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PURPOSE OF THE POSITION:

To be fully responsible for the management of the grow-out & ranching operations in terms of animal husbandry, feeding & feed conversion ratios, grading, stock control, biosecurity, to accurately provide biological asset growth data, perform biological asset growth forecasts and to ensure that actual current growth performance supports the sales plan for up to 8 years in advance.

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE:

• BTech or BSC degree with a major in fish or wildlife management.
• 5 years’ experience in an Abalone Farming business.
• Must have a Skippers and Class 3 Inshore Air Diving Supervisor ticket.
• Must have 2-3 years’ experience in a management or supervisory role within a multicultural environment.
• Technical experience, knowledge of plant and equipment maintenance.
• Experience in an abalone aquaculture environment.
• Valid Code 08 drivers’ license.
• Strong proficiency in Microsoft Office.
• Food safety Management certificate

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Strategic & Development

• Develop and oversee the development of standard operating policies & procedures in line with operational and long-term strategic goals and objectives.
• Design grow-out & ranching operations work instructions and relevant documentation to support daily operational requirements.
• Review, update and monitor policies & procedures to ensure compliance to Legislations, HACCP/BRC standards, food safety systems and organizational changes/ targets.
• Create, implement and accurately execute the biological asset forecasting program to accurately predict stock available for sales according to different sizes of batches, historic growth rates, forecasted growth rates, survival rates and marketable size ranges per month for up to 8 years in advance
• Ensure that operations within the business are in line with the forecasting tool and ensure that current growth data ensures future sales and that the harvest plan is executable with the infrastructure and manpower available to the business
• Create, implement and execute a ranch seeding and harvest plan to meet sales targets for up to 8 years in advance
• Recruit and train the ranching team to operate off-shore, responsible for training and development of skippers, divers and deck crew
• Continuous research and data collection from different abalone growing areas to optimize settlement survival, growth performance and harvesting capabilities
• Training and development of grow-on team to perform both animal husbandry and stock verification according to abalone relevant best practices

Operational Management

• Serves as the operational leader, responsible for planning & directing operations in the area(s) of responsibility.
• Responsible to manage the live stock in the land-based farm, off-shore ranch and manage the movement of product in terms of:
• Stock received from hatchery
• Stock dispatched to ranch
• Stock harvested from ranch
• Stock harvested from Grow-out
• Stock dispatched to the final goods processing plant

Procurement & Stock Control

• Obtain quotations for the necessary supplies, services, and equipment for the areas of responsibility.
• Controls and monitors inventory of equipment, materials, and supplies.
• Operates a variety of equipment necessary to maintain and monitor grow-out & ranching departments.

Compliance & SHEQ

• Oversees the compliance of abalone health and biosecurity requirements in the area(s) of responsibility by monitoring and controlling the quality standards & abalone health in the operational area as stipulated by Quality Regulations, Systems & Policies and Food Safety Systems.
• Ensure that corrective action is taken on identified audit findings and non-conformances timeously.
• Maintains knowledge of pests and diseases and an understanding of how they spread and how to treat them.

Operations

• Responsible for the complete on growing process from receiving abalone spat from the hatchery & or purchased spat to the on growing of abalone, grading, feeding & harvest of abalone in the grow-out and ranching departments.
• Manages the growth, weighing, counting, grading, and size-grouping of abalone for transfer to the various sections on the farm, factory or ranching operations.
• Compiles data to develop operational reports detailing operational performance in each area of responsibility.

  Ranching of Abalone

• Receives and conditions spat for re-settling within the ranching grounds.
• Supervises the weighing & counting & packing of abalone to be re-settled within the ranching grounds.
• Supervises the maintenance of the ranching vessel.

CLOSING DATE: Friday, 24 October 2025

 O&L - a Great Place to Work.

Applicants meeting our requirements are invited to apply. O&L Group of Companies is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

    "This position is subject to a pre-employment screening and vetting process, and by applying for this position, applicants acknowledge that they are aware that the Company reserves the right to carry out screening and pre-employment vetting for all shortlisted applicants. Certificate of Conduct issued by the Namibian Police (not older than 6 months) may be required from all shortlisted applicants."

Requisition ID: 5194