Job Description

• Oversee the end to end operation of tray drying and humidity controlled dehydration chambers used in agricultural produce processing.
• Provide front line leadership and shift control to maintain production schedules, operational safety, and high product quality standards.
• Coordinate resources, monitor key dehydration parameters, and resolve operational disruptions to eliminate waste, downtime, and non compliance.

Key Duties & Responsibilities

• Oversee tray drying operations and humidity controlled dehydration chambers according to approved operating procedures and quality standards.
• Allocate shift duties based on staff competence and operational workload, verifying coverage of all critical processing tasks.
• Monitor and adjust dehydration parameters, including humidity control, drying cycle programming, and airflow management.
• Maintain strict batch tracking and ensure complete, traceable, and legible shift records, machine logs, and test results.
• Respond rapidly to equipment stoppages, quality deviations, and operational disruptions, confirming facts before executing recovery actions.
• Enforce occupational safety, food hygiene, sanitation standards, and equipment isolation protocols across the dehydration area.
• Coordinate with supplying and receiving departments to ensure timely material handovers and prevent downstream delays.
• Identify recurring processing defects, yield losses, or downtime, supporting root cause analyses and continuous improvement initiatives.

Skills

• Humidity control and drying cycle programming
• Airflow management and dehydration chamber operation
• Batch tracking and operational record keeping
• Shift leadership and workload allocation
• Root cause problem solving and deviation management

Education Qualifications & Experience

Education Qualifications

• Ordinary Diploma or Higher Diploma in Food Science, Agriculture, Mechanical Maintenance, Food Science and Technology, or a directly related technical field.
• Bachelor’s degree in Food Science and Technology, Agriculture, Industrial or Production Engineering, Mechanical or Electrical Engineering, Operations Management, or related disciplines.
• Relevant UBTEB, TVET, supervisory, quality, or technical certifications, or equivalent accredited qualifications.

Experience

• At least two years of practical experience in food drying or agricultural processing operations.