Livestock & Farm Operations Manager

Montana State University; Havre (MT); Hybrid; USD 49,000 - 62,000; Full time

Job summary

Montana State University in Havre, MT is seeking a Livestock and Farm Assistant Manager to support day-to-day operations at the NARC facility, collaborating with research staff and farm personnel.

The role requires an Associate degree in animal science or related field and hands-on cattle handling, facilities management, and supervising student workers, with some after-hours work. It offers growth within a hands-on agricultural research setting.

Qualifications

• Associates Degree in Animal Science, Range Sciences or closely related field or an equivalent combination of education and/or experience.
• Demonstrated experience with cattle handling, behavior, husbandry, and modern management knowledge and skills.
• Demonstrated experience managing facilities and equipment.
• Demonstrated experience supervising employees, primarily undergraduate student employees.
• Demonstrated experience operating and maintaining heavy equipment typical of farm and ranch operations.

Responsibilities

• Participate in feedstuff production, irrigating, raking, baling hay.
• Assist farm operations manager in seeding, spraying, irrigating and harvesting small grains.
• Assist with shop direction, repair of research equipment, and daily maintenance of all haying and farming equipment.
• Maintain and oversee shop database records and assist with prioritization of equipment scheduling, maintenance, and repair.
• Participate in day-to-day animal health, well-being, and feeding activities.
• Participate in livestock facility operations, maintenance, and improvements.
• Assist with supervision of student labor for calving, livestock feeding and health, and facility maintenance.
• Keep accurate production records including hay and purchased feedstuffs.

Skills

Cattle handling

Livestock management

Facility and equipment supervision

Supervising student employees

Heavy equipment operation

Feedstuff production

Education

Associates Degree in Animal Science, Range Sciences or closely related field or an equivalent combination of education and/or experience.

Bachelor’s degree in animal science, Crop Science, Ag Mechanics, or closely related field.

Job description

Livestock and Farm Assistant Manager *Havre, MT*

Please see Special Instructions for more details.

This position is not eligible for new sponsorship.

Position Information

Announcement Number

Announcement Number STAFF - VA - 26440

For questions regarding this position, please contact:

Working Title Livestock and Farm Assistant Manager *Havre, MT*

Brief Position Overview

The employee will interact with research professionals, faculty, the Superintendent, and the Department Head in general support of the commodity production, research, and educational programs of the research center and the department.

Position Number

Position Number 4M0795

Department

Department AES NARC

Division

Division College of Agriculture/MAES

Appointment Type

Appointment Type Classified

Contract Term

Contract Term Fiscal Year

Semester

If other, specify From date

If other, specify End date

FLSA

FLSA Exempt

Union Affiliation

Union Affiliation FOCUS-MFPE

FTE

FTE 1.0

Benefits Eligible

Salary Salary range of $23.684/hr - $29.604/hr, commensurate with experience, education, and qualifications.

Contract Type

If other, please specify

Recruitment Type

Recruitment Type Open

General Statement

This employee will work closely in concert with the Livestock and Farm Operations Managers in conducting day-to-day agricultural operations management activities, within overall budgetary limits, along with daily assignments of temporary employees at NARC . This person, in collaboration with Superintendent and the two Operations Managers, will need to prioritize and perform job duties for proper management of NARC .

Duties and Responsibilities

Duties include but are not limited to:

• Participate in feedstuff production, irrigating, raking, baling, of both irrigated and dryland hay.
• Assist farm operations manager in seeding, spraying, irrigating, and harvesting small grains or other planted crops.
• In collaboration with Operations Managers and Mechanic, assist with shop direction & organization, repair of research equipment and operate and perform daily maintenance of all haying, farming/ranching and heavy equipment at NARC .
• Maintain and oversee all shop database records and assist with prioritization of equipment scheduling, maintenance, and repair.
• Participate in day-to-day animal health, well-being, and feeding activities.
• Participate in livestock facility operations, maintenance, and improvements.
• Assist with supervision of student labor for calving, livestock feeding and health, and facility maintenance.
• Keep accurate production records including hay and purchased feedstuffs.
• In collaboration with the Livestock Operations Manager, develop appropriate livestock feeding protocols and keep accurate records of harvested feeds and supplements fed.
• Implementing studies, managing the cattle operations including daily feeding, collecting feed samples, processing feedlot rations, determining daily feed rates, and collecting data related to feedlot research studies.
• Participate in livestock watering maintenance, cleaning of pens and manure, and being able to run and maintain equipment for composting procedures.
• In the absence of operations managers, train and supervise other employees under the direct supervision of the livestock and farm operations managers.
• Participate in cattle operations including but not limited to calving, breeding, weaning, pasture moves, fence and corral maintenance, doctoring, and AACUC guidelines at MSU facilities while practicing low stress livestock handling techniques.
• Assist livestock and farm operations managers to plan, execute, and perform safety meetings for all livestock operations employees on a regular basis.
• Assist and lead safety meetings and training.
• Assist and coordinate with all research projects as the need arises.

