Dairy Farm Manager

About the Role

We are looking for a seasoned Dairy Farm Manager to remotely supervise the comprehensive operations of a commercial dairy farm based in the United Arab Emirates. This leadership position requires experienced oversight of herd management, milk production, animal health, nutrition, breeding practices, and the management of calves and heifers. The manager will also be responsible for farm staff supervision, facilities maintenance, equipment oversight, budgeting, regulatory compliance, and overall operational efficiency, with a priority on animal welfare and product quality.

Key Duties and Responsibilities

• Design and execute detailed farm operational and production strategies to meet set targets.
• Oversee daily herd management to attain objectives in milk yield, quality, health, and profitability.
• Regularly monitor herd parameters including size, lactation performance, body condition, and general health.
• Supervise milking processes ensuring adherence to hygiene and quality control protocols.
• Track milk metrics such as volume, composition, somatic cell and bacterial counts to assure standards.
• Develop protocols to prevent milk contamination and maintain the cold chain from production to delivery.
• Manage feed programs involving ration development, distribution, and storage practices.
• Assess feed quality and evaluate nutritional intake and conversion efficiency.
• Collaborate with specialists like nutritionists and veterinarians for optimal herd health and productivity.
• Implement comprehensive vaccination, disease prevention, parasite control, and treatment programs.
• Establish and enforce biosecurity measures for disease control.
• Review disease incidence data, mortality, and treatment effectiveness.
• Manage reproductive activities including heat detection, artificial insemination, pregnancy monitoring, and calving scheduling.
• Track reproductive metrics such as conception and pregnancy rates, and calving intervals.
• Coordinate calf and heifer rearing programs, ensuring proper nutrition, housing, and health management from birth through breeding.
• Oversee dry-cow, transition-cow, and fresh-cow protocols to ensure peak health and productivity.
• Maintain high standards of animal welfare including humane treatment, appropriate housing, ventilation, comfort, and continuous access to clean water.
• Monitor barn environment factors like stocking density, bedding, temperature, humidity, lighting, and ventilation.
• Supervise manure management including handling, storage, treatment, recycling, and disposal.
• Coordinate maintenance of farm infrastructure and equipment such as machinery, milking and cooling systems, water supply, and utilities.
• Implement preventive maintenance to optimize equipment reliability and minimize downtime.
• Lead and manage farm personnel, including milkers, technicians, contractors, and seasonal workers, overseeing scheduling and performance.
• Provide staff training on topics including animal handling, milking hygiene, biosecurity, safety, and farm protocols.
• Manage financial aspects including budgets, operating costs, labor, feed, veterinary expenses, and capital investments.
• Forecast and procure essential supplies ensuring quality, cost-efficiency, and supplier reliability.
• Maintain accurate records of herd inventories, health, breeding, and production data using farm management systems.
• Prepare regular performance reports covering productivity, health, reproduction, feed usage, costs, and operational matters.
• Investigate and address production losses, health abnormalities, equipment malfunctions, and milk quality issues.
• Devise contingency plans for emergencies such as disease outbreaks, adverse weather, feed shortages, and power failures.
• Ensure full compliance with dairy, veterinary, food safety, animal welfare, environmental, and workplace regulations.
• Champion sustainability efforts focusing on water and energy conservation, manure management, emission reductions, and resource use optimization.
• Build and maintain strong partnerships with veterinarians, nutritionists, laboratories, suppliers, milk processors, regulators, and agricultural collaborators.
• Lead initiatives for continuous improvement targeting enhanced milk yield, herd health, operational efficiency, product quality, and profitability.

Performance Metrics

• Milk production per cow per day and overall production volume.
• Milk fat, protein content, somatic cell, and bacterial counts.
• Rates of milk rejection and contamination.
• Feed conversion efficiency and cost per unit of milk produced.
• Dry matter intake and ration efficiency.
• Herd health indicators such as morbidity, mortality, and mastitis incidence.
• Reproductive success rates including conception, pregnancy percentages, and calving intervals.
• Calf survival rates and growth performance, plus heifer development benchmarks.
• Body condition scoring to monitor animal wellness.
• Compliance levels in animal welfare, biosecurity, and veterinary treatments.
• Labor productivity and overall farm operating costs.
• Equipment operational uptime and maintenance effectiveness.
• Water usage and energy consumption efficiency.
• Manure management success and environmental impact.
• Adherence to regulations regarding food safety and workplace standards.
• Employee safety records and budget management.
• Supplier performance metrics and gains achieved through continuous improvement.

Ideal Candidate Profile

• Extensive background in dairy farm management, focusing on intensive or large-scale commercial milk production.
• Expertise in herd management, milking operations, hygiene protocols, milk quality supervision, and cooling system management.
• Strong understanding of dairy nutrition, feed rationing, feed efficiency, and care of transition cows.
• Proven experience handling reproductive management, breeding schedules, and calf and heifer programs.
• Comprehensive knowledge of cattle health, including disease prevention, vaccination strategies, and biosecurity practices.
• A solid commitment to animal welfare, humane treatment, and welfare standards adherence.
• Demonstrated leadership in managing farm teams and daily agricultural activities.
• Expertise in financial oversight, including budget preparation, procurement, and resource allocation.
• Strong analytical skills for assessing herd health, production data, and financial metrics.
• Familiarity with modern dairy management software, herd monitoring technology, automated milking systems, or precision livestock tools.
• Well-versed in food safety protocols, environmental regulations, and agricultural compliance requirements.
• Excellent English communication and reporting abilities.
• Outstanding organizational skills with a problem-solving and decision-making focus.
• Capability to handle operational crises and adapt to varying production conditions.
• A proactive, data-informed, safety-oriented, and continuous improvement-driven approach.