Trainee Planter Program - Agronomy & Crop Management

Role Overview

This role is responsible for the day-to-day supervision of field operations on a tea, rubber, or oil palm estate. You will coordinate labour teams, monitor crop maturity and harvest schedules, and maintain accurate yield records. Your work directly supports the estate’s productivity targets and ensures that plantation processes run efficiently under your shift or section.

Key Responsibilities

• Plan and assign daily tasks to field workers, including plucking, pruning, weeding, and fertiliser application.
• Inspect crop quality and ripening stages to determine optimal harvesting windows.
• Maintain detailed logs of labour attendance, work output, and material usage for reporting to senior management.
• Enforce safety standards and proper use of protective equipment during chemical spraying or manual tasks.
• Coordinate with transport teams to ensure timely delivery of harvested crop to the factory.
• Train new and existing workers on estate procedures, productivity targets, and compliance with company policies.
• Identify and resolve operational bottlenecks, such as labour shortages or equipment breakdowns, in real time.

Requirements & Qualifications

• Degree holder (preferred) OR Advanced Level pass combined with an NIPM Plantations Management Course – an advantage.
• Demonstrated leadership potential, including the ability to direct and motivate teams of 20–50 workers.
• Excellent command of spoken and written English for report writing and communication with senior managers.
• Strong problem-solving ability, high attention to detail, and effective team coordination skills.
• Ability to communicate in Sinhala and/or Tamil is an advantage due to daily interaction with field labour.