Mechanisation Specialist

Role Overview

You will be the go-to technical authority for every piece of machinery used across FinAgra's contracted farming operations, making sure that tractors, implements, and application equipment meet the exact standards required for each agronomic task before they reach the field. Day to day, you will inspect equipment before mobilisation, verify calibration and operating parameters on-site, assess completed work against strict quality thresholds, and decide whether a Work Completion Certificate should be issued — the gate that releases payment to service providers. Working closely with Field Officers and the Procurement Manager, you will build and maintain a vetted pool of qualified contractors per cluster, train field teams to enforce standard operating procedures, and use performance data to drive steady improvements in crop establishment, yield, and operational cost.

Key Responsibilities

• Own and regularly update machinery specifications for tillage, seeding, planting, crop protection, spreading, and harvesting, translating agronomic requirements into measurable equipment and operating criteria for RFQs and service contracts.
• Inspect contracted tractors and implements against the equipment inspection checklist before mobilisation, approving or rejecting them, and communicate requirements to providers early so they don't incur wasted travel and setup costs.
• Verify in-field that equipment matches the agreed specification — including working depth, application rate, and calibration — and technically assess any proposed scope or specification changes before they are approved.
• Evaluate completed operations against the contracted quality standards (depth, coverage, uniformity, ridge geometry, calibration, acreage, finish), and issue or sign off the Work Completion Certificate only for fully compliant work.
• Block payment for substandard results by withholding the certificate and requiring corrective rework at no cost to FinAgra, while providing technical justification for KPI reviews at each certification point.
• Enforce contractual terms around mobilisation windows and breakdown backup, investigate equipment-related incidents, and implement preventive measures with service providers.
• Collaborate with Field Officers to map service providers by cluster, assess each provider's machinery against specifications, and compile an approved, current provider list for Procurement's tendering and contracting process.
• Train Field Officers in machinery inspection, work assessment, and SOP/checklist enforcement, while coaching contractors to raise overall network quality.
• Maintain accurate equipment, inspection, provider assessment, and certificate records in the ERP and farm management system, and report machinery performance and risk to leadership using Excel and Slack.

Requirements & Qualifications

• Degree or diploma in Agricultural Engineering, Agricultural Mechanization, Farm Power & Machinery, Mechanical Engineering with agricultural application, or a closely related discipline.
• Hands-on experience in farm machinery operations, equipment specifications, calibration, and maintenance, ideally within commercial or contract-based mechanisation services, covering tillage, seeding/planting, spraying, and spreading.
• Familiarity with Kenyan service-provider landscape and local field conditions is a strong advantage.
• Deep understanding of optimal operating standards per activity — working depth, speed, seeding/application rates, spacing, calibration, ridge geometry, and quality of finish — and ability to assess both machinery specs and completed work against those standards.
• Practical skills in equipment inspection, calibration, and basic troubleshooting, with comfort using digital checklists, farm management systems, and ERP modules for equipment master data, inspections, and work completion certification.
• Working proficiency in Excel and Slack for tracking and reporting, and knowledge of drone/precision-agriculture and GPS/RTK tools is a plus.
• Ability to write clear SOPs, checklists, and training materials, plus awareness of chemical safe-use requirements and KCAA drone compliance rules.
• Strong trainer and mentor mindset, able to build the capability of Field Officers and service providers rather than doing every check personally.
• Firm, objective, and ethical when enforcing standards — able to resist pressure to certify non-compliant work and to defend technical decisions with integrity.
• Field- and travel-ready, spending most time on farms across multiple clusters; a valid driving licence is advantageous.
• Fluent in English and Kiswahili, with well-organised record-keeping and self-directed working style.