within Babban Gona. This includes but not limited to Members’ recruitment, training, auditing, default recovery etc.

Key Responsibilities

• Direct and coordinates team’s activities for each season, such as planting, harvest, post harvest operations.etc
• Prepare plans for the mode of harvest, harvesting schedules and collaborate with the team to carry out these activities.
• Supervise, and train employees as needed and/or assigned.
• Put in place strategy for 100% default recovery from Farmer Members.
• Research and make recommendations regarding new or replacement seeds, changes in fertilizers, herbicides ,and/or cultural practices.
• Oversee strategy and lead the Operations team, guiding its pursuit of a scalable model.
• Determine strategies and set long-term vision for the Crop production program.
• Plan on how to set program goals and track the metrics necessary to meet them.
• Experiment with products, services, and tech-based innovations to maximize the impact that the crop production program has on farmers' lives.
• Collaborate with all Babban Gona staff (Northern and Lagos team) for support and information sharing.
• Ensure proper audit of our Farmer Members.
• Put in place strategy to identify and resolve gaps and fraudulent activities within the program.
• Document and present a regular report on the Crop production program.
• Invest in a diverse and inclusive team of proficient professionals who can bring about transformative change to the lives of our Members.
• Oversee the recruitment, on-boarding, performance management and growth of the team.
• Influence the culture of the program as it grows to achieve over 1 million members.
• Plan, organize and coordinate all In-season and off-season related activities in the program areas.
• Provide technical guidance and work with the L&D team on capacity building training for implementing partners, staff members and farmers.
• Supervise and monitor all activities by conducting regular visits to all offices, hubs and fields.
• Provide guidance for the establishment of pilot trials at community and household levels.
• Coach team members in the most effective ways to communicate BG’s Strategic Objectives to members and partners in the field.
• Implement new methods or tools to improve team’s work processes and productivity.
• Maps team’s activities and tasks to specific successes in communities to showcase positive impact.
• Be a coach and provide constructive feedback by encouraging the pairing of junior colleagues with supervisors within your team.
• Drive and support team members to achieve set business objectives. 
• Make commitments by providing accurate guidance to the team on expected responsibilities and tasks.
• Drive team on 100% success of the crop production program.
• Other responsibilities and tasks required to support organizational goals and objectives.

Requirements

• A Bachelor's / Master's Degree in Agriculture / Agronomy or a related field. 
• Relevant certifications in Agriculture/Agronomy.
• Familiarity with Good Agricultural Practices, HACCP.
• Prior work experience in a supervisory role. 
• Minimum of 7 years of experience leading Field Operations, with minimum of 4 years hands-on experience focusing on crop production.

Other Requirements:

• Strong communication skills, business acumen, and problem-solving capabilities
• Experience in managing a team with a strong understanding of crop production.
• Analytical – Display logical reasoning
• Leadership abilities, including complex decision-making and conflict resolution skills.
• Problem Solving - Identify and resolve problems in a timely manner
• Teamwork - Contributes to building a positive team spirit
• Must be willing to travel to other Northern parts and locations in which Babban Gona conducts business.

Start Up Environment:

• Thrives in a fast paced, start-up environment with dynamic business priorities.

Benefits

• Competitive salary
• Health Insurance
• Pension
• Performance Bonus
• Annual paid vacation
• Group Life Insurance.

Application Closing Date
Not Specified.

Method of Application
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online