General Manager, Livestock & Forage Centre of Excellence

University of Saskatchewan; Clavet; On-site; CAD 93,000 - 156,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading educational institution in Clavet seeks a General Manager for the Livestock & Forage Centre of Excellence. This role involves overseeing operations, finance, and human resources while collaborating on applied research to enhance the livestock industry. Ideal candidates will have a B.Sc. in Agriculture, management experience, and strong organizational skills. The position offers a competitive salary and the opportunity to lead significant research initiatives.

Qualifications

• Minimum of five years of management experience in livestock and forage production.
• Knowledge of Canadian Council on Animal Care guidelines and University protocols.
• Proficiency in recruiting and performance managing staff.

Responsibilities

• Lead operational, financial, and human resource activities across the organization.
• Facilitate collaboration with research to maximize resources for efficient research.
• Ensure compliance with health and safety regulations.

Skills

Expert administrative skills

Financial management

Team collaboration

Conflict resolution

Education

B.Sc. degree in Agriculture or related discipline

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

Overview

The General Manager, Livestock & Forage Centre of Excellence leads operational, financial, and human resource activities across the LFCE, a broad organization with diverse operations and a large land base. The LFCE encompasses the livestock value chain, including forage development, grazing management and environmental sustainability, reproduction and nutrition, cow-calf, bison, cervid, equine management, and feedlot cattle health, growth and productivity. The LFCE conducts research, teaching and extension to provide the livestock and forage industries with new tools and techniques for healthy, sustainable and competitive growth. The Centre includes facilities such as the Beef Cattle Research & Teaching Unit, Forage & Cow-Calf Research & Teaching Unit, and Goodale Research Farm, near Saskatoon, SK, with a large base of forage production and grazing land. The Centre’s research focuses on cow-calf production; intensive livestock production; forage, pasture and grazing management; and bison, cervid, and equine management, nutrition, and reproduction.

The purpose of the position is to provide operational, financial, and human resource leadership to all areas associated with the Livestock & Forage Centre of Excellence. The General Manager oversees an operating budget exceeding $5 million and a staff of approximately 15 people within the bargaining units of ASPA and CUPE 1975. The role facilitates collaboration with researchers to promote industry-driven applied research and to maximize LFCE resources for efficient, reliable, and credible research to benefit the livestock industries now and in the future.

Nature of Work

Reporting to, and working collaboratively with, the Director, the General Manager is a member of the senior management team involved in planning and developing the operational direction of the LFCE in academic, research, production and outreach programs. The role requires close collaboration with the Management Team, faculty, research scientists, extension specialists and instructional staff. The General Manager provides leadership in all LFCE areas and ensures the Centre supports research activity and efficient use of resources while maintaining economic viability. This includes leadership in the operations of all LFCE facilities, land management and allocation, financial management, and human resource management. The General Manager manages the purchase and sale of animals, contracts for custom research services, custom feeding agreements, contracted services, land rental/access, and contracts with government and industry research partners, and ensures documentation is completed. The role ensures standard practices for purchasing, sales, scheduling, time reporting and vacation management align with University policies and LFCE goals. It also provides leadership for the design, implementation and ongoing assessment of the occupational health & safety program and animal care program within LFCE operations.

This position operates in a complex environment with significant financial resources and capital investments. The General Manager exercises discretion, tact, professionalism and a commitment to continuous improvement. The role regularly involves human resources and labor relations matters and requires maintaining professionalism and confidentiality. Day-to-day purchasing, sales and HR decisions are made independently. The position provides critical advice to the Director on extensive projects and major issues.

Qualifications

Education: At minimum, a B.Sc. degree in Agriculture or a related discipline with substantial relevant experience.

Experience: A minimum of five years of management experience relevant to this position, including livestock, forage, and annual crop production; recruiting, leading, and performance managing staff; financial management; proficiency with PC systems and Microsoft Office. Knowledge of Canadian Council on Animal Care guidelines, health, safety and environment protocols, and University requirements/processes is required.

Skills:

• Expert administrative, financial, organizational and project management skills.
• Demonstrated ability to recruit, manage and evaluate employees to achieve outcomes.
• Ability to work in a team and collaborate with faculty, research scientists, students, and internal and external stakeholders.
• Ability to manage competing interests, projects and deadlines.
• Tact, diplomacy, good judgment and conflict resolution skills.
• Commitment to continuous improvement and quality assurance.

Accountabilities

Provide Human Resource and Labor Relations Leadership for the LFCE:

• Provide leadership and support to the Director to recruit, train, outline expectations, coach, and monitor staff performance to deliver outcomes aligned with the LFCE mandate.
• Provide leadership to develop supervisory controls ensuring objective and consistent employee relations across the LFCE.
• Build and maintain strong working relationships with faculty, instructional staff, external partners and LFCE personnel to ensure high standards in research, teaching and training.

Provide Financial and Resource Management for the LFCE:

• Plan and manage the operating and capital budget to maintain a cost-effective LFCE; assess and approve purchases including animals, supplies, services, and equipment; review and set research recovery rates and related administrative processes.
• Assess needs and develop, implement and delegate management protocols for efficient LFCE operation and high facility maintenance across LFCE: feed and animal health protocols; facility upkeep; pen cleaning and manure management; animal and feed purchases and sales; equipment maintenance, repairs, and purchases; and forage/annual crop production.
• Develop, communicate and implement management policies and practices; build professional working relationships and exercise discretion in decision making; share best practices with LFCE personnel.

Direct Efficient Operations and Enable Research, Teaching and Extension Activity:

• Plan and develop LFCE operations in relation to academic and research programs, facility use and commercial operations, for presentation to the LFCE management team and Director approval.
• Provide leadership as a LFCE management team member to build and grow an excellent research and teaching center through collaboration with the Director, Program Facilitators, and Head of Operations.
• Collaborate with research staff to devise and implement technology and research protocols that enable excellence in research and teaching across LFCE facilities, including an effective communication strategy.
• Ensure meticulous record keeping across operations for research and operations needs.
• Lead operations within LFCE facilities, annual cropping, feed and forage production, land use and allocation to meet operational and research requirements, manure management, equipment maintenance and renewal, and facility renovations and renewal.
• Maintain up-to-date knowledge of intensive and extensive livestock production and industry practices by attending scientific and industry meetings.
• Lead LFCE to meet teaching, outreach and extension needs and participate as a scientific team member as appropriate.

Provide Risk Management Leadership and Direction for the LFCE:

• Ensure compliance with health, safety and environmental regulations.
• Ensure practices align with Canadian Council on Animal Care and leading industry standards.
• Manage financial and reputational risk in negotiations with vendors and suppliers.

Department: Livestock & Forage Centre of Excellence
Status: Permanent
Employment Group: Exempt
Full Time Equivalent (FTE): 1.0
Salary: The salary range, based on 1.0 FTE, is $93,004.00 - 155,808.00 per annum. The starting salary will be commensurate with education and experience.
Salary Phase/Band: Salary Band 4
Posted Date: 10/1/2025
Closing Date: 10/28/2025 at 6:00 pm CST
Number of Openings: 1
Work Location: On Campus

The University of Saskatchewan seeks equity, diversity and inclusion as foundational to excellence and innovation. Applications from equity-deserving groups are encouraged. The University is committed to Indigenous engagement and accountability processes for Indigenous membership/citizenship verification where applicable. The University provides an accessible and inclusive workplace and offers support through the recruitment process; please contact Human Resources for assistance.