Grade: D1 

Department: Farm Operations 

Line Manager: Miguel Luis Calaca 

PURPOSE OF THE POSITION:

To plan, direct and oversee the day-to-day abalone farming, grading & ranching activities and 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:

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Day to day operations

• Serves as a lead worker for line team(s), assists with operations in area(s) of responsibility.
• Plans and directs operations in the area(s) of responsibility.
• Procures the necessary supplies, services and equipment for the areas of responsibility
• Oversees the compliance with abalone health and biosecurity requirements in the area(s) of responsibility.
• Enforces farm regulations for safety, cleanliness and neatness.
• Manages the rearing, weighing, counting, grading and size-grouping of abalone on the farm.
• Maintains a knowledge of pests and diseases and an understanding of how they spread and how to treat them
• Oversees the monitoring of abalone health.
• Controls hygiene of equipment and tools on the farm and the hygiene of the processing/packing facility.
• Compiles data to develop operational reports detailing farm, stock control & factory functions.
• Manages the preparation of abalone for transporting.
• Controls and monitors inventory of equipment, materials and supplies.
• Operates a variety of equipment necessary to maintain and monitor an abalone farm. 
• Ensures safety, legality and quality of product for sale.
• Identifies business improvement opportunities within the organisation
• Performs root cause analysis and resolve problems
• Provide technical expertise to the team
• Stays current and up to date on any changes that may affect the supply and demand of needed products and materials and advises others of any impact
• Conducts risk assessments of processes and tasks in the department
• Controls production and quality of abalone
• Controls basket density
• Oversees operation of all machinery
• Maintains records of required maintenance for department related machinery & tools
• Plans & executes abalone stocking activities.
• Conducts regular inspections of kelp quality in the feeding process
• Oversees the kelp collection process
• Manages the cultivation of macro algae
• Responsible for the grow-out production as per the requirements of the harvest match.
• Responsible for production planning and targets.
• Responsible for water quality and animal health.
• Responsible for stock programs, harvests forecasts and reports.
• Oversees procurement of artificial feed
• Manages the food conversion ratio & feeding schedules related to artificial feeds
• Implementation of abalone growth monitoring programs
• Liaison to Hatchery manager regarding preparation for and the physical receiving of spat from the hatchery
• Liaison to Factory manager regarding stock dispatch to processing facility
• Liaison to ranching team regarding the dispatch of spat to the ranching areas
• Assists technical team in maintenance planning & operations when required
• Responsible for record keeping of biological stock movement
• Duties related to 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
• Monitors the condition of abalone on the islands
• GPS locates spat settlements and potential harvests
• Prepares feedback
• Responsible for the Environmental management plan for both grow-out & ranching

Administration

•             Attends various meetings and action/communicate instructions

•             Types, compiles and prepares reports, presentations and correspondence

•             Manages databases and filing systems

•             Collates and verifies quotations\invoices and submit for payment

•             Prepares work reports, progress reports and time sheets.

•             Develops an annual departmental operational plan

•             Ensures implementation of the annual departmental operational plan

•             Maintains records concerned with feeding, conditioning, grading and factory operations.

•             Maintains a departmental inventory of equipment, materials and supplies.

•             Develops and obtains procurement documents for the purchase of fixed assets in the area(s) of responsibility

Human Resources

•    Responsible for the recruitment and selection of reporting staff
•    Motivates and coaches reporting staff
•    Enforces discipline, policies and procedures
•    Handling personnel offences
•    Facilitates and directs personal and subordinate training and development
•    Directs communication in the department (INVOCOMS)
•    Sets departmental, personal and subordinate KPI’s and objectives and manages performance as per Performance Management System
•    Identifies Key Positions for Succession Planning
•    Consistently promotes high standards through personal example and roll out through the team so that each member of the team understands the standards and behaviours expected of them
•    Reviews, implements and updates company records e.g. training matrices, performance reviews, risk assessments
•    Periodically assesses departmental structure and reporting lines and motivates adjusts as necessitated.
•    Plans the work of team to ensure that they are aligned to the organisational goals.
•    Supervises staff including the approval of leave and time reports.
•    Remuneration administration by controlling clockings, time regulations, working hours, overtime and leave
•    Ensure that good industrial relation practices are applied and that fairness prevails in the company as well for the subordinates
•    Handles sub-ordinates grievances and queries promptly and strive to find solutions for these
•    Provide subordinates with the prescribed protective clothing and/or equipment

Leadership Accountabilities

•    Communicates and embodies the company vision, mission and values
•    Implements and complies to standard operating procedures and policies
•    Ensures current government regulations concerning aquaculture activities are complied with 
•    Protect the environment and maintain biodiversity by complying with environmental laws
•    Creates an environment which encourages individual team motivation and effectiveness
•    Oversees key projects, processes and performance reports, data and analysis pertaining to the area(s) of responsibility.
•    Applies health and safety standards in responsibility.
•    Ensures security measures in areas of responsibility are being adhered to
•    Communication: increases departmental effectiveness through active listening with both superiors and subordinates as well as strong written communication skills
•    Leadership: provides and seeks out continuing education opportunities to foster a growth mind-set
•    Delegation: identifies the best person (or people) for a particular task and acts as a facilitator to motivate and direct the work
•    Time management: prioritizes tasks to ensure that projects are completed by deadlines, streamline processes to maximize productivity
•    Negotiation and mediation: finds opportunities to resolve conflicts efficiently and favourably
•    Decision-making: weighs the costs and benefits of various options to determine the best course of action to achieve departmental and company goals
•    Problem-solving: analyses past and current performance and recommends objectives to improve productivity and profitability
•    Assists in the formulation, development and implementation of company and site-specific quality, production, administrative policies and procedures.

  Financial and Budget Control

•    Prepares annual departmental budgets (operational, manpower)
•    Provides input into the CAPEX budget for the business
•    Releases purchase and CAPEX requisitions
•    Controls departmental expenditure
•    Monitors and evaluates department performance against budget and key performance areas
•    Reports on cost centre variances – actual vs. planned
•    Accrues for departmental expenditures
•    Responsible for biological asset and stock counts and reporting on stock movement.

Strategy and Development

•    Provides input to the business unit’s strategic plans
•    Contributes to the creation and implementation of departmental vision, strategy, policies, processes and procedures to aid and improve operational performance
•    Contributes to new business initiatives and projects and review and communicate the impact on departmental activities
•    Promote and comply with OL Persona and GPTW initiatives

Divisional Management

•    Provide input to the division’s strategic plans
•    Identify priority action areas from the division’s business plans and include this in an annual business plan
•    Prepare an annual calendar plan for the department
•    Maintain divisional policies and procedures
•    Make recommendations on organisational structures
•    Delegate authority and assign responsibility
•    Create effective inter- and intra-departmental relationships
•    Report on variances – actual vs. planned
•    Monitor and evaluate department performance against strategic plans, business plans, budget and key performance areas

General Additional Duties

•    The incumbent may be required to assume additional reasonable responsibilities and/or duties as assigned to him/her by his/her direct superior or the SLT
•    Report and, where possible, handle cases of accident, fire, theft, loss, damage or contravention of regulations
•    Attend meetings and training courses, workshops or seminars as required
•    Relieve and assist in all areas during periods of absence or crisis
•    Assist other departments such as grow-out & hatchery when needed as per instruction from the General Manager
•    Must be willing to carry out any ad-hoc duties as requested by management and perform duties after hours as deemed necessary by management

 OL - Authentic, Caring & Passionate

Applicants meeting our requirements are invited to apply. OL 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: 6120