Crew Leader

Job description

The Crew Leader is responsible for assisting the Farm Manager in directing and monitoring the work of other farmworkers in harvesting crop. Under the direction of the Farm Manager, provide directions to other workers regarding harvest activities. Record information about crops such as quality and quantity and assists with monitoring performance targets for the assigned commodity. Responsible for crew production, employee and food safety, employee retention, and administrative duties, such as recording harvest yield and quality; establishes and follows a packaging review system that ensures harvested product meet company standards in quality and appearance and assigns identification stickers to each respective harvester and ensures that all crates are accurately tracked.

Supervises a crew of raspberry harvesters and punchers to ensure harvesting is being done in a safe, compliant, and efficient manner. The Crew Leader is not responsible for regulatory safety compliance.

All duties are performed under the direction of the Farm Manager:

• Ensures harvesters are picking quantity and quality fruit per Driscoll’s standards (appearance and weight).
• Trains harvesters to ensure proper harvesting and packaging methods.
• Ensures harvesters are not leaving ripe fruit behind and that over ripe fruit is being removed from the plant.
• Promotes a positive and healthy work environment.
• Conducts daily communication of work orders, safety reminders and motivational pep talk.
• Ensures employees take their rest and meal breaks
• Addresses employee suggestions and concerns in a timely and fair fashion.
• Informs employees of pesticide application and follows proper protocol to avoid having them come in contact with pesticides.
• Maintains break areas and bathrooms clean and stocked. Mitigates safety risk by complying with safety policies and addressing safety concerns in a timely manner.
• Leads daily warm-up exercises.
• Ensures harvesters do not run in the field.
• Maintains work area clean and free of objects that may cause accidents
• Handles work-related injuries per Company policy.
• Delivers monthly safety tailgate meeting.
• Inspects equipment such as bathroom trailers, farm vehicles, first aid kits and water containers are in safe and operable conditions.
• Ensures clean and fresh water and shaded rest areas are always available.
• Participates in safety trainings and obtains required certification.
• Ensures that all employees wear the proper work attire to avoid work-related accident or food safety violations during harvest.
• Directs and monitors harvesters via daily attendance tracking and monitoring of leaves of absences.
• Distributes employee badges and harvest stickers.
• Reviews and handles personal leaves of absence requests and paperwork and monitors return to work dates in timely fashion.
• Submits sick time requests for processing in timely fashion.
• Completes and submits termination notices for resignations and job abandonments in a timely fashion.
• Ensures the correct time of the employees and boxes harvested per person, through the management of electronic devices and applications.
• Completes Electronic Meal waivers under Wage Order 14 (on days of less than 6 hours of work), 7th workday forms, time-off request forms.
• Participates in group trainings/meetings with other non-supervisory workers including Sexual Harassment & Discrimination Prevention Training
• Leadership training consists of professional development and company policies topics.
• Safety
• Retains appropriate number of harvesters to meet production demands.
• Completes new hire paperwork for crew members in a complete and timely fashion.
• Disciplines directs reports via a formal written progressive disciplinary process while adhering to Company’s values of Honesty Fairness and Respect. Specific reasons for issuing a disciplinary notice include:
o Attendance policy vio

Special Requirements

Three (3) months working as Crew Leader. Cannot be color blind due to the need to distinguish colors of crops for proper ripeness and maturity, no smoking, illegal drugs, alcohol, or weapons of any sort in the housing or work fields. Ability to communicate in English or Spanish is required for training and safety purposes. Work is performed outdoors in open fields and can involve exposure to sun, wind, mud, dust, heat, cold and other elements of the normal field environment. Temperatures can range from 50 degrees F to over 90 degrees F during the period of employment. Workers should come prepared with appropriate clothing and footwear for the work and working conditions described.

See Addendum C.