Required Qualifications – Experience, Education, Knowledge & Skills

• Associates Degree in Animal Science, Range Sciences or closely related field or an equivalent combination of education and/or experience.
• Demonstrated experience with cattle handling, behavior, husbandry, and modern management knowledge and skills.
• Demonstrated experience managing facilities and equipment.
• Demonstrated experience supervising employees, primarily undergraduate student employees.
• Demonstrated experience of operating and maintenance and repairs with all large, heavy, or small equipment typical of farm and ranch operations.
• Demonstrated experience in feedstuff production, irrigating, raking, baling, of both irrigated and dryland hay and the equipment associated with that production practice.

Preferred Qualifications – Experience, Education, Knowledge & Skills

• Bachelor’s degree in animal science, Crop Science, Ag Mechanics, or closely related field.
• Experience as an Ag or Heavy Equipment mechanic.
• Previous experience in developing or managing budgets and fiscal accounts.
• Experience in conducting or collaborating with agricultural research.
• Documented experience with Low Stress Cattle Handling procedures.
• Experience and understanding of university purchasing and other guidelines.

The Successful Candidate Will

• Have outstanding communication skills both written and oral both as a leader and a co-worker.
• Have excellent record keeping skills and will be detailed oriented.
• Be self-directed; and be able to make appropriate decisions in the absence or other leadership.

This position is critical to the research effort of NARC . The data must be collected with care and accuracy because the quality of data collected affects final research results. The actions of this individual can affect the public perception of this research facility. The individual hired for this position will have demonstrated the ability to establish and maintain effective working relations with co-workers and the public and will have demonstrated the ability to represent MSU in a productive, professional, and courteous manner. This person will have daily contact with local faculty animal and plant scientists and co-workers, frequent contact with the Superintendent and other NARC scientists, and routine contact with other MSU faculty, students, professionals, cooperators, and agricultural producers.

Position Special Requirements/Additional Information

• Must have, or be able to obtain, a research and demonstration pesticide license for agricultural plant pests and vertebrate classification.
• Travel and work outside of regular business hours is required, including some evenings and weekends.
• Must possess a valid driver’s license, an acceptable driving record, and meet all State of Montana requirements to operate State/University vehicles. (If successful candidate possesses a valid out-of-state driver’s license, must obtain a valid Montana driver’s license within 60 days of hire.) Do NOT send a copy of the driver’s license.

This job description should not be construed as an exhaustive statement of duties, responsibilities or requirements, but a general description of the job. Nothing contained herein restricts Montana State University’s rights to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time.

Physical Demands

• Maneuvering parts, equipment, and livestock weighing up to 150 lbs.
• Working in extreme temperatures and inclement weather conditions.
• Walking on slippery or uneven terrain.
• Working with and around pesticides and dust born particles.
• Working with and around hazardous machinery that is extremely loud.
• Handling and working with unpredictable livestock that can cause severe injury.
• Working livestock while on horseback – must be able to manage horses in and around all ranch environments.
• Working in elevated positions (example: 90’ elevator legs or large grain bins).

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily with or without reasonable accommodations. The requirements listed above are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.

This position has supervisory duties?

This position has supervisory duties? Yes

Number of Vacancies

Number of Vacancies 1

Desired Start Date

Position End Date (if temporary)

Open Date

Close Date

Applications will be:

Screening of applications will begin on October 01, 2026; however, applications will continue to be accepted until an adequate applicant pool has been established.

Special Instructions

This position is not eligible for new sponsorship.

EEO Statement

Montana State University is an equal opportunity employer. MSU does not discriminate against any applicant on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, political ideas, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, marital status, national origin, physical or mental disability, or any other protected class status in violation of any applicable law.

In compliance with the Montana Veteran’s Employment Preference Act, MSU provides preference in employment to veterans, disabled veterans, and certain eligible relatives of veterans. To claim veteran’s preference, please complete the veteran’s preference information located in the Demographics section of your profile.

Required Documents

Resume

Cover Letter

Optional Documents

Supplemental Questions

Required fields are indicated with an asterisk (*).