Agronomy Manager

MorePeople; Cobham; Hybrid; GBP 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

MorePeople is seeking an experienced Agronomy Manager to lead field and glasshouse operations across UK sites and to drive successful vegetable trials and seed crops. The role combines practical agronomy with operational leadership, offering hands-on involvement through the growing cycle.

You will work closely with breeders and R&D teams to optimise crop performance, trial quality and data collection while coordinating seasonal priorities and ensuring compliance with crop protection regulations.

Qualifications

• Significant hands-on experience within agronomy, crop production, vegetable growing, trials or seed production.
• Experience managing field and/or glasshouse crops.
• Strong knowledge of crop husbandry, nutrition, irrigation, pests, diseases and crop protection.
• Good working knowledge of pesticide regulation, product labels and application requirements.
• Practical experience operating tractors and agricultural machinery.

Responsibilities

• Leading and coordinating field and glasshouse operations across the company's UK sites
• Planning the establishment, management and harvest of vegetable trials and seed crops
• Managing crop agronomy, including nutrition, irrigation, crop protection, pests and weed control
• Developing and overseeing spray and crop protection programmes
• Monitoring crops and identifying agronomic issues and implementing actions
• Working with breeders and R&D to deliver high-quality trials for breeding and product development
• Coordinating planting, spraying, irrigation, harvesting and seasonal operations

Skills

Hands-on agronomy

Field crop production

Glasshouse crop management

Crop nutrition

Irrigation

Pest & disease control

Crop protection

Tractor operation

Driving licence

Organisational skills

Education

Agriculture/Horticulture qualification

Tools

Tractors

Machinery handling

Job description

Are you an experienced agronomist who enjoys being as comfortable out in the crop as you are planning programmes and leading operations?

I'm recruiting an Agronomy Manager for an established UK vegetable seed business with a long-standing reputation for plant breeding, innovation and the development of high-quality vegetable varieties.

Sitting within the Research & Development team and reporting to the Director of R&D, this is a varied, hands-on management role with responsibility for agronomy and the effective delivery of field, glasshouse, trial and seed production activities at a site in Surrey.

It could be a fantastic opportunity for somebody from vegetable production, seed production, trials, plant breeding or commercial horticulture who is looking to take greater ownership of how crops and agronomy programmes are delivered.

The role

This isn't an Agronomy Manager position where you'll spend all week behind a desk.

You'll be closely involved with crops throughout the growing cycle, combining technical agronomy with operational leadership and practical problem-solving.

Working alongside breeders, R&D colleagues, seed production teams, growers and contractors, you'll make sure trials and seed crops are established, maintained and harvested effectively, while continually looking for opportunities to improve crop performance, trial quality and ways of working.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Leading and coordinating field and glasshouse operations across the company's UK sites
• Planning the establishment, management and harvest of vegetable trials and seed crops
• Taking responsibility for crop agronomy, including nutrition, irrigation, crop protection, pest and disease management and weed control
• Developing and overseeing appropriate spray and crop protection programmes
• Monitoring crops and identifying agronomic issues before recommending and implementing appropriate action
• Working closely with plant breeders and R&D teams to deliver high-quality trials for breeding and product development programmes
• Supporting trial protocols and ensuring accurate and consistent agronomic data collection
• Coordinating planting, spraying, irrigation, harvesting and other seasonal operations
• Managing relationships with growers, agricultural contractors and suppliers where required
• Planning labour, machinery and resources around the demands of the growing and seed production seasons
• Maintaining accurate crop, spray, seed production and trial records
• Ensuring activities meet relevant crop protection, environmental, regulatory and health & safety requirements

About you

I'm interested in speaking to practical agronomists and crop production professionals who understand what it takes to deliver good crops in the real world.

You may already be an Agronomy Manager, or you could be an experienced Agronomist, Trials Manager, Crop Manager, Farm Manager, Growing Manager or Seed Production professional ready to take on broader responsibility.

Ideally, you'll bring:

• Significant hands-on experience within agronomy, crop production, vegetable growing, trials, plant breeding or seed production
• Experience managing field and/or glasshouse crops
• Strong knowledge of crop husbandry, plant nutrition, irrigation, pests, diseases and crop protection
• Good working knowledge of pesticide legislation, product labels and application requirements
• Practical experience operating tractors and agricultural machinery
• Strong organisational skills and the ability to coordinate several seasonal priorities simultaneously
• The confidence to work collaboratively with breeders, technical teams, growers, contractors and operational colleagues
• A relevant qualification in Agriculture, Agronomy, Horticulture, Plant Science or a related discipline, or equivalent practical experience
• A full UK driving licence

PA1 and PA6 qualifications are highly desirable, as is PA2 for tractor-mounted boom spraying. A BASIS qualification would also be advantageous.

Above all, this role needs somebody practical, organised and genuinely crop-focused. You'll need to be happy working outdoors and in glasshouses, getting involved when necessary and adapting your working hours during important periods of the growing, trial and seed production seasons.

While the role will require a regular on-site presence, there is potential for some flexibility around hybrid working. This would be subject to discussion and the requirements of the role, with the business open to considering a working pattern that provides some opportunity to work remotely where appropriate.

Interested?

If you're an experienced agronomy, vegetable production, trials or seed professional looking for a role offering technical responsibility, practical involvement and genuine variety, I'd be very interested in hearing from you.