Background

HAIL & COTTON, a leading global tobacco leaf merchant, are currently recruiting for their Zambia Operations. The following positions are vacant.

FLOOR SUPERVISOR (1) – Fixed Term Contract; Chipata x1

Position Summary

The Sales Floor Supervisor oversees and coordinates all activities on the floor to ensure accurate presentation, classification, and movement of tobacco for buyer inspections, auctions, or grower contracted sales. The role ensures that all leaf lots are properly displayed, documented, sampled, and compliant with quality, regulatory, and key stakeholder requirements. The Supervisor acts as the primary link between floor workers, graders, buyers, and logistics to guarantee a smooth, efficient, and compliant operation.

Qualifications and Requirements

Certificate, Diploma/Degree in Business Operations, Agriculture, Supply Chain, or related field.

3–5 years experience in a tobacco leaf environment or agricultural commodities sales/auction floor.

Experience supervising teams on an auction floor, warehouse, or commercial operations setting.

Key Competencies

Strong leadership and team‑coordination abilities.

Knowledge of tobacco leaf characteristics, grading, and customer specifications.

Excellent communication and customer‑service skills.

Ability to work under pressure during peak sales periods.

High attention to detail (critical for grade verification and lot sequencing).

Good understanding of safety in handling heavy bales and fast‑moving floor operations.

Computer literacy (MS Office, scanning systems, sales reporting tools).

• Supervise the arrangement and presentation of tobacco bales/lots for buyer inspections and sales.
• Ensure correct labeling, lot sequencing, barcoding, and traceability of all tobacco on the sales floor.
• Monitor floor readiness prior to buyer arrival/cleanliness, accessibility, and safety checks.
• Coordinate bale movements (inflow and outflow) with logistics and warehouse teams.
• Ensure correct re‑handling of bales after buyer review (opening, resealing, re‑tagging).
• Verify that each displayed lot meets company and regulatory standards (grade accuracy, moisture levels, bale integrity).
• Work with the relevant teams to address any inconsistencies or non‑compliant material (nesting etc).
• Ensure proper handling to prevent contamination, damage, or misclassification of tobacco.
• Support traceability requirements for contracted farmers or merchant leaf.
• Serve as the primary contact for buyers on the auction floor during sales days.
• Provide information on lot positioning, grade details, and any operational clarifications.
• Coordinate buyer walk-throughs and support any special grower requirements.
• Manage communication between the buying team and floor workers during transactions.
• Oversee a workforce of receiving clerks, dispatch clerks, data capturing clerks, transport clerks, leaf checkers, ticket markers, sewers, stackers, bale openers and barrowers (alongside any other seasonal staff engaged for the auction floor).
• Delegate tasks to ensure efficient workflow and floor organization.
• Conduct pre-shift briefings to communicate expectations and daily priorities.
• Ensure team compliance with company policies, attendance requirements, and discipline.
• Enforce use of PPE and ensure compliance with OHS standards for dust, heavy-lifting, and bale‑handling.
• Assist with incident reporting and corrective actions.
• Support fire-prevention and tobacco-specific safety protocols (handling flammable materials, bale stacking guidelines).
• Maintain accurate daily reports of bale counts, lot movements, and auction floor activity.
• Report any grade disputes, buyer queries, or operational issues.
• Track daily floor performance indicators and discrepancies.
• Support digital data capture (barcode scanning, sales/buying recording tools).
• Other duties as assigned.

• Strong leadership and team‑coordination abilities.
• Knowledge of tobacco leaf characteristics, grading, and customer specifications.
• Excellent communication and customer‑service skills.
• Ability to work under pressure during peak sales periods.
• High attention to detail (critical for grade verification and lot sequencing).
• Good understanding of safety in handling heavy bales and fast‑moving floor operations.
• Computer literacy (MS Office, scanning systems, sales reporting tools).

• Certificate, Diploma/Degree in Business Operations, Agriculture, Supply Chain, or related field.
• 3–5 years experience in a tobacco leaf environment or agricultural commodities sales/auction floor.
• Experience supervising teams on an auction floor, warehouse, or commercial operations setting.