Product Development & Commercialization Lead – Avocado

Adept Systems is a Kenyan company established in 1994, providing a full range of management consultancy services in the areas of human resources

Product Development & Commercialization Lead – Avocado

Job Purpose

• Reporting to the Director, the Product Development & Commercialization Lead – Avocado will develop a processed frozen avocado business that builds on an established, export-oriented horticulture platform spanning grower engagement, raw-material aggregation, factory processing, quality assurance and international sales. The role will validate the commercial, technical, operational and financial case; integrate the opportunity into existing field-to-factory capabilities; and lead implementation if approved.

The role will be based in Kenya and is open to foreign nationals.

Key Responsibilities

Opportunity Assessment and Business Planning

• Assess the opportunity against existing horticultural sourcing, processing, cold-chain, export-market and customer capabilities, identifying where shared infrastructure and services can accelerate entry.

• Validate demand, product formats, pricing, routes to market, raw-material availability, plant capacity, yields, labour, utilities, logistics, regulatory requirements and operating costs.

• Prepare an investment-grade feasibility study covering capital, working capital, margins, risks, returns, sensitivities and operational synergies.

• Recommend the business model, governance, organisation, budget, performance measures and phased implementation roadmap.

Technical, Process and Supply Validation

• Develop a year-round avocado supply model through contracted growers and commercial farms, covering agronomy support, seasonality, varieties, quality, traceability, pricing, input recovery and supply risk.

• Validate fruit receiving, ripening, preparation, processing, freezing, packing, storage and dispatch requirements within the existing factory and cold-chain environment.

• Coordinate factory trials, customer samples and third-party assessments to confirm yields, product quality, shelf life, scalability and cost.

• Define commissioning, staffing, systems integration and operational-readiness requirements for launch.

Quality Assurance and Documentation

• Embed the new product range within the existing field-to-factory quality, traceability and food-safety management framework.

• Ensure compliance with customer and export requirements covering HACCP, pesticide residues, hygiene, allergens, ethical sourcing, cold chain, certification and licensing.

• Establish product specifications, testing and release criteria, shelf-life studies, batch records and reliable end-to-end performance reporting.

Project Leadership and Organisational Readiness

• Lead a cross-functional team spanning agronomy and sourcing, factory operations, quality, supply chain, finance, HR and sales.

• Set clear workstreams, milestones, accountabilities, decision gates and reporting arrangements across field and factory operations.