About the position
TECHNICAL ADVISOR: STONE FRUIT
?? Ceres, Western Cape | Permanent | Market Related + Attractive Commission
ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY
A leading agricultural organisation based in Ceres, Western Cape, is seeking an experienced Technical Advisor: Stone Fruit to provide specialist horticultural expertise across its stone fruit production operations.
This is a key technical role for a passionate stone fruit professional who can translate research, technical knowledge and industry developments into practical, commercially focused production strategies.
The successful candidate will work closely with production teams, technical specialists, breeders, customers and industry stakeholders to optimise orchard performance, fruit quality, cultivar selection and post-harvest outcomes.
If you have a strong technical background in stone fruit production, enjoy solving complex production challenges and are passionate about innovation, research and continuous improvement, this could be an excellent opportunity to make a meaningful impact within a progressive agricultural environment.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
- Provide specialist technical and horticultural guidance across stone fruit production units.
- Develop, implement and monitor technical protocols, trials and production improvement initiatives.
- Provide technical input into new plantings, cultivar selection, rootstocks and production practices.
- Monitor and evaluate fruit quality from orchard through to packing, storage and export.
- Analyse production, quality and post-harvest data and translate findings into practical recommendations and improvements.
- Support cultivar evaluation and product development in collaboration with breeding programmes, researchers and industry specialists.
- Identify opportunities to improve yield, fruit quality, orchard performance and overall production efficiency.
- Stay abreast of the latest horticultural research, technologies, cultivars and industry developments and ensure relevant knowledge is applied operationally.
- Work closely with production teams to implement and maintain best-practice technical standards.
- Build and maintain strong relationships with customers, producers, technical specialists and relevant industry stakeholders.
- Facilitate technical training, knowledge transfer and ongoing skills development within production teams.
- Contribute to a culture of innovation, continuous improvement and knowledge sharing.
- Perform any other duties reasonably associated with the position.
MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS
- BSc degree in Agriculture, Horticulture or a related field.
- MSc degree will be advantageous.
- Proven technical experience specifically within stone fruit production.
- Strong understanding of stone fruit horticulture, production practices and fruit quality.
- Sound analytical and problem-solving abilities, with the capacity to convert technical information into practical production solutions.
- Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
- Ability to establish and maintain effective relationships with production teams and industry stakeholders.
- Willingness to travel regularly to relevant production regions.
- Valid driver’s licence.
WHAT WILL SET YOU APART?
The ideal candidate will be a technically strong, commercially minded and solutions-oriented horticultural professional who is comfortable operating between research, technical expertise and practical orchard production.
You should have a genuine passion for stone fruit, a curiosity for new developments and the ability to influence and support production teams through sound technical judgement.
PACKAGE
Market-related remuneration, including an attractive commission structure, forms part of the overall package.
LOCATION
Ceres, Western Cape
Desired Skills:
- stone fruit
- agronomist
- technical advisor
