Red Sea Global
Director of Operations, Nursery Operations
- Permanent
- Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Experience 15 - 20 yrs
Job expiry date: 22/11/2026
Job overview
Date posted
08/10/2026
Location
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Salary
Undisclosed
Compensation
Comprehensive package + relocation
Experience
15 - 20 yrs
Seniority
Director
Qualification
Bachelors degree
Expiration date
22/11/2026
Job description
Botanica's 180-hectare nursery site, part of Red Sea Global, has cultivated more than 5 million plants since 2020 and is aiming for 30 million by 2030. This director runs the operational backbone of that site, covering field operations, plant protection, irrigation, soil mix, logistics, facilities, fleet and workshops. Water is the most critical piece, with 2,000 to 4,000 m³ a day drawn from TSE and desalinated sources, and an irrigation outage in summer heat can kill stock within days. Prevention and redundancy therefore guide the work, from zone-by-zone irrigation schedules and smart irrigation to contingency plans for supply interruption. Soil mixes are produced to approved recipes for internal sections and external clients, and every batch gets tested. Imported plants pass to Biosecurity for inspection, while dispatch runs against confirmed orders so Production, maintenance and Commercial teams get what they need on time. Budget ownership covers labour, water, energy, fuel, spares and maintenance, and section heads, supervisors and operatives all report through you. High-risk work, including machinery, chemicals, lifting, driving and heat stress, is controlled with HSSE under ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 45001 and ISO 37301. A Bachelor's degree in Agricultural Engineering, Agriculture, Horticulture, or Mechanical or Civil Engineering and at least 15 years in nursery, agricultural or facility operations are required, including 7 years leading a field workforce of 200+.
Required skills
Key responsibilities
- Organise all nursery areas, including planting zones, shading and mother stock areas
- Carry out routine maintenance of nursery stock and monitor plant health daily
- Apply plant protection measures under the IPM and biosecurity programme set by R&D & Biosecurity
- Design, operate and maintain the irrigation network and pump stations
- Set irrigation schedules by zone and season
- Monitor water quality, flow and consumption across the site
- Reduce freshwater use through TSE, drip and smart irrigation
- Maintain contingency plans for water supply interruption and system failure during peak heat
- Source raw materials for soil mixes with Procurement
- Produce consistent soil mixes and substrates to approved recipes for internal sections and external clients
- Test and record soil batch quality
- Receive local and imported plants and materials and hand them to Biosecurity for inspection and quarantine
- Plan and execute dispatch against confirmed orders, including picking, loading, transport and documentation
- Coordinate imports through the bonded facility and keep stock movement records accurate
- Schedule preventive and corrective maintenance for facilities, greenhouses, shade structures and equipment
- Manage fleet availability, utilisation and compliance, the workshops and the asset register
- Own the Nursery Operations budget across labour, water, energy, fuel, spares and maintenance
- Allocate manpower, machinery and transport across sections and business unit requests
- Report KPIs monthly and raise operational risks early with corrective actions
- Lead section heads, supervisors and operatives and set competency and training standards
- Control high-risk activities, including machinery, chemicals, lifting, driving and heat stress, with HSSE
- Enforce Botanica and RSG Group policies, delegation of authority and standard operating procedures
Experience & skills
- Hold a Bachelor's degree in Agricultural Engineering, Agriculture, Horticulture, or Mechanical or Civil Engineering
- Bring a minimum of 15 years in nursery, agricultural or facility operations
- Show at least 7 years leading field operations with a workforce of 200+
- Demonstrate proven irrigation and water management experience in arid climates
- Apply experience in logistics, dispatch planning, stock control, and fleet and facility maintenance
- Use CMMS for maintenance planning and asset management
- Communicate fluently in English, with Arabic preferred
- Offer operational experience in KSA or the wider GCC (preferred)