Farm Manager - Proving Grounds │Pocomoke Farms (Pocomoke City, MD)

Cobb-Heritage•Pocomoke City, MD

About The Position

The Farm Manager provides operational leadership and accountability for flock performance and farm operations across multiple Proving Grounds sites within the complex. Proving Grounds is Cobb’s integrated product validation and commercialization platform, a multi-site network of breeding, production, and support facilities that accelerates genetic progress, validates product performance under commercial conditions, generates management insights, and supports the introduction of future products to the marketplace. The role leads farm teams executing validation programs, operational excellence, biosecurity, animal welfare, and cost control. It monitors flock and team performance to ensure assigned farms deliver actionable data supporting research, development, and commercial objectives. The position supports the Associate Director, Production and assumes that role’s duties as needed. The Farm Manager manages flock performance against production, performance, and validation targets; reviews flock data and addresses deviations; and ensures trials are conducted according to protocol with accurate, timely, complete data. The role also leads and develops farm supervisors and team members, supports daily operations across GP, GGP, and PS facilities, and contributes to compliance, risk management, maintenance, capital projects, budgets, and continuous improvement. The position requires minimal domestic travel. Work at job sites requires compliance with biosecurity protocols, including showering before entering facilities, wearing company-provided clothing and footwear, and not wearing jewelry except approved medical identification jewelry. The employee must agree to avoid contact with avian species and follow company animal welfare policies. Required PPE and safety procedures must be followed. Physical duties include standing, walking, sitting, handling objects, tools, or controls, reaching, balancing, stooping, talking, and hearing; occasionally lifting or moving up to 25 pounds. Safe lifting techniques are required. The role directly supervises salaried team members, including farm supervisors and technicians, and oversees management support positions and hourly team members. Professional team members are expected to use approved AI tools responsibly, protect sensitive information, follow company policies, and validate AI-generated outputs. People leaders are expected to guide responsible AI adoption and ensure accountability for the quality and accuracy of AI-supported outcomes.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience, with 4 or more years of progressive experience in poultry production, breeding, or a related field; alternatively, an advanced degree if required, with 2 or more years of progressive experience.
Standard computer skills.
Experience working with Excel spreadsheets and data across multiple computer applications.
Ability to manage supervisory and/or professional roles that affect daily operations and monitor work quality and performance across multiple sites.
Accountability for flock performance and the quality of results produced by others.
Must be willing to sign an agreement to avoid contact with avian species, including chickens, ducks, and birds.
Must follow biosecurity protocols, company animal welfare policies, required safety procedures, and PPE requirements.
Must be able to perform the physical requirements of the job, with or without reasonable accommodation, including occasional lifting or moving of up to 25 pounds.
Must use safe lifting techniques.
People leaders are expected to drive responsible AI adoption, enable effective use of approved solutions, identify opportunities to improve team performance through AI, and ensure accountability for AI-supported outcomes.

Responsibilities

Manage flock performance across assigned sites to achieve production, performance, and validation targets.
Regularly review mortality, body weight and uniformity, feed intake, egg production, fertility, and hatchability data; identify deviations and take corrective action.
Ensure validation trials and programs follow protocol and that data collection and reporting are accurate, timely, and complete.
Collaborate with Genetics, Technical Service, and Production teams on flock-management practices and trial requirements.
Maintain the integrity, security, and traceability of genetic materials, production data, and validation results.
Monitor the work quality and performance of farm supervisors and team members across sites; set expectations, provide feedback, and address performance gaps.
Develop, coach, train, onboard, and retain the team, including succession planning for key farm roles.
Promote safety, teamwork, continuous improvement, and consistent execution of procedures and best practices across sites.
Support daily operations of GP, GGP, and PS facilities and supporting infrastructure across multiple sites.
Support biosecurity, animal welfare, environmental compliance, and genetic integrity objectives.
Monitor key performance indicators and implement corrective actions to meet operational, technical, financial, and project objectives.
Escalate issues to the Associate Director, Production as needed and communicate operational or biological risks that could affect flock performance or validation outcomes.
Support facility maintenance and capital projects and assist with developing and managing operational and capital budgets.
Support continuous improvement and adoption of technologies that enhance flock monitoring and operational effectiveness.
Assume Associate Director, Production duties as needed.
Follow biosecurity protocols, company animal welfare policies, and facility safety and PPE requirements when visiting job sites.
Use approved AI tools responsibly, safeguard sensitive information, and validate AI-supported outputs; as a people leader, enable responsible team adoption and maintain accountability for output quality.