Executive Vice-President

The Deroose Plants Group is a global supplier of young plant material for growers and plantation owners. Also, propagation-as-a-service is offered to other young plant breeders and propagators. Deroose Plants works intensively with strong partners who have their own breeding program. This makes the Deroose Plants portfolio very interesting for both their customers and for breeders without their own large-scale propagation operations.

The company is active in Tissue-Culture cloning of plants since 1980. Currently plants are being produced in our locations in Europe, North America and Asia. With over 600 team members, working in our laboratories and over 20 hectares of greenhouse facilities worldwide, Deroose is one of the biggest Tissue-Culture propagators in the world.

The growth is driven by continuously developing innovative technologies, the introduction of new plant varieties, and an entrepreneurial spirit. It enables us to deliver the best material to our customers.

In Apopka, FL, Deroose Plants receives material from its own tissue culture laboratories. In addition to a huge range of Bromeliads, liners of other types of both flowering and green houseplants are also produced. This is flown to the always sunny Florida and grown there into plants of about 10cm in size and then sold to professional growers, mainly in North America and Canada. At this location plants are also grown as finished plants for wholesale and retail customers. This is also a fast growing part of Deroose Plants Inc.

Because the liner business is the core business of Deroose Plants, it must receive full attention and that is why the vacancy of Executive Vice President has arisen. One person will be ultimately responsible for this part of Deroose Plants Inc.

Ultimately responsible for all processes related to the production of liners

• Responsible for the development of the young plants business, with an emphasis on optimizing production and improving reliability.
• In a matrix organisation responsible for the supervision and development for 4 departments.
• Indirectly responsible for about 75 employees and ensuring the proper functioning of the company.
• Working on Operational Excellence so that reliability and product quality remain at a very high level.
• Developing improvement points together with the President of Deroose Plants Inc and the CEO the entire Deroose Plants Group.
• Reports to the President of Deroose Plants Inc.

Ambitious hands-on leader with a focus on innovation and entrepreneurship to increase the liner activities and results in Florida

Job requirements

• A BSc/MSc graduation in Horticulture, Plant Sciences, Agronomy, Agribusiness, Business or similar obtained through work experience and practice-oriented courses.
• Knowledge about the horticultural world is required, knowledge about young plants is a pre.
• At least 5 years of relevant and successful work experience, preferably on horticultural or liner production farms .
• Able to make strategic decisions and translate them into operational plans.
• Speaking English is required, speaking Spanish would be helpful.
• Team player with a working method aimed at quality of both product and organization.
• Willing to live in sunny Apopka (Florida) or within 45 minutes from there.
  

Competences

• Able to connect and forge the various departments into one team.
• Taking ownership and fulfilling an exemplary function is very normal for you.
• Giving responsibility to the team, coaching them to improve but not doing their job.
• Enterprising, innovative, decisive and takes initiatives.
• Able to draw up clear reports and good with figures.
• See challenges instead of problems.
• Flexible and result-oriented.

Deroose Plants Inc. offers a dynamic position within a pleasant working environment with a challenging perspective. Development is of paramount importance to Deroose, so following an MBA is a possibility. Good employment conditions are available for the ideal candidate.

Reacting

Deroose Plants Inc. has exclusively outsourced the Search and Selection for the vacancy of Executive Vice President to CeresRecruitment.
Extensive information about the company can be found on www.derooseplants.com.
A personality questionnaire is part of the procedure.