Farm Operative

Job Description

Permanent

 . A panel may be formed from which future similar vacancies may be filled; such a panel will remain active for a maximum period of 12 months.

Basic Function

To operate as part of a team in carrying out general farm operations within Ballyhaise Agricultural College and to support the college in carrying out the full range of farm enterprises including educational activities and on-farm research projects.

Background

Ballyhaise Agricultural College is an education and training college in County Cavan. In order to support the education delivery and skills training the runs a mixed farm with 140 dairy cows, 35 suckler cows, 100 heifers and cattle and 200 ewes. The college has developed close links with Dundalk Institute of Technology. It carries out research on the dairy unit lead by Teagasc Moorepark.

Job Objectives

• Carry out day to day operations on the college farm.
• Tractor driving operations with large scale machinery.
• Sprayer, fertilizer spreader and slurry operations.
• Shepparding skills looking after the college flock.
• General animal husbandry and monitoring of animal health and welfare.
• Milking the dairy herd.
• Setting up of temporary fences to implement the grazing plan.
• Calving and lambing supervision.
• Calf rearing.
• Maintaining Biosecurity and Biodiversity around the college farm.
• General farm maintenance and fencing and plumbing.
• Assisting with college events and open days.
• Supervise placement students and external contract/agency farm staff as required.
• Assisting with research measurements as part of on-farm research projects.
• To assist management and administrative staff in achieving good governance and risk management through co-operation and adherence to administrative procedures and practices.
• To fully co-operate with the provisions made for ensuring the health, safety and welfare of oneself, fellow staff and non-Teagasc staff and co-operate with management in enabling Teagasc to comply with legal obligations, including full compliance with the responsibilities outlined in the Safety Statement.
• To assist Teagasc in meeting the commitments of the Quality Customer Service Charter and Action Plan.
• To actively participate in the annual business planning and Performance Management Development System (PMDS) processes.
• Fully co-operate with the provisions made for ensuring the health, safety and welfare of themselves, fellow staff and non-Teagasc staff and co-operate with management in enabling Teagasc to comply with legal obligations. This includes full compliance with the responsibilities outlined in the Safety Statement.
• Such other duties as may be assigned from time to time.

* This job specification is intended as a guide to the general range of duties and is intended to be neither definitive nor restrictive. It will be reviewed with the post-holder from time to time.

Qualifications

• A Level 5 qualification, (as recognised on the National Framework of Qualifications or equivalent), in Agriculture, Farm Administration or a related discipline.

• Full Irish drivers license 

Skills/Knowledge

• Sheep Husbandry.
• Stockmanship skills.
• Machinery operation.
• Time management.
• Animal health and welfare.
• Ability to learn and adapt to change.
• Excellent communicator, facilitates a two way flow of information.
• Ability to receive and comprehend direction clearly and seek clarification as required.
• Have strong self-motivation and an ability to work unsupervised.
• Strong planning and organising skills and an ability to schedule and prioritise workloads.
• Health & Safety.

Behavioural Competencies

• Ability to work as part of a team and to engage with all personnel in the workplace.
• Strives for high quality of work and demonstrates commitment to the programme.
• Ability to communicate effectively.
• Possess a strong acumen for attention to detail and takes personal pride in their work.
• Demonstrates a positive approach to new challenges.
• Demonstrates a high level of ownership and commitment to the job.
• Flexible with an ability to adapt to changing requirements/priorities.

Other

As this role will involve driving vehicles, candidates must satisfy and continue to satisfy during employment with Teagasc, legal requirements to drive a car unaccompanied on Irish public roads.

Eligibility

This is an open public competition. Should a current serving Teagasc staff member be successful in their application through open public competition for this post, their current contract of employment with Teagasc will come to an end on taking up this post.

Salary:  Farm Worker / General Operative / Canteen Assistant with a Salary Scale of €34,428 to €38,619 per year