Packhouse Manager

About Vectr Fresh

Vectr Fresh is the newest vertical under Vectr Holdings — one of the most ambitious agritech ventures in Romania. Through Evergreen Solar Orizont, we are developing one of Europe's largest and most advanced high-tech greenhouse projects: a 10-hectare (100,000 sqm) semi-closed greenhouse in Oltenița dedicated to the year-round growing of premium specialty tomatoes for the Romanian and European markets.

Designed to the highest international horticultural standards — combining advanced climate control, hydroponic cultivation, integrated pest management, automation and sustainable resource management — the greenhouse is projected to generate annual revenues of approximately €24 million once at full production.

Vectr Holdings is a privately-owned group focused on core human needs — food, shelter and health — investing in sunrise sectors that create lasting value for stakeholders and communities.

The Role

We are looking for a Packhouse Manager to build and run the packing operation of a greenhouse that will handle close to 5,000 tonnes of premium specialty tomatoes a year across six product lines — cherry, cocktail, mini plum and speciality large.

This is a greenfield role in the fullest sense. You will join before the facility is commissioned, which means you will not inherit a packhouse — you will specify it, start it up and set the standard it runs to, packaging specifications, quality systems, shift structures and KPIs are all still open.

Reporting to the General Manager , you will lead the packhouse supervisors, machine operators and seasonal packing teams, and work closely with the Head Grower, Sales manager and Operations Manager on harvest planning and with the Compliance Manager on quality systems and customer audits.

What You'll Do

Packhouse Operations

• Run daily packhouse activity end to end — product intake, sorting, grading, packing and dispatch

• Deliver efficient workflow and maximum throughput with minimum waste and giveaway

• Coordinate with the harvest teams to plan incoming volumes and match labour to crop flow

• Run stock checks and place packaging orders with suppliers

Quality & Customer Compliance

• Monitor product quality at every stage of the process against customer specification

• Work with the Compliance Manager and the QA team to resolve issues and implement corrective actions

• Maintain food safety and hygiene standards — GLOBALG.A.P. (with GRASP), HACCP and BRCGS or IFS Food — and host retailer and third-party audits

• Conduct regular internal safety and compliance audits

Team Leadership & Development

• Lead and develop the packhouse team: training, shift planning, rotas and performance management

• Build a culture of accountability, teamwork and continuous improvement

• Ensure compliance with labour legislation and company policy

Equipment & Line Performance

• Keep all packing machinery and equipment in good working order

• Act as the operational counterpart to the packing-line suppliers

• Work with the maintenance team on preventive schedules and critical spares

Reporting & KPIs

• Maintain accurate production and inventory records

• Produce daily, weekly and monthly reporting on throughput, quality and labour

• Track and report the agreed KPI set

What We're Looking For

- Proven experience managing a fresh-produce packhouse — intake through to dispatch, with responsibility for throughput, quality and people

- Experience with tomatoes is not a requirement. Grading and packing-line management, quality systems, labour planning and retail compliance transfer across crops — if you have run a packhouse for soft fruit, apples, salads, citrus, cucumbers, peppers or berries, we would like to talk to you.

• Working knowledge of GLOBALG.A.P., HACCP and BRCGS or IFS Food, and confidence in front of an auditor

• A track record of leading shift-based teams and managing seasonal labour at scale

• Strong operational numeracy — yield, waste and giveaway, throughput per hour, labour cost per tonne

• Professional English. Romanian is an advantage but not essential — relocation to Romania is supported

• Willingness to be based at the site in Oltenița, within commuting distance of Bucharest

Why Join Us?

Packhouse managers rarely get to design the operation they will then run. This one is still a blank sheet: the greenhouse is being built, the first crop has not been transplanted, and the packing operation will be shaped around the decisions you make in your first year.

You will join the founding operational team of one of the region's most ambitious horticultural projects, working alongside experienced international specialists, and build a packing operation that supplies leading European retailers from day one — with the systems, the team and the standards all built to your specification.

Interested? Apply directly on LinkedIn.

🌿 Vectr Fresh — Cultivating the Future