Director - Production

About the role

Lead plant production for Botanica’s 180‑hectare nursery, overseeing the cultivation and supply of up to 8 million plants annually for internal Red Sea Global projects and external developments. The role ensures high‑quality, bio‑secure, and cost‑effective production while driving innovation and sustainability.

Key responsibilities

• Translate demand plans into production, import and growing schedules, managing live plant inventory and ensuring readiness dates.
• Oversee all nursery activities including propagation, greenhouse and shade‑house operations, flower and food production, indoor plants, seed bank and native species programmes.
• Own the biosecurity protocol, manage phytosanitary compliance, and lead integrated pest‑management and R&D initiatives.
• Control direct production costs, monitor labour, material, water and equipment usage, and report productivity metrics.
• Lead and develop managers, supervisors, horticulturists and operatives, ensuring HSSE compliance and zero‑harm field operations.
• Enforce Botanica and Red Sea Global policies, SOPs and ISO standards (9001, 14001, 45001, 37301).
• Identify and implement continuous‑improvement projects to reduce costs, boost productivity and enhance client value.

Required profile

• Bachelor’s degree in Horticulture, Agriculture, Landscape Architecture or Agricultural Engineering (Master’s preferred).
• Minimum 15 years experience in large‑scale nursery or horticultural production, with at least 7 years leading teams of 100+ staff.
• Proven expertise in arid‑climate horticulture, native species, irrigation management and biosecurity, preferably in KSA or GCC.
• Track record of supplying plant material to major landscape developments.

Required skills

• Production planning and capacity management
• Inventory control for live plant stock
• Labour productivity measurement and cost control
• KPI definition and operational performance monitoring
• Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and biosecurity procedures
• Phytosanitary compliance and documentation
• HSSE leadership in field operations
• Irrigation management and sustainable water use