Stock and General Farm Worker

Salary: £24,320  per annum

Newcastle University is a great place to work, with excellent benefits. We have a generous holiday package; plus the opportunity to buy more, great pension schemes and a number of health and wellbeing initiatives to support you.

Closing Date: 10 April 2025

The Role

Newcastle University Farms comprises around 800 hectares across two main sites, Cockle Park and Nafferton Farms, with dairy, arable and beef enterprises.  The farm is a commercial holding providing a first-class facility for teaching and research.  

Arable covers around 450 hectares across all sites. Cropping is all combinable and has trials integrated into the system. The farm operates modern equipment using precision technology which is used for commercial farming as well as providing data for research.

The dairy unit comprises 250 cows with a split spring and autumn block calving based Nafferton Farm with heifers and beef animals reared at Cockle Park, production is focused on grassland management. A straw based pig unit is in development at Cockle Park.

We are looking for a Stock and General Farm Worker to carry out operations across Newcastle University Farms. The role will involve drilling, cultivations, spraying, mowing and assisting in establishing trials. You will also assist with stock work; including beef and youngstock, as well as assistance at the dairy.

Supporting the dairy team at Nafferton including feeding, maintenance, machinery operation, calf rearing, stock work, relief milking and other farm tasks as agreed by the Farms Director.  In addition, supporting arable operations during peak times at harvest, drilling and spring works.

The role will also comprise general farm work, including fencing, building and machinery maintenance. It may also involve input into the pig unit being developed on site at Cockle Park.

You should have a full driving licence and use of your own vehicle. You must have experience in driving agricultural machinery including tractors, telehandlers and combines.

For further information or for a general discussion about the role please contact James Standen on 07833 045285 or james.standen@newcastle.ac.uk  

What we can offer you
•    A Full time (37 hours) permanent post with 30 days paid holidays 
•    Excellent pension scheme
•    Ongoing training and support
•    Competitive Salary with regular overtime paid at 1.5 times the hourly rate and 2 times the hourly rate on bank holidays and university closure days.
•    Accommodation can also available if required.

* Unfortunately, this role would not qualify for sponsorship under the Skilled Worker Visa route

How to apply

Please upload your CV and letter of application outlining how you can evidence the skills, experience and knowledge set out in the below person specification.

The Person 

Knowledge, Skills and Experience 

• Knowledge and understanding of dairy and mixed farming systems
• Understanding of feeding systems including TMR
• Ability to milk cows would be useful but not essential
• Ideally previous experience with stock iincluding calf rearing, general livestock management showing a keen eye for high welfare and early detection of health issues
• Experience in AI & Foot trimming would be useful
• Understanding the importance of records and record keeping
• To assist with maintenance of farm buildings and improvement projects undertaken by the farm team
• Ability to operate machinery including slurry pumping, muck spreading, cultivations, rolling, mowing, bale and corn carting and topping
• Good knowledge of machinery maintenance and operation
• Knowledge of health and safety regulations relevant to working in a farm environment and the implications of non-compliance

Attributes and Behaviour

• Be a motivated team player but also able to confidently work alone
• High standards of care and attention to detail
• Ability to communicate to share observations and report issues to managers
• Able to plan and use sound judgement to complete tasks and activities
• Strong work ethic with a willingness to embrace challenges and show Initiative to solve problems
• Be willing and able to support all areas of the farming business

Qualifications

• An agricultural or similar qualification in a related field or demonstratable experience in a simlar role
• Full current driving licence
• Telehandler, ATV, PA1 & PA6 certificates are desirable but not essential

Newcastle University is a global University where everyone is treated with dignity and respect.  As a University of Sanctuary, we aim to provide a welcoming place of safety for all, offering opportunities to people fleeing violence and persecution.

We are committed to being a fully inclusive university which actively recruits, supports and retains colleagues from all sectors of society.  We value diversity as well as celebrate, support and thrive on the contributions of all of our employees and the communities they represent.  We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer and encourage applications from individuals who can complement our existing teams, we believe that success is built on having teams whose backgrounds and experiences reflect the diversity of our university and student population.

At Newcastle University we hold a silver  Athena Swan award in recognition of our good employment practices for the advancement of gender equality.  We also hold a Race Equality Charter Bronze award in recognition of our work towards tackling race inequality in higher education REC.  We are a Disability Confident employer and will offer an interview to disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role as part of the offer and interview scheme.

In addition, we are a member of the Euraxess initiative supporting researchers in Europe. 

Requisition ID: 27978