recruitment Archives - Agri-EPI Centre

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Recruitment: Everything you need to know about jobs in agritech

Agritech recruitment is a fast-paced and often highly competitive world. For start-ups and larger businesses alike, recruiting skilled candidates for agritech roles can require engaging with unfamiliar sectors from banking and finance to retail, energy or even healthcare. With such a range of desirable skills, recruiting agritech candidates can cover specialist roles including software engineering, AI and robotics and all manner of engineering disciplines.

We previously caught up with Sam Clayton, Managing Director and Recruiter at AgRecruit, for tips, tricks and insights into the agritech recruitment process. With yet more best practices for recruiting agritech employees, Sam is back to discuss all things recruitment with us once again.

Hi Sam, thanks so much for joining us to talk about agritech recruitment again! So first of all, what roles and career routes are there for anyone looking to get into agritech?

Thanks for having me! The truth is that – just like in other tech-driven sectors – the nature of roles that arise can be highly varied, weird and wonderful! We collaborate with many academic bodies and institutions involved in agriculture and agritech, so any connections you can make with those kind of organisations is a great place to start and find out more about agritech careers.

Do you need a background in agri to get a job in agritech?

I definitely wouldn’t say you need a farming background to build a career in agritech; some roles may require a specific skillset, naturally – agri-specific posts such as agronomists or trials management teams need to understand a farming environment, for example. But there’s such a range of opportunities out there and the most important thing to remember is that skills can always be learned by candidates with the right attitude and plenty of enthusiasm.

What kind of job roles should people just starting out in their agritech career look for?

There are plenty of STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) roles that are open to entry-level candidates, thanks to a huge rise in demand recently. An agri background isn’t necessary for many STEM roles, but good experience from other sectors is always a bonus. STEM covers software development, data science, AI, engineering (electrical, mechanical and more) and scientists of varying specialisms. Exploring these opportunities, and seeing how you can get involved to learn as much as you can, is a great way to enter the agritech world.

Do you have to be technical to get into any agritech career?

Not at all! Growing start-ups and established businesses always need management and leadership, so roles such as Technology Officers, Commercial Directors, Heads of Product, even CEOs can be a great fit. Obviously you’ll need to know about the business or product you’re working with, but the key to success in leadership posts is the same in agritech as in any sector: organisation, people skills and problem-solving.

What about sales or business development positions?

These are known as commercial posts and cover anything from sales to account management, strategy and customer success. While some employers recruiting for these roles may ideally target those with some knowledge or experience in agri, increasingly companies are open to candidates from all kinds of backgrounds. For example, companies working with tech products or services naturally gravitate towards those with tech sector backgrounds.

Are there any other types of job in agritech?

There are so many! We call many positions ‘In Between’ roles, as they don’t fit neatly into tech, STEM or commercial categories. ‘In Between’ roles would be, say, product specialists or project managers. Candidates applying for these roles should be comfortable working closely with clients, and happy communicating tech concepts without being a hands-on expert on the solution.

With so many options available for candidates looking to get into agritech, is there any hard -and-fast rule or advice you would give to someone looking for a career in agritech?

It’s hard to say – it really all depends on the client and the exact role. Some clients may want to hire candidates with very specific backgrounds and skills, others may prefer a broader knowledge of the sector, whether that’s software, data, AI or engineering, and others still may lean towards candidates with a good knowledge of the agri domain. It really varies.

Thanks, Sam. Any parting words of wisdom?

Essentially, anybody interested in agritech jobs or a career in the agritech space can find a wealth of opportunities to have a genuinely positive impact on the world. There are so many career opportunities out there, just keep looking and learning as much as you can, regardless of your background. Don’t let a lack of agri background deter you!

Agriculture and agritech recruitment

AgRecruit prides itself on placing candidates into one of the most exciting, motivating and fulfilling sectors: agriculture. Before founding AgRecruit, Sam worked in the tech sector and found himself fascinated by AI, data science and disruptive tech innovations and passionate about the opportunities in agritech to have a real societal impact, both on people’s lives and the sustainability of farming.

