Agricultural Manager (Sugarcane) required in the Central African Republic

Skills Provision is searching for an Agricultural Manager who leads the entire agricultural supply chain, from land preparation through to cane delivery at the factory gate for a sugarcane operation.

This is a senior generalist agricultural role suited to the current phase of operations; as cultivated areas expand, the function may evolve into specialised divisions such as irrigation, mechanisation, and harvest management.

Salary & Benefits

• Salary: USD 5,500–7,000
• Flights: Annual return flight to country of origin (frequency subject to agreed rotation model).
• Medical: On‑site doctor and clinic; costs covered by the company.
• Work Permit: Arranged and covered by the company.
• Accommodation: Private on‑site housing with a housekeeper.
• Transport: On‑site transport provided.

Key Responsibilities

Agricultural Planning

• Develop a multi‑year land development strategy to progressively expand cultivated area from the current ~600 hectares toward the historical ~1,838 hectares and beyond, within the 25,000‑hectare land title.
• Plan land preparation, planting cycles, variety selection, and nursery/cane multiplication programmes.
• Define an irrigation strategy suited to local water resources, soil conditions, and long‑term sustainability.

Field Operations

• Organise and supervise field maintenance, fertilisation, pest and disease control, and the progressive mechanisation of field activities.
• Plan and manage the harvest calendar in close coordination with the Production Manager to ensure cane arrives fresh and in line with crushing capacity, avoiding shortages or ageing.
• Oversee cane transport logistics from field to factory to guarantee timely and efficient delivery.

Site Protection

• Secure cultivated and reserve land against bushfires, livestock intrusion, and encroachment.
• Manage relations with neighbouring communities on land‑use and boundary matters, in coordination with the companys community relations function.

Organisation & Capability Building

• Recruit, organise, and train local field supervisors and seasonal labour teams, scaling workforce capacity during planting and harvest peaks.
• Establish clear field‑level procedures, record‑keeping systems, and yield‑tracking mechanisms.
• Report regularly to the Plant Manager on cultivated area, yield performance, harvest planning, and supply risks affecting factory operations.

Required Profile

Education & Technical Background

• Design Engineer degree in Tropical Agronomy (five‑year engineering degree), or Master’s degree (Master II) in Agronomic Science or Plant Production.
• Confirmed experience directing an agricultural operation or supervising industrial‑scale crops.
• Knowledge of safety, environmental, and phytosanitary standards.
• Ability to work in the field and manage multiple teams simultaneously.

Experience Requirements

• Minimum 10 years’ experience in a structured agricultural operation
• Agronomist or agricultural engineer with a specialisation in sugarcane cultivation
• Demonstrated experience managing significant cane‑growing areas, with proven yield results (tonnes of cane per hectare).
• Direct experience coordinating harvest scheduling with mill/factory intake capacity.
• Practical knowledge of local crops or the specific crop grown on the operation.
• Experience managing inputs (fertiliser, phytosanitary products) and overseeing field operations.
• Experience in Africa or in a comparable remote, tropical, or under‑resourced rural environment is strongly preferred.

Personal Attributes

• Field‑based, hands‑on leadership style; comfortable spending the majority of time in the field rather than in an office.
• Resilient, autonomous, and capable of operating with limited infrastructure while rebuilding organisational capacity from a low base.
• Strong practical judgement in balancing agricultural constraints with factory supply requirements.

Skills Provision is an ethical international recruitment agency, as such our adverts do not discriminate with regards to age, race, gender, colour, creed, religion, sexual orientation, disability and nationality.

Originally posted on Skills Provision