Technical Assistant

Role Overview

You will be the hands-on agronomic link between our company and the smallholder farmers enrolled in our Outgrower programme, working daily in the field to ensure each plot meets production targets and quality standards. Your work directly supports the sustainability of the programme by guiding farmers through every stage of the crop cycle, from land preparation to post-harvest sampling, while keeping accurate records that inform weekly management decisions. This role matters because consistent, well-supported small-scale producers are essential to meeting our overall harvest budget and maintaining the high specifications our buyers expect.

Key Responsibilities

• Visit outgrower farms on a regular schedule to guide site selection, seed preparation, planting, crop management, harvesting, and sampling procedures, adapting advice to each farmer's conditions.
• Monitor daily field activities to ensure full adherence to the company planting programme, verifying that production remains on track against the agreed budget and flagging variances early.
• Prepare weekly production projections for management, breaking down expected yields and volumes, then coordinate with farmers and internal teams to make sure those projections are achieved.
• Inspect harvested and incoming product against quality specifications, identifying defects or non-conformances and working with farmers to correct practices before the next cycle.
• Compile clear written reports on outgrower performance and outcomes, sharing these documents with both individual farmers and advisory staff to support continuous improvement.
• Conduct structured self-assessments of each farmer's operations against the Ngong Veg Quality Management System and relevant external standards, documenting gaps and follow-up actions.
• Deliver practical training sessions to farmers based on the current training matrix, covering topics such as good agricultural practices, safe chemical use, and record keeping.
• Carry out regular pest and disease scouting across smallholder plots, advising on identification, prevention, and control measures before infestations spread.

Requirements & Qualifications

• Degree or Diploma in Agronomy, Horticulture, or another directly related agricultural field.
• At least 5 years of hands-on experience in commercial crop production, preferably with smallholder or outgrower schemes.
• Strong strategic planning skills, with the ability to translate annual production targets into month-by-month and week-by-week field activities.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills for explaining agronomic concepts clearly to farmers with varying literacy levels and reporting concisely to management.
• Proven capacity to multitask, work under pressure, and meet tight deadlines during peak planting and harvesting windows.
• Process-driven mindset, self-motivated, and comfortable both working independently and contributing as a reliable team member.
• Solid organisational and management abilities for coordinating visits, training schedules, and data collection across a dispersed group of farms.
• Thorough working knowledge of agricultural equipment, crop protection chemicals, and fertilisers, including safe handling, dosage calculation, and application methods.