Data and System Engineer

About the Unit:

APPLIED AGRICULTURAL RESOURCES Sdn. Bhd. was established in 1986 and is an associate company of two highly successful public-listed Malaysian companies, Boustead Plantations Berhad and Kuala Lumpur Kepong Berhad. As a leading research centre in tropical plantation crops, our core activities involve research in crop improvement and production, providing advisory services for plantation crops, and producing and selling oil palm tissue culture ramets and seeds.

Our research programme is strategically focused on improving productivity and efficiency in estates. We use the latest research findings, innovations, and technological advances in crop science and information technology. We engage in collaborative research with both local and overseas universities, research institutions, and commercial companies. Our research findings are published in high-impact journals and presented at conferences worldwide. For more detailed information about our activities, please visit our website at www.aarsb.com.my.

The Smart Farming Department comprises the ICT, Data HUB, and Geospatial sections, supporting AAR’s digital infrastructure, data management, system development, and technology-driven research activities. The department manages ICT systems, networks, servers, databases, application development, and user support while ensuring data security, reliability, and availability.

The department also develops and maintains the Data HUB to centralise, integrate, and manage research, agronomy, field, geospatial, and operational data for analysis and decision-making. In addition, it supports Smart Farming initiatives through IoT sensors, automation, weather stations, data acquisition systems, geospatial technologies, and other digital solutions to improve research efficiency, data accuracy, and plantation operations.

Your Role

Smart Farming in AAR focuses on developing and applying digital technologies to support plantation research, agronomy, and operational improvement for our clients estate. Its role includes integrating ICT, Data HUB, geospatial systems, IoT sensors, weather stations, automation, and data collection technologies to improve data accuracy, operational efficiency, monitoring, and decision-making.

The Smart Farming team also supports the development of digital workflows, centralised data management, system integration, field trials, and the evaluation of new technologies for potential wider implementation across AAR’s research activities and our client estates.

Requirements

• Bachelor's in Computer Science, Software Engineering or related field.


• Proficient in software development with experience in C#/.NET, SQL, Kotlin, C++, Python


• Good communication in English and interpersonal skills.


• Strong understanding of ICT infrastructure, including servers, networking, cloud, and database.


• Familiarity with GIS, spatial data systems, IoT and data gateway will be an advantage, particularly for plantation mapping and field-based applications.


• Ability to develop and maintain dashboards, reporting tools, and data visualisation solutions, such as Power BI or equivalent platforms.


• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to troubleshoot system, database, integration, and data-quality issues.

Responsibilities

• Develop, maintain, enhance, and troubleshoot internal applications, databases, dashboards, and digital systems supporting research and plantation operations.


• Digitise field, research, and operational processes to improve efficiency, data accuracy, for decision-making.


• Ensure data integrity, system reliability, and proper documentation of digital workflows.


• Manage data pipelines, system integration, and reporting tools to support research and data analytics.


• Provide ICT system, devices and infrastructure support, including computer, system, software, servers, cloud services, and network connectivity.


• Lead digitalisation initiatives to convert manual field and research processes into structured digital systems.


• Design and Integrate data pipelines integrating field systems, IoT sensors, weather stations, GIS platforms, laboratory systems, databases, and other data sources to support agricultural data collection and monitoring.


• Provide technical support, training and system documentation to researchers, agronomists, field personnel, and other users on databases, applications, dashboards, and digital data collection systems.