Assistant Manager

Overview

Responsible for driving Contract Farming (CF) operations across the Hooghly, West Midnapore & Jhargram geography to ensure sustainable procurement of quality potatoes for Lay's and Uncle chips. The role is accountable for expanding the farmer base, strengthening procurement networks, managing storage operations, and ensuring uninterrupted supplies to manufacturing plants while building strategic partnerships with farmers, aggregators, cold storages, government agencies, and other stakeholders.

Responsibilities

Key Accountabilities

1. Contract Farming Development

• Lead the expansion and execution of Contract Farming programs across Hooghly, West Midnapore & Jhargram.
• Identify and develop new potato-growing clusters, multiplication pockets, and farmer networks to increase program penetration and ensure long-term supply sustainability.
• Drive seed sales, farmer enrolment, and adoption of recommended agronomic practices (POP) through regular field engagement.
• Ensure timely seed distribution, crop monitoring, and technical advisory to achieve quality and productivity targets.
• Strengthen relationships with farmers, aggregators, FPOs, cooperatives, and channel partners to improve farmer retention and program scalability.

2. Procurement & Supply Assurance

• Own regional procurement targets for both Contract Farming (CF) and Non-Contract Farming (NCF) potatoes within approved commercial and quality specifications.
• Ensure uninterrupted month-wise and season-wise supply of potatoes from Hooghly, West Midnapore & Jhargram to manufacturing plants.
• Monitor crop quality parameters including TPoD, solids, reducing sugars, and chip-grade specifications.
• Develop market intelligence on crop acreage, arrivals, pricing trends, competitor activities, and procurement opportunities to support commercial decision-making.
• Drive chip-grade procurement programs while ensuring quality compliance and minimizing pilferage.

3. Cold Storage & Inventory Management

• Identify, onboard, and manage strategic cold storage partners across Hooghly, West Midnapore & Jhargram.
• Lead long-storage planning, inventory monitoring, quality management, and phased evacuation to ensure uninterrupted plant supplies throughout the storage season.
• Work closely with storage operators, transport partners, and manufacturing teams to optimize inventory utilization and minimize storage losses.

4. Stakeholder & Government Engagement

• Build and maintain strong relationships with Agriculture and Horticulture Departments, Mandi Boards, district administration, and other government agencies across Hooghly, West Midnapore & Jhargram.
• Partner with FPOs, cooperatives, research institutions, and local organizations to strengthen farmer engagement and expand Contract Farming initiatives.
• Organize farmer meetings, field demonstrations, extension programs, and government-led initiatives to enhance program visibility and adoption.

5. Operational Excellence & Compliance

• Ensure compliance with company policies, procurement processes, statutory requirements, and documentation standards.
• Oversee seed sale documentation, procurement records, mandi tax compliance, transportation documentation, and audit readiness.
• Establish and monitor field quality laboratories, cook tests, and procurement quality protocols.
• Promote adoption of digital agriculture tools, satellite-based crop monitoring, precision farming, and data-driven decision-making.
• Ensure operational discipline among aggregators, transporters, cold storage partners, and suppliers.

6. Team Leadership & Capability Building

• Lead and develop the regional Agro team through coaching, mentoring, and technical capability building.
• Support implementation of an effective extension model to strengthen farmer connect and improve field execution.
• Foster a high-performance culture through structured reviews, knowledge sharing, and continuous improvement.

7. Strategic & Sustainability Initiatives

• Drive sustainability initiatives including Sustainable farming practices (SFP), regenerative agriculture, and other resource-efficient farming practices across the region.
• Support R&D initiatives involving new potato varieties, agronomic practices, crop protection molecules, and field demonstrations.

Qualifications

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Experience & Qualifications

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in agriculture (B.Sc. Agriculture) is preferable.
• MBA/Postgraduate qualification in Agriculture, Agribusiness, Marketing, or Supply Chain is preferred.

Experience

• 6–8 years of experience in Contract Farming, agricultural procurement, agri-input sales, or agri-supply chain management.
• Strong experience working with potato farming ecosystems, cold storage operations, and farmer engagement in North Bengal, Bihar, or similar geographies.
• Demonstrated ability to manage government stakeholders, FPOs, traders, transporters, and cold storage partners.
• Proven leadership skills with experience in leading field teams and driving regional business outcomes.

Key Competencies

• Contract Farming Development
• Farmer & Aggregator Relationship Management
• Potato Procurement & Market Intelligence
• Cold Storage & Inventory Management
• Commercial Negotiation
• Government & Institutional Liaison
• Supply Chain Planning & Execution
• Team Leadership & Capability Development
• Data Analytics & Digital Agriculture
• Sustainability & Regenerative Agriculture

Problem Solving & Execution Excellence