Head of Farming Operations

Craig Mostyn Group; Fremantle; On-site; AUD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

CM Farms is seeking a Head of Farming Operations to lead and coordinate all livestock production across our farming network, including breeding, grow-out, and farm management.

You will drive operational excellence by guiding the Breeding Operations Manager, Grow Out Operations Manager, Farm Infrastructure and Asset Manager, and the Farm Management team to meet production, cost, quality, animal welfare, biosecurity and safety targets.

Qualifications

• Tertiary qualification in Agriculture, Agribusiness, Animal Science, Business Management or related discipline.
• 7–10 years' experience in intensive livestock production, agriculture, or multi-site operational management.
• Demonstrated experience leading managers and geographically dispersed teams.
• Understand of breeding, production and grow-out systems within livestock operations.
• Proven ability to deliver operational improvements and productivity gains.
• Strong financial acumen with experience managing budgets, forecasts and operational performance metrics.
• Excellent leadership, communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Extensive experience in animal welfare, biosecurity, quality assurance and regulatory compliance.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities with a continuous improvement mindset.
• Ability to balance strategic thinking with hands-on operational execution.
• Desirable knowledge includes experience in commercial pork production operations, formal leadership qualifications, and experience leading large-scale operations across multiple sites.

Responsibilities

• Lead and coordinate all livestock production across CM Farms.
• Deliver operational excellence through leadership of the Breeding Operations Manager, Grow Out Operations Manager, Farm Infrastructure and Asset Manager and Farm Management team.
• Translate strategic objectives into operational plans and drive execution across all farm sites.
• Develop a high-performance culture, improve productivity and optimise resource utilisation.
• Implement continuous improvement initiatives and ensure operational consistency across the farming network.

Skills

Leadership

Stakeholder management

Financial acumen

Analytical thinking

Communication

Problem-solving

Continuous improvement mindset

Strategic thinking

Education

Tertiary qualification in Agriculture, Agribusiness, Animal Science, Business Management

Job description

Brief Description

The Head of Farming Operations is responsible for leading and coordinating all livestock production and farming operations across CM Farms, encompassing breeding, production, grow-out activities and farm management and maintenance. The role is accountable for delivering operational excellence through the leadership of the Breeding Operations Manager, Grow Out Operations Manager, Farm Infrastructure and Asset Manager and Farm Management team, ensuring the business consistently achieves production, cost, quality, animal welfare, biosecurity, and safety objectives.

Brief Description

The Head of Farming Operations is responsible for leading and coordinating all livestock production and farming operations across CM Farms, encompassing breeding, production, grow-out activities and farm management and maintenance. The role is accountable for delivering operational excellence through the leadership of the Breeding Operations Manager, Grow Out Operations Manager, Farm Infrastructure and Asset Manager and Farm Management team, ensuring the business consistently achieves production, cost, quality, animal welfare, biosecurity, and safety objectives. Working closely with the General Manager - Farms & Feed, the Head of Farming Operations translates strategic objectives into operational plans and drives execution across all farm sites. The role is responsible for developing a high-performance culture, improving productivity, optimising resource utilisation, implementing continuous improvement initiatives, and ensuring operational consistency across the farming network.

Requirements

Essential knowledge, skills, and experience

• Tertiary qualification in Agriculture, Agribusiness, Animal Science, Business Management or a related discipline.
• Minimum 7-10 years' experience in intensive livestock production, agriculture, or multi-site operational management.
• Demonstrated experience leading managers and geographically dispersed teams.
• Understand of breeding, production and grow-out systems within livestock operations.
• Proven ability to deliver operational improvements and productivity gains.
• Strong financial acumen with experience managing budgets, forecasts and operational performance metrics.
• Excellent leadership, communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Extensive experience in animal welfare, biosecurity, quality assurance and regulatory compliance.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities with a continuous improvement mindset.
• Ability to balance strategic thinking with hands-on operational execution.

Desirable Knowledge, Skills, And Experience

• Experience in commercial pork production operations.
• Formal leadership or management qualification.
• Experience leading large-scale agricultural operations across multiple sites.