About the Company
At Southern Fresh, we grow more than produce — we grow precision, consistency, and performance. As a family-owned business supplying premium salads, herbs, and baby vegetables, we combine hands-on growing expertise with structured systems and modern production practices.
Operating across large-scale outdoor cropping systems, we manage dynamic growing environments that demand strong agronomic discipline and responsiveness to seasonal conditions. With continued investment in capability and infrastructure, we are focused on lifting crop performance and delivering reliable, high-quality outcomes every season.
About the Role
This role is responsible for leading agronomic performance across our outdoor cropping operations.
Key responsibilities include:
- Developing and maintaining crop plans, growth cycles, and planting schedules
- Producing accurate harvest forecasts and supporting planning across Sales, Harvesting, and Production
- Monitoring crop health through regular scouting and managing pest, disease, weed, and nutrition programmes
- Coordinating soil, tissue, and other agronomic testing
- Managing fertiliser, crop input programmes, and irrigation recommendations
- Measuring, analysing, and reporting on yield performance, losses, and trends
- Maintaining accurate crop, yield, and input records (including systems such as Apunga)
- Planning and coordinating weeding and crop maintenance programmes
- Leading trials of new varieties, inputs, and growing techniques
- Providing clear agronomic guidance to Outdoor Operations teams
- Supporting compliance, audit readiness, and NZGAP requirements
About You
We are looking for someone who is:
- Qualified in Agronomy, Horticulture, or a related field (or equivalent experience)
- Experienced or confident in outdoor cropping systems (preferred)
- Skilled in crop scouting, problem diagnosis, and decision-making
- Analytical and data-driven, with experience in yield measurement and forecasting
- Practical and comfortable working hands-on in the field
- Confident working cross-functionally with operational teams
- Holds (or is willing to obtain) a Growsafe certificate and has a full driver’s licence
We are also open to recent graduates with strong technical foundations and a desire to grow. For graduates, we offer structured development, mentorship, and hands-on exposure to commercial outdoor cropping systems.
Why Join Southern Fresh?
- Focused, large-scale outdoor cropping environment
- Opportunity to directly influence crop performance and production outcomes
- A business committed to quality, consistency, and continuous improvement
- Supportive team environment
- Training and development opportunities
If you are passionate about growing high-quality produce and want to play a key role in shaping crop performance at Southern Fresh, we would love to hear from you.
Please note, only candidates with current New Zealand working rights will be considered for this role.
