JOB DEFINITION:
Will coordinate the flow of fruit into all plants in such a manner as to maximize use of facilities and return to growers and to monitor and report on the status and conditions of acreage various orchards in order to provide information as deemed necessary by Management.
JOB SUMMARY:
This position reports to the Field Supervisor.Under the direction of the Field Supervisor this person will communicate on a daily basis (and as needed) with labor contractors and haulers to schedule and direct the flow of fruit to best suited plant, relays directions with respect to size and ripeness of fruit to pick as well as what volumes to pick.
Regularly visits orchards to plan future picks as well as to gather information for management regarding upcoming harvest volumes and quality of fruit to be picked. Using computer programs, maintain daily pick logs of what has been picked, where mand when. As needed, (off-season), will summarize historical information into main pick records and include such information as pick yields, weather and general conditions and on a daily basis conduct crop estimates as needed.
ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:
- Daily communication by phone or in person with labor contractors to schedule picks by volume, size and degree of ripeness and to assign the fruit harvested to the appropriate plant.
- Depending on locations which can vary the number of orchards called on, visit at least six orchards daily to monitor picking operations and to assist with the coordination of other orchard services.
- Using computer programs, log all picking activity daily to include where fruit was picked, when and what the color was, the yield of the orchard, sizes and colors.
- Communicate on a daily basis with all the production department to get information regarding what fruit best to harvest/pick and to coordinate between plant needs and orchard needs.
- On a regular basis conduct crop estimates of assigned acreage taking into account past yields, status of current acreage, weather and other factors, log this information so that it can later be assembled into grower estimates and pick reports.
- Assist other field department personnel as needed and perform other tasks as assigned by Manager and continue to solicit other growers in all districts for the Association.
WORK ENVIRONMENT
- Outdoor work environment with varying degrees of heat and cold
- Limited indoor office work
- Intrastate travel is required
SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE AND ABILITIES:
- Must have knowledge of lemon orchards and orchard operations
- Must have knowledge of growth cycle of lemons.
- Must have knowledge of lemon grades to include colors and sizes
- Must understand pest sign and effects of weather conditions.
- Must be bi-lingual English/Spanish
- Must be able to communicate via cellphone and other devices
- Must possess a valid California Driver’s License
- Must be able to read and write and interpret various computer reports and manually log information
- Must also possess some knowledge of lemon packing house operations.
- Must have basic computer skills such as Microsoft Excel and Word.
PHYSICAL DEMANDS
The physical demands described below are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation will be made to enable individuals with known disabilities to perform the essential functions and to meet the physical demands as listed.
While performing the duties of this job, the employee may be required to frequently walk on uneven ground and sit for long periods of time while driving. The employee will occasionally be required to stand; to reach with hands and arms and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. The employee may be required to lift and/or move/adjust up to 50 pounds. May be required to climb stairs and ladders. The specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus.