To find out more about careers in agtech, or to get in touch with AgRecruit for help finding your next role in agritech, visit the AgRecruit website.

Contact Sam Clayton at AgRecruit for help on anything covered in this post, or any other recruitment related enquiries: (+44) 01908 03595 or sam.clayton@agrecruit-ltd.com

Things to consider – recruitment in Agritech

Sam Clayton, Managing Director and Recruiter at AgRecruit shares his views on recruitment in agritech

Running an AgriTech specific recruitment business means that I spend my time working with companies in the AgriFood domain when it comes to recruiting for roles that are non-traditional for the sector. This sees me working on roles in Software Engineering, AI & Robotics, Data and various Engineering disciplines, as well as commercially oriented roles focused on a tech service.

For start-ups, or perhaps more established entities delving into the tech market for the first time, recruitment can mean stepping outside of the Agri world and into a wild-west where you’ll be fighting tooth and nail for the in-demand talent you need, against companies across the likes of Banking, Retail, Energy, Healthcare and any other sector you can think of.

This post focuses on elements that need consideration before you even dip your toe into the water and start engaging with candidates. Some may seem obvious, but hopefully there’ll be one or two you hadn’t thought of which will help you on your way…

Does what you’re looking for exist?

You may have 3-4 business needs that require addressing, varying from Sales through to Software Development – but, if you’re expecting one miracle worker to solve all of these, you might have to think again. With the odd exception, generally people will specialise in one discipline; so you need to decide which of these is the most pressing, or work out if you can recruit for more than one post.

How challenging is the role to fill?

You’ve decided that your requirements are feasible and it’s all systems go. Will it be straightforward though? Software Engineers and Data Scientists, for example, are established role types – but are still notoriously hard to find and attract. Are you looking for a skillset that is abundantly available, or is this a highly specialist role that could prove challenging?

Can you make life easier for yourself?

If, based on the above point, you’ve deduced that this could be challenging, can you take measures to open up the pool of viable candidates? Some flexibility on aspects such as remote working or the role requirements (could elements be learned on the job?) can significantly facilitate your journey.

In agritech recruitment, what do you have to offer?

What is standout or unique about you and your proposition that will be enough to not only convince somebody that the upheaval of changing jobs is worthwhile, but also that you should be their first choice versus the other parties vying for their attention? How are you making your ‘USPs’ (Unique Selling Points) apparent to candidates?

Do you have an interview & selection plan?

What type of interview(s) do you want to carry out and across how many stages? Are all decision makers agreed on what is needed and reading from the same hymn-sheet? Will your process give people a chance? Of course, the barrier for entry can’t be set too low… but, on the other hand, a process that is overly arduous or drawn out may result in great candidates being ruled out for minor imperfections or becoming disengaged.

Do you have the time?

You doubtless have other tasks and responsibilities that require attention; do you have the time to make this a priority right now? Can you review CVs in good time? Do you have time to vet candidates on the basics (e.g. salary expectations, are they serious about looking or just ‘window shopping’, etc) before committing to interview? Are you and all other decisions makers available to move through the interview process at sufficient rapidity?

Will you need help?

If you’ve exhausted your own network and your job ad isn’t yielding results, you may need to enlist help and look at going down the Recruitment Agency route. It will need to be a sufficiently attractive proposition for an agency to invest time & resources into. Surprisingly to many, the fee % you’re willing to pay is not the most important thing here; experienced Recruiters are more likely to prioritise the prospect of a healthy working relationship and partnership. To aid this, consider whether you’d be happy to work with one agency exclusively, or will there likely be further assignments to come should they deliver for you?

All the above points could lead to a blog post on their own, but hopefully this is enough to help make your life easier and start to maximise your chances of success. We are passionate about building further relationships in the AgriTech space and lending a helping hand where possible to growing companies in this domain, so will always be happy to provide advice and guidance for free on the topics mentioned here. Happy hunting!

Contact Sam Clayton at AgRecruit for help on anything covered in this post, or any other recruitment related enquiries:
(+44) 01908 035950
sam.clayton@agrecruit-ltd.com