Background:

Teagasc, the Agriculture and Food Development Authority, is a leading research organisation in Ireland, focused on the needs of the agriculture and food industry, with both an applied and basic research programme. Within Teagasc, the Animal & Grassland Research and Innovation Programme is located across 3 main sites at Athenry, Moorepark and Grange. Each site has its own enterprise focus (sheep in Athenry, dairying in Moorepark and beef in Grange) but research expertise is pooled to provide greater critical mass in discipline areas such as animal bioscience, genetics, and grassland which can then service any enterprise. The successful candidate will be part of the Teagasc Research Programme and will be located in the Animal & Grassland Research and Innovation Centre at Mellows Campus, Athenry, Co. Galway.

Basic Function:

We are seeking to recruit a general farm operative with responsibility for general farm operations which include feeding, herding, animal husbandry, operating machinery, assisting in experimental trials and any other duties that may arise, as assigned by the Farm Manager.

• Support for delivery of livestock research projects on the farm at Athenry.
• Animal health management – identifying and treating basic animal health problems
• Grassland management - grass allocation and management.
• Indoor feeding – group and individual feeding of sheep with concentrate and forage feeds.
• Maintaining a clean and safe working environment.
• Machinery operation and maintenance - e.g. tractors, implements, ATV’s.
• Operation, management and care of any equipment used in the undertaking of research farm tasks.
• Power washing and general housekeeping of the campus and farm as required.
• Assist with research measurements and experiments as part of on-farm research projects
• To fully co-operate with the provisions made for ensuring the health, safety and welfare of oneself, fellow staff and non-Teagasc staff and co-operate with management in enabling Teagasc to comply with legal obligations, including full compliance with the responsibilities outlined in the Safety Statement.
• To assist management and administrative staff in achieving good governance and risk management through co-operation and adherence to administrative procedures and practices.
• To assist Teagasc in meeting the commitments of the Quality Customer Service charter and action plan.
• To actively participate in the annual business planning and Performance Management Development System (PMDS) processes
• To carry out other duties as may be assigned from time to time.

 * This job specification is intended as a guide to the general range of duties and is intended to be neither definitive nor restrictive.  It will be reviewed with the post-holder from time to time.

 Note:  The ‘essential’ qualifications, knowledge, skills and behavioural competencies outlined above are ‘must-have’ which will be used in the selection process.

Gender, Diversity and Inclusion

At all levels in Teagasc, we believe in growing and keeping alive an open, diverse and inclusive workplace which is respectful to all and nurtures different perspectives, for the benefit of all in the organisation.

We are committed to the principles of 'Equal Opportunities, No Barriers, Active Inclusion'.

We actively welcome applications from people from diverse backgrounds