Sector: Agriculture / Agri-Infrastructure / Farm Development
Reed is currently recruiting for an experienced Head of Engineering
This is a senior leadership position with responsibility for the end-to-end engineering, construction, project delivery and asset management of extensive agricultural infrastructure and farm development operations.
The successful candidate will lead multidisciplinary engineering and project management teams and will be responsible for ensuring major projects are delivered safely, on time, within approved CAPEX and to the required quality and operational standards.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead the engineering and project management function across large-scale agricultural and farm development projects.
- Oversee the construction and development of:
- Farm and land infrastructure
- Internal roads and bridges
- Irrigation, drainage and sewage systems
- Farm offices, administration buildings and laboratories
- Shade-net and agricultural structures
- Employee housing and recreational facilities
- Industrial and operational facilities
- Power generation, refrigeration and transmission infrastructure
- Provide leadership across civil, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, automation, instrumentation and architectural disciplines.
- Develop and manage project execution plans, designs, drawings, project schedules and GANTT charts.
- Ensure projects are completed within agreed scope, timelines and CAPEX budgets.
- Monitor project performance and take corrective action where delays, cost overruns or technical issues arise.
- Work closely with Procurement, Finance, HR, Legal and Operations to ensure effective project delivery.
- Manage contractors, consultants, suppliers and technical service providers.
- Establish clear scopes of work, performance standards and project milestones.
- Monitor contractor performance, certify completed work and support payment approval processes.
- Ensure all required statutory, construction, environmental and safety approvals are obtained.
- Maintain agricultural and infrastructure assets in safe and optimal operating condition.
- Develop preventive and breakdown maintenance programmes to maximise asset reliability and minimise downtime.
- Drive the adoption of automation, instrumentation, mechanisation and modern agricultural technologies.
The ideal candidate will be a highly experienced engineering leader with substantial exposure to large-scale agricultural infrastructure, farm development, fresh produce, plantations or major industrial/agricultural projects.
You should have:
- A degree in Civil, Mechanical, Electrical or Agricultural Engineering.
- A postgraduate qualification would be advantageous.
- Advanced certification in Project Management, Engineering Management or Six Sigma would be desirable.
- Approximately 15–20 years’ relevant professional experience.
- Strong experience delivering large-scale agricultural, infrastructure or industrial development projects.
- Previous experience within Africa is highly desirable.
- Experience within fresh fruit, plantations or intensive agricultural production would be particularly relevant.
- Proven experience managing large multidisciplinary technical and engineering teams.
To apply, please submit your CV to Reed for confidential consideration.
