Outdoor Cultivations Tractor Driver

We have an exciting opportunity for a Cultivations Tractor Driver to join our team at Agrial Fresh Farms in Colchester (CO7 7HG). This role will carry out cultivations for the outdoor cropping that includes primary and secondary cultivations and will also include the application of slug pellets and herbicides. 

Your responsibilities will include completing maintenance duties, and you'll carry out tasks using farm implements e.g. spraying, fertiliser, drilling, cultivations, and irrigation, etc. Recent experience driving large modern agricultural equipment is essential.

Working hours: Scales based on season but predominantly Mon- Fri. Due to the nature of our farming this role will include some weekend work (mainly Saturday mornings) during our busier periods.

Pay: Competitive, based on experience.

Main Responsibilities 

• To carry out cultivations for the outdoor cropping. This includes primary and secondary cultivations and will also include the application of slug pellets and herbicide.
• Driving and carrying out regular maintenance on tractors, cultivation equipment, and other agricultural equipment.
• Operate Farm Tractors and machinery safely and efficiently with high accuracy.
• Carry out daily routine checks on vehicles to ensure they are safe to operate, and any faults are reported to the Growing Manager.
• To ensure that health & safety is always adhered to and that all incidents and accidents are reported to the management team.
• To assist with some spraying, fertiliser applications, as well as to assist with the off season indoor growing team, as required.
• The movement of agricultural equipment, irrigation equipment, produce, or other items with a tractor or trailer.

Skills and Experience Required 

• Previous cultivations experience.
• Recent experience driving large modern agricultural equipment.
• A Full Clean UK Driving Licence.
• PA1, PA2, and PA4 licenses are desirable.
• A good level of spoken English is not essential, but desirable.
• Forklift/Telehandler certificates are not essential, but desirable.
• Able to be flexible with working hours based on season.

What You Will Get In Return  

A competitive salary and a range of employee benefits you’d expect from a market leading business, including:

• Life Assurance: 3x your basic salary paid to your nominated beneficiary.
• Employee Assistance Programme: Providing a Remote GP service along with a 24/7 helpline for financial, legal, medical and life issues.
• Annual leave entitlement: Competitive annual leave per annum inclusive of UK Bank Holidays which increases with service, as well as an option to purchase an additional working week of holiday.
• Training and Development: Personalised induction as well as regular training and development courses and schemes.
• Benefits Platforms: Employee discount platform for multiple retailers as well as salary finance schemes for bicycles, gyms, and financial assistance.
• Other: Recognition awards, Regular Employee Engagement days, attendance incentives, an annual volunteering day.

About Us 

Agrial Fresh Farms is one of three UK food manufacturing factories which is a part of the larger 22,000 employee strong French co-operative group, Agrial. Agrial has operations across 18 regions with 280 farming outlets and it's not just about lettuce! 

Our Agrial Fresh Farms site is an integrated farming operation based in Colchester, Essex. Our salad farm provides baby leaf year-round to the UK, grown in polytunnels, and whole head and outdoor crops throughout the summer. The produce is supplied into our UK sites for processing and distribution. We are now one of the UK’s leading producers in the industry and under the well-known Florette brand, we produce and distribute pre-packed, ready to eat, fresh salad bags and bowls to some of the UK's most well-known supermarkets and retailers, as well as your favourite restaurants and fast food vendors. 

All UK sites operate under the name of Agrial Fresh Produce Limited and fall under Agrial's vegetable division. We have a recipe for success through our EPIC values and working together as one team. 

Next Steps 

It’s an exciting time to join our business! We’re looking for positive and innovative people to join our growing, professional team. If you have the skills and experience we are looking for, and want a new challenge in a company experiencing success we would love for you to join us on our journey!  

Please apply directly or alternatively contact Will Kaye, Recruitment Officer for a totally confidential discussion.  

Note to recruitment agencies: this role is being handled by the company HR team and no agency contact is required. 

Agrial Fresh Produce reserve the right to close this vacancy once we have received sufficient applications. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.

We are committed to supporting the mental health and wellbeing of all of our staff. That’s why we’ve taken the Mental Health at Work Commitment and are currently delivering a programme of activities to ensure that everyone can have open and honest conversations about their wellbeing in the workplace and feel supported. We encourage applications from persons with experience of poor mental health and are committed to supporting our employees to fulfil their potential and perform at their best in work.

Agrial Fresh Produce Ltd is an Equal Opportunities employer. In addition, as part of Responsible Recruitment, Agrial Fresh Produce Ltd believes in the Employer Pay Principle. No worker should pay for a job – the costs of recruitment should be borne not by the worker but by the employer.