Horticulturist Irrigation and Nutrition - FNQ

Costa is Australia’s leading grower, packer and marketer of premium quality fresh fruit and vegetables. We nurture our people, cultivate our growing sites, and invest in ongoing research and development.

All the products we grow, and sell are fresh, nutritious, unprocessed, and grown on our very own farms or those of our partner growers. 

The Horticulturalist-Nutrition will take a leading role in the horticultural direction of irrigation agronomy and nutrition programs across all FNQ farms in substrate systems.

About the Role:

• 75k base salary + superannuation
• Primary focus on irrigation and nutrition
• Involvement in areas of crop productions such as: trial work, planning, canopy management, research and development projects and pest and disease
• Coordination of horticultural activities
• Management and education of people within horticultural activities
• Monitor, report and make decisions on daily hydroponic nutrition requirements including EC and pH management.
• Manage data analysis - collect samples and conduct tests.
• Report and communicate all monitoring and trial results, findings and recommendations to the HM.
• Support, monitor and manage budget requirements, adhering to financial requirements and schedules as directed by the Horticultural Manager and Regional Manager. Track financial performance regularly to ensure compliance with budgetary requirements.
• Have a general involvement and awareness in all cultural farm operations
• Support the VIP trials and evaluations where required
• Other reasonable duties as required
  

 About You

• Relevant experience (within blueberry crops is beneficial but not essential)
• Experience in horticulture production (nutrition, plant protection, plant husbandry)
• Understanding of irrigation systems and principles; including irrigation agronomy, fertilizers, and hydroponic growing techniques
• Willingness to get out into the field and be involved in day-to-day operations
• Ability to take responsibility and make things happen
• Strong organisational skills
• Strong leadership and communication skills
• Ability to influence and work alongside people- strong people management skillset
• Ability to foresee upcoming issues
• Ability to take direction and work autonomously
• A drive for continuous improvement of processes and systems
• Tertiary training in Horticulture (degree or diploma) – Required
• Car license
  

Workplace Health and Safety Responsibilities

We take health, safety, and wellbeing of our employees very seriously. We are looking for someone who will take reasonable actions within their authority to ensure compliance with work health and safety legislation and Costa policies, protocols and procedures for the health and safety of all workers and visitors within the workplace.

What we offer: 

• All Costa Berries sites are classed as regional for Working Holiday 2nd and 3rd year visas
• Costa harvest trail – ability to transfer and travel between sites as the season changes! 
• Access to clean toilets, drinking water and free on-site car parking 
• Full-Training provided for all tasks creating work flexibility and consistency 
• Celebrate Cultural Days (Occasional BBQ's and Free Drinks) 
• Paid in line with the Costa Berries Enterprise Agreement 
• Free Access to an Employee Assistant Program 
• Opportunities for Learning, Development, and progression 
• Make new friends, learn new skills, learn about new cultures. Costa is a diverse organisation - we have people from all walks of life
• Values based organisation – Costa has culture of CARE

Check out “Costa Well Grown” at https://vimeo.com/333655457

Costa prides itself on the diverse nature of its employees and welcomes applications from anyone who is interested in working for a large organisation at the forefront of growing innovation.

If you are interested in joining us, please submit your application. There will be a merit-based recruitment process for all applications. 

To submit your application, you will need the following: 

A copy of your passport or Australian birth certificate with photo ID. 

After you have submitted your application keep your eye on your emails - that is how we will contact you about the progress of your application. Once we have assessed your suitability for the role.