- Reporting to the Director, the Product Development & Commercialization Lead - Avocado will develop a processed frozen avocado business that builds on an established, export-oriented horticulture platform spanning grower engagement, raw-material aggregation, factory processing, quality assurance and international sales. The role will validate the commercial, technical, operational and financial case; integrate the opportunity into existing field-to-factory capabilities; and lead implementation if approved.
The role will be based in Kenya and is open to foreign nationals.
Opportunity Assessment and Business Planning
- Assess the opportunity against existing horticultural sourcing, processing, cold-chain, export-market and customer capabilities, identifying where shared infrastructure and services can accelerate entry.
- Validate demand, product formats, pricing, routes to market, raw-material availability, plant capacity, yields, labour, utilities, logistics, regulatory requirements and operating costs.
- Prepare an investment-grade feasibility study covering capital, working capital, margins, risks, returns, sensitivities and operational synergies.
- Recommend the business model, governance, organisation, budget, performance measures and phased implementation roadmap.
Technical, Process and Supply Validation
- Develop a year-round avocado supply model through contracted growers and commercial farms, covering agronomy support, seasonality, varieties, quality, traceability, pricing, input recovery and supply risk.
- Validate fruit receiving, ripening, preparation, processing, freezing, packing, storage and dispatch requirements within the existing factory and cold-chain environment.
- Coordinate factory trials, customer samples and third-party assessments to confirm yields, product quality, shelf life, scalability and cost.
- Define commissioning, staffing, systems integration and operational-readiness requirements for launch.
Quality Assurance and Documentation
- Embed the new product range within the existing field-to-factory quality, traceability and food-safety management framework.
- Ensure compliance with customer and export requirements covering HACCP, pesticide residues, hygiene, allergens, ethical sourcing, cold chain, certification and licensing.
- Establish product specifications, testing and release criteria, shelf-life studies, batch records and reliable end-to-end performance reporting.
Project Leadership and Organisational Readiness
- Lead a cross-functional team spanning agronomy and sourcing, factory operations, quality, supply chain, finance, HR and sales.
- Set clear workstreams, milestones, accountabilities, decision gates and reporting arrangements across field and factory operations.
- Design a lean launch organisation, seasonal workforce plan and capability-building programme, demonstrating readiness to assume the General Manager role.
Market Development, Product Innovation and Commercialisation
- Assess priority export markets, customer segments, competitors, specifications, pricing, demand trends and channels for value-added frozen avocado products.
- Leverage established international customer, distributor, trade-fair and B2B networks to build a qualified pipeline and secure viable offtake or supply arrangements.
- Lead stage-gated development of frozen avocado pieces, purée, pulp, guacamole and private-label or customer-specific formats.
- Develop costings, country and customer pricing, margins and commercial terms, positioning traceability, reliability, sustainability and grower impact as competitive strengths.
- Build productive relationships with growers, customers, suppliers, logistics partners, certification bodies, regulators, financiers and industry stakeholders.
- Provide timely, decision-oriented reports on supply, factory readiness, trials, market traction, financial projections, risks and next steps.
Academic & Professional Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Food Technology, Engineering, Agribusiness, Supply Chain, Business Management or a related field; a postgraduate qualification is desirable.
- 8 - 10 years' experience in business development, commercialisation or business-unit leadership within export horticulture, frozen foods or value-added food processing.
- Fluent written and spoken English; strong analytical, presentation and stakeholder-management capability.
- Proven success in building investment cases and taking food products from concept and factory trial to commercial launch.
- Practical understanding of grower or farm sourcing, raw-material aggregation, factory processing, traceability, cold chain, food safety and export certification.
- Demonstrated experience developing international customers, private-label or B2B products, and negotiating export commercial terms.
- Strong financial and operational acumen, including costing, pricing, budgeting, capacity planning, modelling and P&L management.
- Leadership experience across multi-site, seasonal or labour-intensive agribusiness and manufacturing operations, with capacity to build and scale a new business.