Production

Plant Production Manager

Own the growing operation end to end: propagation, controlled environment cultivation, harvest and the data that proves every batch.

  • Norwich Research Park, NR4 7UG, Norwich, UK
  • Full time, on site
  • Competitive, on application
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About the role

QuberTech grows natural rubber from dandelion roots in a controlled environment, so that industry can buy the material it already depends on without the deforestation risk, the transport footprint and the geographic exposure that come with a rubber tree.

The Plant Production Manager owns the growing operation that turns that idea into tonnes. You will run propagation, cultivation and harvest at our Norwich Research Park site, set the protocols the team works to, and make sure the crop that reaches processing is consistent enough to specify.

This is a hands-on role in a company of twelve. You will work daily with the R&D and genomics teams on the lines coming out of the breeding programme, and you will be the person who says what it takes to grow them at scale.

What you will do

  • Plan and run the full production cycle, from propagation and transplanting through cultivation to harvest and post-harvest handling.
  • Set and maintain the growing protocols: nutrient regimes, light and climate strategy, irrigation, crop scheduling and hygiene.
  • Operate and improve the controlled environment systems, and work with suppliers and engineers on maintenance, calibration and upgrades.
  • Keep production records that stand up to scrutiny, so every batch can be traced from seed to processed material.
  • Run integrated pest and disease management, and act early when a crop or a room starts to drift.
  • Work with R&D and genomics to move new lines out of trial conditions and into routine production, and feed the agronomy back into the breeding programme.
  • Plan capacity, labour and inputs against the R&D and commercial pipeline, and report on yield, quality and cost per kilogram.
  • Lead, train and grow the growing team, and own health, safety and compliance in the production areas.

What you will bring

  • Proven experience running a commercial or research growing operation: controlled environment, glasshouse, vertical farm or a comparable production horticulture setting.
  • A working command of plant physiology and agronomy, and the judgement to read a crop rather than only a dashboard.
  • Hands-on experience of climate, irrigation and nutrient systems, and of the instrumentation around them.
  • A disciplined approach to records, protocols and traceability, with experience of a quality or compliance regime.
  • Comfort with data: yield and quality analysis, and using it to change what happens in the next cycle.
  • The ability to lead a small team, plan a season and keep it running when something breaks.
  • The right to work in the UK and the ability to be on site in Norwich.

Useful, not essential

If you meet most of the list above and none of this one, apply anyway.

  • Experience with root crops, latex-bearing crops or aeroponic and hydroponic root production.
  • A degree in horticulture, agronomy, plant science or a related discipline.
  • Experience taking a growing process from research scale to first commercial scale.
  • Familiarity with precision breeding or plant trial work, and with the record keeping it requires.
  • Experience specifying or commissioning growing infrastructure.

What we offer

  • Ownership of the production function in a funded, early-stage company, with the freedom to build it the way it should be built.
  • A site at Norwich Research Park with laboratory, glasshouse and controlled environment facilities, alongside the John Innes Centre and the wider UK crop science base.
  • Work on a crop programme backed by £2.4 million from Defra's Farming Innovation Programme, delivered with Innovate UK.
  • A team of scientists and operators who will tell you what they know and expect the same back.
  • Competitive salary and benefits, discussed openly at the first conversation rather than at the offer.

How we hire

  1. Your application

    A CV and a few lines about the growing operations you have run. No cover letter template, and no form that asks you to retype your CV.

  2. Introductory call

    Thirty minutes with the hiring manager on what the role covers, what you have done, and what you are looking for. Pay is on the table in this call.

  3. On site at Norwich

    A visit to the facility, time with the R&D and genomics teams, and a working conversation about how you would run the crop here.

  4. Decision

    A reference conversation and an offer. We aim to complete the process within three weeks of your first call and to give you a clear answer either way.

Ready when you are

Send a CV and a short note. If the fit is not right for this role we will say so quickly, and tell you what we expect to open next.

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