Assistant Farm Manager

A unique school farm job.
We’re looking for a residential Assistant Farm Manager to support staff and students in our dynamic Outdoor Work Department (ODW). This is an opportunity to develop your skills and experience in a supportive, educational environment.
We’re looking for someone who is enthusiastic about working with animals and children. Someone who wants to play a key role in a busy, practical department that offers huge variety. One lesson you might be supporting a blacksmithing or timber-framing class, the next driving a tractor or vaccinating sheep. The following day you might be planting daffodils or delivering piglets.
We don’t expect you to be an expert in all these things. But we do expect you to want to learn about them and get stuck in!
You will help the department deliver first-rate lessons and manage a safe and productive farm. You will take charge of the day-to-day management and care of all school livestock, which includes chickens, ponies, cattle, goats, and sheep and provide agricultural technical support to ODW. The farm is well resourced, and you’ll be given the time to get to know and properly care for your livestock. Working with students and passing on your animal husbandry and agricultural skills will be another responsibility. We will provide specialist training in areas where you need it.
The most important thing is that you are practical and enthusiastic. You’ll need a natural affinity with animals and a strong sense of responsibility for them. This is very much a lifestyle job; you’ll be living and working in a beautiful countryside location in a busy school community and we want someone who is keen to embrace the residential nature of the role. The role comes with a one-bedroom flat on site and you will work on a rota system of 37.5 hours a week.
Experience and background
Excellent observational skills and attention to detail are essential, along with a passion for sharing your animal husbandry skills in an educational setting.
An agricultural qualification would be great, and you will need some animal husbandry experience. However, your personality and willingness to learn are more important than qualifications and background; if we think you’re the right candidate we will train you up. You’ll need to have a flexible and enthusiastic approach to all duties associated with the running of the farm
You must have a driving licence and ideally experience of driving a range of farm machinery and trailers.
It would be beneficial if you had some experience in the use and maintenance of workshop tools and machinery, and across a range of different materials (woods, metals and building material).
You must practice excellent health and safety. Most importantly you have a genuine love of working with teenagers and animals!