Operations & Trials Manager ( Agriculture)

Fmk consulting; Bridgwater; On-site; GBP 35,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading agricultural technology company in Bridgwater is looking for an Operations Lead to manage day-to-day site operations and lead crop trials in a controlled environment. The ideal candidate will have several years of experience in similar roles and a strong commitment to quality and safety standards. This position offers competitive compensation and the opportunity to make a real-world impact on food security.

Benefits

Competitive remuneration package

On-the-job training

Clear growth opportunities

Qualifications

• 3 - 5+ years leading operations in controlled environment agriculture.
• Experience running structured trials and writing SOPs.
• Audit experience with HACCP, BRCGS, or equivalent schemes.

Responsibilities

• Own day-to-day operations at the pilot site.
• Plan and run production and trials to meet targets.
• Ensure audit readiness for food safety schemes.

Skills

Strong work ethic

Clear communication

Practical problem solving

Resilience under pressure

Comfort with data

Tools

PowerBI

Job description

Overview

This is a unique opportunity to play a major part in the UK's first year-round, net zero Strawberry platform using Total Controlled Environment Agriculture. They combine plant science, clean energy, and smart controls to deliver consistent quality with lower emissions.

The role

You will own day-to-day operations at the pilot site in Somerset and lead structured crop trials that feed into scale-up. You will set the standard for safety, quality, and reliability, turn data into decisions, and coach a small, multidisciplinary team.

What you will do

• Plan and run production and trials to hit yield, quality, and cost targets.
• Write, roll out, and continuously improve SOPs covering crop cycles, sanitation, IPM, fertigation, harvest, post-harvest, calibration, and alarm response.
• Coordinate with agronomy, energy, and controls to align recipes and setpoints with operational needs.
• Maintain audit readiness for food safety schemes such as HACCP and BRCGS.
• Lead daily stand-ups and weekly reviews, manage shifts, and ensure accurate records and traceability.
• Triage alarms, prioritise maintenance with the Controls and Facilities Technician, and keep uptime high.
• Report KPIs and actions to leadership with clear, concise updates.

Your KPIs

Yield kg per m², Class-1 percentage, energy kWh per kg, cost per kg, labour hours per kg, order fill rate, downtime percentage, trial on-time delivery.

Your Skills and Resources

• Strong work ethic, reliability, and personal ownership.
• Clear communicator who builds trust, gives and receives feedback, and helps others succeed.
• Practical problem solving with a bias to action and tidy execution.
• Resilience under pressure and thoughtful prioritisation when plans change.
• Curiosity, comfort with data, and commitment to continuous improvement.

Useful experience

• 3 - 5+ years leading operations in controlled environment agriculture, greenhouse horticulture, food manufacturing, or similarly regulated production.
• Running structured trials, writing SOPs, and coaching small teams.
• Audit experience with HACCP, BRCGS, or equivalent schemes.
• Familiarity with HVAC, lighting, irrigation, sensors, and preventive maintenance.
• Comfortable with spreadsheets and dashboards; exposure to PowerBI.

Why join us

• Mission with real-world impact on food security and climate.
• Lean team where your ideas ship quickly and your work is visible.
• On work training.
• Clear goals, fair feedback, and room to grow as we scale.
• Competitive renumeration package.

How to apply

Email your CV to (email address removed) (just .co) or (email address removed).

If you want to chat through your suitability please give me a call, Frank +44 (phone number removed). Include availability and right to work status. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds.