Assistant Farm Manager Broiler Chicken

**Assistant Farm Manager**

Near Murray Bridge SA 5253

**Job Details **(Contract Position)
- A job ‘package’ will apply.
- Monetary component $65,000-73,000 pa paid in fortnightly blocks. Super is in addition to this monetary component.
- accommodation (a higher standard modern 3-4 BR home) plus utilities as part of the package,
- possible bonus payments against industry standards when applicable,

**Background to Farm Operations**

1. The Farm is located near Murray Bridge in South Australia close to the SE Freeway. Adelaide CBD is about 70 minutes distant by car.

2. The Farm operates a modern 12 shed high tech, 17 birds/m2 bird per batch commercial broiler farm under a number of ‘checks and balances’ including
- an Processor Contract (performance based),
- Ingham Grow-out Manual requirements (performance based),
- RSPCA accreditation (performance based),
- Continuing RSPCA assessments two pa (performance based),
- ad hoc assessments from major Australian supermarkets and Fast Food retailers,
- the EPA requirements,
- Food SA requirements,
- Bio-security SA requirements,
- Work Safe SA provisions, and
- Rural City of Murray Bridge provisions.

3. The Farm works on a 5.7 annual batch rate with timings largely determined the Processor all tied in to retail just in time demand. Catch programs can fluctuate with immediate effect.

4. The Farm places upmost importance on employee safety, bird welfare, various environmental requirements and aspirations, environmental sustainability as well as working cooperatively with the Processor in the industry ‘silo’, working with ‘regulators’ in the industry, conducting business fairly and maintaining a sustainable business.

5. Non Compliance against set benchmarks of the Processor or the RSPCA can result in the farm losing its Contract and, hence, employees losing their jobs.

6. The Farm generally works in a ‘grower pool’ in regard to performance.

7. This farm operates in a very competitive business environment. As an accredited farm we must measure up well against other States farms’ in the ‘silo’ as well as against other competing Chicken Industry silo farms.

8. The higher standard commercial broiler farm (typically supplying supermarkets and fast food outlets) has experience significant change since 2014. This Farm operates on a continual improvement model. Consumer and hence retailer expectations on bird welfare and environmental issues such as bio-security, CO2 and bio-diversity are currently being addressed by our industry. We will be required to respond accordingly.

**Assistant Manager Role**

**Essential Requirements**

Meeting items 3 and 4 below under ‘Requirements’ are considered necessary to perform this position.

In addition you will need to hold (and continue to hold) a current Drivers Licence.

You will be proficient in the use of tractors, tillers and other machinery used on modern broiler farms and the safety protocols in using them.

You will also need to be competent in both the use of shed management computers and bird management and batch data portals used by the broiler chicken industry.

In line with Chief Medical Officer SA Government recommendations (continuously updated for the State / Region) you will have had within 30 days of commencement the following inoculations - standard 3 in 1, tetnus, annual Flu Jab, Covid 4th jab, Japanese encephalitis.

**Requirements**:
1. Assistant Managers are expected to take shared responsibility for farm performance and management with the Farm Manager in a very competitive industry mainly supplying supermarkets and fast food outlets.

2. The Assistant Manager will at various times ‘relieve’ the Farm Manager of some duties during a batch (recognising that bird husbandry is a 24/7 activity during a batch).

3. This Farm uses the Assistant Manager position to expose ‘potential’ Farm Managers to modern chicken broiler farm management. We therefore expect on arrival you will hold a demonstrated and successful track record of having worked at Assistant Manager level.

4. Higher Education qualifications are highly desirable - preferably in Agriculture, Business or Project Management etc. Alternately demonstrated success as a Farm Manager, Assistant Farm Manager in this or another an agricultural sector would be considered equivalent.

5. Various on farm day to day duties will be listed separately.

6. Your primary performance benchmarks (achieved along with the Farm Manager) will be
- batch CFCR and Pool ranking
- batch ALW and Pool ranking
- RSPCA assessment reports
- Processer farm reports
- Electricity and gas use (monthly / annual)
- litter condition including shed ammonia levels
- maintaining even water treatment pH and chlorine readings and shed chlorine levels
- achieving demonstrated farm team work among staff.

7. The Contract salary package is on a pa basis paid in fortnightly blocks. Hours vary both during a batch and during shed cleanout and shed preparation. T