Operations Manager - Floriculture

Role Overview

This position owns the operational chain that moves cut flowers from the farm gate to international buyers, covering everything from production forecasting through airport cargo dispatch. Working between the farm, the Nairobi office, and Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, the holder keeps perishable shipments moving on schedule, documents clean, and buyers informed. It is a hands-on coordination role where a missed flight or a paperwork gap translates directly into lost revenue and damaged relationships, so the employer relies on this person to keep the entire export pipeline predictable.

Key Responsibilities

• Build export forecasts by combining farm production projections, confirmed orders, buyer specifications, and market demand, then align those forecasts with the Farm Manager's planting, harvesting, and packing schedules.
• Translate buyer requirements into practical instructions for the farm, and monitor available stems for volume, grade, quality, and readiness against what has been promised.
• Run end-to-end movement of consignments — farm collection, transport, cold-chain handling, clearing and forwarding, and airport cargo acceptance — coordinating airlines, cargo handlers, agents, and transporters so dispatch happens within required windows.
• Track flight schedules, cargo capacity, and service disruptions, and resolve logistical problems that threaten shipment timing or flower condition.
• Prepare, verify, and file export paperwork at JKIA, including Airway Bills and customs or clearing documents, ensuring everything is accurate, complete, and available before deadlines and compliant with export, customs, and aviation rules.
• Stay close to farm operations through regular visits, flagging production, packing, or dispatch-readiness issues early, and coordinating operational purchases with the relevant teams.
• Manage relationships with international buyers and logistics partners, passing buyer requirements to the right internal teams, following up on shipments, and liaising with Finance on freight costs, payments, and purchases.
• Oversee the day-to-day operational running of the Nairobi office, keeping shipment files, buyer records, forecasts, and logistics documentation current, and reporting production, export volumes, and operational performance to the COO and Managing Director.

Requirements & Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Logistics, Supply Chain Management, Business Administration, Agribusiness, or a comparable discipline.
• At least five years of relevant experience in floriculture, flower exporting, logistics, supply chain, or agricultural export operations.
• Demonstrated track record coordinating flower exports and airport cargo operations, ideally through JKIA.
• Working knowledge of cold-chain practice and the handling of perishable goods.
• Experience dealing with international buyers, airlines, clearing agents, freight forwarders, and third-party logistics providers.
• Solid command of export documentation, with particular strength in Airway Bills and customs or clearing paperwork.
• Familiarity with the Kenyan flower export ecosystem and its regulatory and compliance obligations.
• Strong forecasting, planning, coordination, and problem-solving ability, combined with clear communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Comfort operating under tight timelines in time-sensitive export conditions, and willingness to travel regularly between the Nairobi office, the farm, the airport, and other operational sites.
• Core competencies: operations and logistics management, export planning and forecasting, floriculture and perishable goods knowledge, buyer relationship management, documentation accuracy, decision-making under pressure, and a proactive, hands-on approach backed by integrity and accountability.