Operations Manager - Arborglen

Flower Power; Sydney; On-site; AUD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Flower Power's wholesale nursery in Glenorie, NSW, seeks an Operations Manager to lead day-to-day production, including propagation, potting and plant movement, ensuring safety, efficiency and on-time delivery. You will drive lean improvements, coordinate with growing and shipping teams, and coach supervisors to meet weekly targets while maintaining plant quality.

The role requires strong plant knowledge and practical leadership across production operations.

Qualifications

• Experience managing production operations and teams in a commercial nursery or similar manufacturing environment.
• Strong practical plant knowledge with propagation, potting, crop production and irrigation understanding.
• Proven ability to improve productivity through lean methods and workflow design.
• Confident leadership, planning and problem-solving skills; able to coordinate across growing, potting and dispatch.
• Commitment to safety, quality and accountability; able to work with cross-functional teams.

Responsibilities

• Plan weekly crop requirements into schedules, labour allocations and daily targets.
• Lead propagation, potting and production teams; coach supervisors and staff.
• Coordinate materials, equipment and plant movements for smooth workflow between production stages.
• Align production timing with Growing and shipping teams to meet store demand.
• Identify and remove delays, waste and rework to improve line performance.
• Maintain safe practices and monitor output, downtime and waste.
• Report results and improvement actions to the General Manager.

Skills

Production management

Team leadership

Lean manufacturing

Plant knowledge

Safety leadership

Tools

Irrigation systems

Propagation equipment

Job description

Location: Glenorie, NSW
Reports to: General Manager
Employment: Full time

The Operations Manager leads the day-to-day production of plants at Arborglen, Flower Power's wholesale nursery. The role ensures propagation, potting, plant movement and production support activities run safely, efficiently and to plan. It requires strong plant knowledge and a practical approach to lean manufacturing: improving workflow, reducing waste and downtime, and helping teams produce healthy, saleable plants on time.

Key responsibilities

Production and people leadership

Tum crop plans and weekly requirements into clear schedules, labour allocations and daily targets.

Lead the propagation, potting and production teams, setting expectations and coaching supervisors and team members.

Coordinate materials, equipment and plant movements so work is ready to start and flows smoothly between production stages.

Work with the Growing and shipping teams to align production timing, plant quality and store demand.

Lean improvement

Identify and remove delays, unnecessary handling, rework and material waste.

Improve potting line performance, changeovers, workplace organisation and equipment utilisation.

Use production data and team feedback to find root causes and implement practical improvements.

Establish simple, consistent work methods while maintaining plant quality and safe work practices.

Plant and quality knowledge

Apply sound knowledge of plant varieties, propagation methods, growing stages and seasonal production needs when planning work.

Ensure plants are handled, potted, labelled and moved correctly, with accurate variety and batch identification.

Recognise quality or crop health concerns early and work with the Growing team to resolve them.

Balance productivity targets with plant health, presentation and readiness for sale.

Safety and reporting

Maintain safe work practices across machinery, manual handling and nursery operations.

Monitor output, labour productivity, downtime, waste and completion against the weekly plan.

Report results, constraints and improvement actions to the General Manager.

What success looks like

Weekly production targets are met with consistent plant quality.

Labour and equipment are used effectively, with fewer delays and changeover losses.

Plants and materials move through the nursery with minimal unnecessary handling.

Production records, labels and inventory movements are accurate.

Teams understand their priorities and contribute to continuous improvement.

Experience and capabilities

Experience managing production operations and teams in a commercial nursery, horticulture business or comparable manufacturing environment.

Strong practical plant knowledge and an understanding of propagation, potting, crop production and irrigation systems.

Demonstrated ability to improve productivity through lean methods, workflow design and performance measurement.

Confident leadership, planning and problem‑solving skills.

Ability to work across growing, potting, and dispatch systems teams.

Commitment to safety, quality and accountability.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Flower Power is an equal opportunity employer.