Assistant Farm Manager

Assistant Farm Manager

Where you’ll work: This role is based at the College’s Hadlow campus.

This rolecomes with staff accommodation.

Your hours: 40 hours per week, 52 weeks per annum.

Your pay: £31,500 per annum

Hadlow College is Kent’s only land-based college, part of North Kent College and is located 5 miles from Tonbridge and 8 miles from Maidstone. The College operates a 300-acre working farm resource that supports the land-based students with their studies and practical assessments. The farm operates a beef herd and sheep flock as well as grows crops including grass for grazing. The College recently established a beef herd enterprise, and this is supported by a 500 breeding ewe flock.

The Assistant Farm Manager will support the Farm Manager in the daily operation of the College farms and will be involved in the operation of the College farm including the management of the livestock, management of grasslands and maintenance of the farm estate. The role will have significant responsibility for the operations of the farm’s grassland management activities such as mowing, tedding, topping, hedge cutting and all other general maintenance activities.

The Assistant Farm Manager plays a key role in ensuring that the farm is central to student learning and will liaise closely with curriculum staff to provide the best possible educational resources and hands on experience for students. The postholder will be required to support the College learners with their practical assessments as well as create opportunities to develop their practical estates and animal husbandry skills.

The role requires willingness to engage actively and enthusiastically within the College and show a flare for working with students, educational staff, farmers and the wider industry. It is also important to achieve highest standards in respect of health and safety, equality and diversity, safeguarding and child protection matters.

The successful candidate will have significant and proven working farm experience and be able to take responsibility, take initiative and pay close attention to detail. There will be involvement in all aspects of the business. Students are an integral part of the farming operation and a clear understanding of this is a necessity. Communication with academic staff is essential to ensure that students have every opportunity to carry out work on the farm.

In return, the College is offering a competitive remuneration package with 33 days’ annual leave plus bank holidays and on-site accommodation, the successful candidate will be resident on the College campus at Hadlow.

For a full job description and to apply, please visit North Kent College’s staff vacancies page.

Interviews may be held before the closing date.

North Kent College is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, and all staff have a responsibility to share and maintain this commitment. In line with the requirements of 'Keeping Children Safe in Education’, appropriate safeguarding checks (including an enhanced DBS check) will be undertaken on all individuals selected for appointment. Posts at the College, a specified establishment where the work gives opportunity for contact with children, are exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (ROA) 1974. It is an offence to apply for a post which involves engaging in regulated activity relevant to children if you are barred from doing so. Please be advised that, again in line with 'Keeping Children Safe in Education’, shortlisted candidates (who wish to accept an invite to interview) will be required to complete and submit prior to their interview a self-declaration of their criminal record or information that would make them unsuitable to work with children. Further guidance / information from the Ministry of Justice can be found on GOV.UK.