Avocado Manager - Packhouse

Role Overview

This position takes full ownership of a high-volume avocado packhouse, from the moment fruit arrives from the orchards through to loading export containers. You will coordinate daily throughput, safeguard cold chain integrity, and ensure every carton meets the exact specifications of international retail and wholesale customers. Your leadership directly affects yield recovery, on-time dispatch performance, and the facility's reputation for consistent, audit-ready quality.

Key Responsibilities

• Direct all packhouse shifts, covering intake, washing, sizing, grading, packing, palletising, cold storage, and dispatch so that each stage runs to schedule and within quality tolerances.
• Translate harvest forecasts and customer order books into daily production plans, adjusting labour allocation and line speeds to avoid bottlenecks or unnecessary overtime.
• Interpret and enforce customer specifications for fruit maturity, calibre, appearance, and packing presentation, with clear checkpoints that catch non-conforming product before it reaches packaging.
• Lead food safety and traceability compliance across the facility, ensuring documentation, sanitation schedules, pest control records, and temperature logs meet GlobalG.A.P., HACCP, BRCGS, and SMETA requirements.
• Monitor cold room temperatures, ethylene management, and stock rotation to minimise shrivel, weight loss, and decay, while keeping accurate inventory records that support load-out decisions.
• Supervise and coach line supervisors and team leaders, setting daily targets, running short toolbox talks, and conducting performance reviews that identify skill gaps and promotion potential.
• Coordinate with maintenance staff to keep grading machinery, packing lines, and refrigeration plant running reliably, prioritising repairs that would otherwise cause fruit loss or missed departures.
• Track key performance indicators such as pack-out percentage, labour efficiency, packaging use, waste levels, and equipment downtime, then present clear monthly reports to the General Manager.

Requirements & Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Agriculture, Horticulture, Food Science, Agribusiness, Operations Management, Industrial Engineering, or a closely related field.
• At least five years of hands-on experience in fresh produce packhouse operations, with a substantial portion focused on avocados destined for export markets.
• Minimum three years in a supervisory or management position, directly accountable for either an entire packhouse, a dedicated packing line, or a large production team of 50+ staff.
• Certification in HACCP, BRCGS, GlobalG.A.P., or a recognised food safety system; an internal or lead auditor qualification is a strong plus.
• Demonstrated ability to manage post-harvest physiology, including pressure testing, dry matter assessment, and temperature management across the supply chain.
• Working knowledge of export market protocols for avocado quality, labelling, phytosanitary requirements, and traceability documentation.
• Hands-on proficiency with Microsoft Office (especially Excel for production data) and experience using an ERP, WMS, or dedicated packhouse management platform for batch tracking and stock control.
• Strong people management skills, with a track record of reducing staff turnover and building reliable shift teams through clear communication and structured training.

What We Offer / Why Join

This role offers the chance to run a critical operation at the heart of the export value chain, where your decisions directly influence fruit recovery and customer satisfaction. You will work closely with the General Manager on seasonal strategy, capital improvements, and new market requirements, giving you visibility beyond a single department. The position is suited to a hands-on leader who enjoys the pace of a seasonal export environment and wants to build a lasting reputation in the avocado industry.