Unit Manager

Texas Tech University•Lubbock, TX

About The Position

The Unit Manager manages a unit within a department by planning, organizing, and developing unit goals and procedures; representing the unit to administrators, outside agencies, and others on relevant matters; and supervising subordinate staff. For the Beef Unit, the manager implements faculty-approved herd plans and oversees animal care, daily operations, facilities and equipment, safety and compliance, academic and outreach support, and financial and resource stewardship. The position coordinates with department leadership, faculty, employees, farm personnel, qualified Operations staff, and other relevant personnel. Major personnel, financial, herd, facility, or operational decisions are referred to department leadership or other appropriate authorities. Faculty retain responsibility for instruction and demonstrations to students and program participants.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree plus three years of supervisory experience, or a combination of education and/or supervisory experience totaling seven years.
Eligibility to drive TTU vehicles, including a valid U.S. driver's license and two years of driving experience.

Responsibilities

Implement faculty-approved plans for breeding, genetic selection, replacements, nutrition, culling, marketing, and herd development.
Oversee feeding, animal observation, low-stress handling, calving, neonatal care, weaning, herd health, and reproductive activities.
Coordinate specialized animal procedures with qualified personnel and maintain accurate animal identification, pedigree, breeding, performance, inventory, and treatment records.
Supervise assigned students through work assignments, scheduling, training, coaching, and performance feedback; address routine issues within delegated authority and elevate major issues to department leadership.
Set daily and weekly priorities and coordinate staffing and coverage for weekends, holidays, calving, adverse weather, and emergencies.
Train employees in safe animal handling, equipment use, recordkeeping, and approved procedures; monitor work quality and completion.
Inspect and maintain pasture fences and feedlot pens, including annual maintenance of the feedlot shade system, and maintain the processing barn and sorting pens.
Maintain Beef Unit equipment, including trucks, tractors, feeding equipment, trailers, waterers, feed intake systems, and scales; ensure feed intake nodes function and associated data collection is accurate.
Perform routine preventive maintenance and minor repairs, including basic welding and agricultural mechanical work, within training and authorization; maintain service records and coordinate specialized repairs.
Submit facility mechanical, electrical, and plumbing repairs through the work-order process for qualified Operations personnel; electrical repairs beyond resetting a tripped breaker require a work order.
Implement approved IACUC protocols, institutional animal care requirements, applicable AAALAC standards, and environmental and workplace safety procedures.
Maintain training, inspection, treatment, animal movement, withdrawal, and disposition records; prepare for inspections and promptly report welfare concerns, incidents, and deviations.
Coordinate the use of cattle, employees, equipment, and facilities for teaching laboratories, approved research, student projects, tours, field days, and producer programs involving the Beef Unit.
Assist with animal preparation, sample and performance-data collection, research identification and records, and operational support under faculty and principal investigator direction.
Develop annual operating estimates and monitor approved expenditures, labor, feed, supplies, inventory, revenue, and production costs.
Coordinate authorized purchasing, marketing, and transactions in accordance with university procedures; report variances, emerging needs, and efficiency opportunities.
Keep department leadership, faculty, employees, and relevant farm personnel informed about herd performance, work progress, facility needs, budgets, and emerging risks.
Coordinate shared services, refer competing priorities or major changes for approval, follow interim maintenance assignments for shared equipment, and document use, condition, and maintenance needs as required.
Manage unit waterers and feed intake equipment maintenance and repairs as unit responsibilities; shared water systems, fleet vehicles, tractors, trailers, fuel, and other shared resources may be managed separately from individual unit managers once a tracking and maintenance-allocation system is implemented.