Packhouse Floor Manager

Role Overview

You will be the person in charge of what happens inside the packhouse from the moment produce arrives until it leaves in export-ready cartons. Working on-site in Solai, your main job is to keep the floor running smoothly through fast-moving harvest and shipping cycles, so that every batch graded and packed meets the quality and food-safety standards buyers expect. Success in this role means blending hands-on supervision with forward planning—anticipating staff shortages, equipment hiccups, or stock gaps before they become missed deadlines.

Key Responsibilities

• Direct the daily flow of produce through receiving, sorting, grading, and packing areas, adjusting labour and priorities as delivery schedules change.
• Supervise team leaders and floor staff across multiple shifts, assigning tasks, monitoring performance, and dealing with attendance or conduct issues promptly.
• Deliver on-the-job training so new and existing workers understand grading criteria, pack specifications, and safe equipment operation.
• Enforce strict hygiene and food-safety protocols at every stage of handling, ensuring compliance with export and customer-specific requirements.
• Liaise daily with quality assurance, logistics, and farm teams to align picking volumes, dispatch timings, and available packing capacity.
• Check and maintain packing equipment, packaging materials, and consumable stock levels, raising purchase requests before shortages can disrupt operations.
• Record daily production outputs, downtime, and quality rejections, using the data to spot problems and recommend process improvements to management.

Requirements & Qualifications

• Diploma or degree in agriculture, horticulture, operations management, or a related discipline.
• At least three years of hands-on experience managing packhouse or production floor operations, ideally within fresh produce exports.
• Proven ability to lead a diverse, shift-based workforce with clear communication and fair discipline.
• Strong planning and organisational skills, especially when juggling multiple orders, staff rosters, and equipment issues at once.
• Comfortable working under pressure during peak seasons to meet tight, non-negotiable export deadlines.
• Willing to work full-time on-site in Solai, Nakuru County, with occasional travel to farms or collection points as needed.