Senior Research Agronomist Job Vacancy


Exciting Career Opportunity – Del Monte Kenya Limited

The Company


Del Monte Kenya Limited wishes to fill existing vacancies for the position of
 Senior Research Agronomist.

He or she will join a high achieving management team, in our Research & Development Department.

The Job

Reporting to the Research & Development Manager, the person will be responsible for: -

  • Study factors affecting nutrient uptake and utilisation by plants.
  • Identify ways in which plants productivity can be enhanced by more efficient use of nutrients.
  • Develop diagnostic tools for rapid detection of nutrient deficiencies.
  • Study plant water requirements and develop efficient irrigation scheduling tools.
  • Develop field/crop monitoring techniques for soil fertility, plant nutrition, water requirement, plant growth, fruit development and fruit quality.
  • Identify knowledge gaps and carry out field and laboratory experiments in plant nutrition, soil fertility, plant water requirement, and cultural practices such as planting densities, seed materials, and spacing.
  • Development/improvement of agronomic packages required for optimum pineapple production.
  • Coordinate activities of the analytical chemistry laboratory.
  • Supervising, motivating and training of field workers on experimentation and data collection.
  • Health/safety of the worker, environment, and product.
The Person

The ideal candidate should meet the following requirements: -

Essential
  • Aged 30 - 35 years.
  • Must have a B.SC. Degree in Agriculture or related field and at least M.Sc. degree in Soil Science, Integrated Soil Fertility Management, or any other related course.
  • Substantial experience in soil fertility, plant nutrition, and integrated soil-plant-water-nutrient management .
  • Experience in irrigation scheduling.
  • Good data utilization and analytical skills.
  • The ability to work meticulously and accurately under pressure of deadlines.
  • Excellent written and oral communication skills.
  • A flexible approach and an ability to work within a team.
  • Computing skills (experience of word processing, Excel spreadsheet, presentation, and database package).
  • Clean driving license.
Desirable
  • Working in a research institution or research department of a large scale farming business.
  • Experience on implementation of the Global GAP certification requirements at the farm level.
  • Experience in chemical analysis.
  • A self motivated team player.
Applications to be submitted to

Human Resources Manager,
Del monte Kenya Ltd,
P.O. Box 147 - 01000,
Thika,

Email: hrkenya@freshdelmonte.com, by 20th April, 2012.