Find your place in the field of good food

Our goal is to connect good people with good food. We advertise sustainable food jobs and training opportunities to help jobseekers and employers find each other.

Roots to Work is a project of Sustain: the alliance for better food and farming.

Job description

South Farm is a leading wedding venue set within a 20-acre site on the Cambridgeshire / Hertfordshire border, hosting over 200 weddings per year. The outdoor estate plays a central role in both the guest experience and the food story of the business, sustainability being a key focus.

The Head Grower is responsible for the planning, management and delivery of vegetable and fruit production from the smallholding, ensuring that high-quality, seasonal produce is grown specifically to support the weddings and events that take place on site. The growing area consists of around an acre of vegetable beds, 5 polytunnels, two fruit cages and two orchards.

This is a hands-on leadership role, combining practical growing with planning, team management and accountability. The focus of the role shifts seasonally: quieter periods are used for planning, preparation and review, while busier periods are centred on hands-on production, leading the growing team and delivering to the needs of the business. South Farm operates to organic principles, though is not certified.

Scope of the Role

The Head Grower is responsible for the productive growing areas of the smallholding, including:

- Vegetable beds

- Herbs beds

- Polytunnels

- Fruit cages

- Orchard

- Integration with grazing and wider land use where appropriate

Key Responsibilities

- Lead day-to-day vegetable and fruit production.

- Carry out and oversee sowing, planting, crop care, harvesting and post-harvest handling.

- Maintain high standards of crop health, presentation and reliability.

- Manage irrigation, composting, soil care and pest control using organic principles.

- Respond pragmatically to weather, seasonal pressures and changing demands.

- Plan crop rotations, planting schedules and growing programmes.

- Align growing plans with wedding and kitchen requirements.

- Prepare the smallholding for peak production periods.

- Review outcomes and apply learning year to year.

- Lead by example within the growing team.

- Allocate tasks and manage workloads.

- Train and develop team members.

- Collaborate with Head Gardener and Animal Manager.

- Manage labour resources efficiently to ensure cost of production reflects value produced.

- Document and account for inputs and outputs of the growing enterprise

- Balance ideal growing practice with commercial realities.

- Support Estate Manager with planning and budgeting information.

- Ensure safe working practices including developing and reviewing risk assessments where needed.

- Provide training, guidance and supervision for staff.

- Maintain tools, equipment and infrastructure.

- Be mindful of biosecurity and animal welfare.

Skills & Experience

- Several seasons experience leading a commercial vegetable growing venture.

- Understanding and experience of growing to organic principles.

- Leadership experience in a hands-on environment.

- Budgeting and cost control or production accounting experience.

Desirable

- Experience growing for hospitality or events.

- Mixed-use or visitor-facing site experience.

- Polytunnel, orchard or diversified systems experience.

Salary & Benefits

- Salary: £28,000 – £34,000 per annum, depending on experience.

- Full-time 37.5 hrs per week, permanent role. Seasonal hours and some weekend work on rota. Any over time paid on a pro-rata basis.

- Nest pension, long-service benefits, health insurance and discretionary Christmas bonus.

- This could be a live-in position with on-site accommodation available at £60/week including bills.

Application information

Please send a CV and covering letter to james@south-farm.co.uk

Please mention Roots to Work when applying for these jobs