Harvest QC & Harvest Supervisor

Multiple Roles in Sunraysia (VIC/NSW)

Costa is Australia’s leading grower, packer and marketer of premium quality fresh fruit and vegetables and is renowned for nurturing a ‘people first’ safety culture, cultivating growing sites and investing in ongoing research and development. People are at the heart of the business and across the regions, Costa is a major employer with more than 6,000 people during the domestic peak seasons. Throughout the Sunraysia region, Costa has multiple farming and packing sites with two major harvests reoccurring every year, providing people with nearly continuous casual work (Jan-Oct). 

Costa’s Colignan Farm (35 min drive from Mildura) kicks off Sunraysia’s harvest season with a Table Grape harvest from early Jan to mid May before experiencing Citrus harvest from early Jun to late Oct. In Citrus harvest, there are a total of three Farms requiring people to work and supervise  in citrus orchards including a sister farm in close physical proximity to Colignan plus a farm in Trentham Cliffs NSW (10 min drive from Mildura). With 10 months of almost continuous work spread across two different fruit harvests on three farms (and a standalone citrus packhouse located in Curlwaa NSW), there is a huge variety of roles available for people seeking a steady income, consistent work rosters and OT payments for high volume of hours at peak season.

The roles we are currently advertising are Harvest Quality Controllers (QCs) and Harvest Supervisors to commence working in  Colignan Farm’s Table Grape Harvest. Paid training will be provided prior to starting your role and subject to work performance, other work opportunities may be offered on the same farm or different sites once Table Grape Harvest finishes and Citrus Harvest starts.

Key Responsibilities

Reporting to the Harvest Manager, the roles of Harvest QC and Harvest  Supervisor will oversee daily worker activities performed by both local and pacific island sourced labour. With harvest crews totalling between 250 – 350, the ability to relate to, and lead, people from different cultures and form them into a cohesive and productive team is the essential criterion of success.

Other responsibilities include:

• Deliver daily toolboxes and oversee other on the job training activities to ensure workers pick fruit accurately and quickly without compromising safety and quality.
• Understand how piece rates are set and how they directly inform productivity targets so workers can meet daily performance measures (e.g. a set number of table grape boxes or citrus bins to be picked) and if they can’t, to identify what training needs or management action is required.
• Ensure workers attend work with required PPE and other approved safety equipment or work tools.  Immediately report worker injuries or hazards on the farm that could lead to worker injuries and ensure First Aid treatment or preventative action is taken to protect workers.
• Physically inspect boxes of grapes (or citrus bins) to check workers are picking fruit according to job specifications relevant to the fruit being harvested (e.g. colour/size/picking technique) and without quality issues (squashed fruit/blemishes/long stems).
  

The roles of Harvest QC or Harvest Supervisor will have natural cross over and work closely together but they will have different focuses. 

A Harvest QC will primarily train and physically check for fruit quality issues, whether that is table grapes being picked off the vine and packed into boxes or citrus picked off the tree and placed into a bin. To undertake these quality focused duties, a Harvest QC will use a handheld device to access a database capturing the outcomes of their checks for real time analysis by Management and communicate them with Supervisors and other harvest support staff to ensure workers’ performance is corrected to eliminate quality issues. A Harvest Supervisor will primarily train and supervise the workers to ensure their daily work is performed efficiently and safely which involves direct interaction with workers to check their understanding and adherence to job specifications and safety instructions.

What you’ll bring to the role

To be successful in these roles, you must be able to demonstrate exceptional initiative, positivity, resilience and reliability. Every day is different as is each work crew and the country/culture they originate from so it is essential you are comfortable and capable of working with people with varying levels of English speaking/comprehension levels and knowledge retention.

Other requirements include:

• A cool head under pressure and a patient and respectful attitude toward people who have different communication and learning styles.
• Demonstrated commitment to safety and visible safety behaviours to model high standards for workers.
• Fitness to work with unimpeded physical capacity to walk significant distances (up and down rows of vineyards or citrus trees) to ensure each worker is spoken with or a set percentage or number of grape boxes or citrus bins are physically checked.
• Reliable transport and the flexibility to work early starts/late hours and/or weekends, if required.

Further Information

If these roles sound like you, click ‘Apply’ and submit via the Costa website noting that interviews may be conducted and successful candidates job offered prior to the closing date. 

Prior to formally applying, you can also contact Merv Bax, Harvest Manager on 0419 136 872 or email mervyn.bax@costagroup.com.au

People are the heart of Costa. Our employees enjoy some of the best benefits and conditions in the industry. From competitive pay to health, wellbeing, and further learning and development opportunities. No matter the role, you’ll always benefit from an environment that encourages and supports you to thrive, grow and connect.