Senior On-Farm Crop Lead - Melons & Pumpkins, IPM & Trials

Agribusiness Recruitment; Mataranka; On-site; AUD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Strong base package

Performance bonus

Job summary

Greenview in Mataranka, NT is seeking a senior, on-site crop specialist to lead day-to-day paddock monitoring, manage melon and pumpkin programs, and swiftly address pest, disease, and nutrition signals. You will report directly to the Director and have real scope to trial new crops tailored to the local climate, soils and water.

This is a 100% crop-focused role requiring hands-on field work, crop planning, and staff leadership across monitoring, spraying, and field operations.

Qualifications

• Extensive field experience with melons and pumpkins is preferred.
• Ability to interpret crop signals and make timely decisions in the field.
• Experience with fertigation and nutrition programs.
• Experience in planning and evaluating on-farm crop trials.

Responsibilities

• Run structured crop monitoring across all blocks, from land preparation through to harvest.
• Manage melon and pumpkin crop programs, including planting schedules, crop staging and harvest timing.
• Diagnose pest, disease, nutritional and physiological issues in the field and through tissue, soil and water testing.
• Develop and manage nutrition and fertigation programs matched to crop stage and yield targets.
• Run integrated pest and disease management (IPM) programs, including chemical recommendations and resistance management.
• Work with irrigation staff so scheduling matches crop demand, soil conditions and weather.
• Provide yield forecasts and harvest timing estimates for packing, labour and marketing.
• Drive yield, packout and quality results within crop input budgets.
• Keep accurate spray records and ensure chemical use complies with labels, withholding periods, NT regulations and QA requirements.
• Plan, run and evaluate on-farm crop and variety trials.
• Direct, train and support farm staff in monitoring, spraying and field operations.

Skills

Crop monitoring

Pest & disease diagnosis

Nutrition management

IPM programs

Staff training

Yield forecasting

Budget management

Irrigation coordination

Crop trials

Job description

Greenview in Mataranka, NT is seeking a senior, on-site crop specialist to lead day-to-day paddock monitoring, manage melon and pumpkin programs, and swiftly address pest, disease, and nutrition signals. You will report directly to the Director and have real scope to trial new crops tailored to the local climate, soils and water.

This is a 100% crop-focused role requiring hands-on field work, crop planning, and staff leadership across monitoring, spraying, and field operations.