Dairy Assistant Farm Hand

Job no: 0057696
Location: Dookie
Role type: Part-time (0.7FTE); Casual and/or Fixed-term positions available for 12 months
Faculty: Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences
Department/School: School of Agriculture and Food 
Salary: Classification is either Fixed-term or Casual depending on availability 
Fixed Term - UOM 2 – $58,801- $61,179 p.a. (pro-rata for part time) plus 17% super
Casual - UOM 2 – $38.21 - $39.75 per hour

The University of Melbourne would like to acknowledge and pay respect to the Traditional Owners of the lands upon which our campuses are situated, the Wurundjeri and Boon Wurrung Peoples, the Yorta Yorta Nation, the Dja Dja Wurrung People. We acknowledge that the land on which we meet and learn was the place of age-old ceremonies, of celebration, initiation and renewal, and that the local Aboriginal Peoples have had and continue to have a unique role in the life of these lands.

About the Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences
http://fvas.unimelb.edu.au/

The Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences is a leader in agricultural, food and veterinary science education and research in Australia.

As a faculty within the University of Melbourne, we share the core purpose of benefiting society, and the guiding aspiration to be a world-leading and globally connected Australian university with students at the heart of everything we do. We are dedicated to improving animal health, sustainable agricultural practice and food security through cross-disciplinary and collaborative research.

About the Role
The Dairy Assistant Farm Hand will assist the Dairy Assistant with the basic practical day to day operations of the robotic based dairy enterprise that is located at the University’s Dookie Campus. This position is responsible for assisting with daily activities in the Dairy. Reporting to the Dairy Assistant, this position will work under routine direction in the daily management of the Dookie Dairy. This position will also provide general support as part of the Dookie Farm team, as required by the Farm Manager.

The Dairy has approximately 180 dairy cows and a robotic milking system, which are used for both teaching and research. The Dairy is part of the Dookie Farm Enterprise which also includes the management of approximately 7,000 sheep, 1,000 hectares of mixed crops and a small orchard.

This position will predominantly be based at the University of Melbourne’s Dookie Campus and may be required to travel to other sites from time to time.

Responsibilities include:

• Assisting the Dairy Assistant and Farm Manager with basic day to day operations of the Dookie Dairy which includes but is not limited to; feeding animals, assisting with managing dairy herd (including weighing, yarding and milking) and assisting with spraying
• Assisting with the joining/breeding program, including assisting with the rearing of calves and the cow transition program
• Assisting the milk production and the daily maintenance of the robotic milking equipment in accordance with the manufacturer’s recommendations
• Actively participating in Farm Team meetings and their outcomes

About You
You will possess excellent interpersonal and communication skills with proven ability to build professional relationships and liaise with internal and external stakeholders. You will have the capacity to meet deadlines and effectively balance competing demands and have excellent computer skills demonstrated by the effective use of the Microsoft suite of programs including Outlook. If you hold a Farm chemical users’ certificate, it is desirable for this role but not essential.

You will also have:

• Completion of a Certificate I or II with work related experience, or knowledge, training or experience relevant to the duties to be performed or an equivalent combination of experience and training
• Demonstrated understanding of animal welfare regulations and legislation
• Basic farm hand experience working within a dairy enterprise

To ensure the University continues to provide a safe environment for everyone, this position requires the incumbent to hold a current and valid Working with Children Check.

Please note: To be considered for this role you must have current valid work rights for Australia.

About the University
The University of Melbourne is consistently ranked amongst the leading universities in the world. We are proud of our people, our commitment to research and teaching excellence, and our global engagement.

Benefits of Working with Us
In addition to having the opportunity to grow and be challenged, and to be part of a vibrant campus life, our people enjoy a range of rewarding benefits:

• Flexible working arrangements, generous personal, parental and cultural leave
• Competitive remuneration, 17% super, salary packaging and leave loading
• Free and subsidised health and wellbeing services, and access to fitness and cultural clubs
• Discounts on a wide range of products and services including Myki cards and Qantas Club
• Career development opportunities and 25% off graduate courses for staff and their immediate families

To find out more, visit https://about.unimelb.edu.au/careers/staff-benefits .

Please note, the above-mentioned benefits are for fixed-term only.

Be Yourself
We value the unique backgrounds, experiences and contributions that each person brings to our community and encourage and celebrate diversity.  First Nations people, those identifying as LGBTQIA+, females, people of all ages, with disabilities and culturally and linguistically diverse people are encouraged to apply. Our aim is to create a workforce that reflects the community in which we live.

Join Us!

If you feel this role is right for you, please apply with your CV and cover letter outlining your interest and experience.  Please note that you are not required to provide responses against the selection criteria in the Position Description.

We are dedicated to ensuring barrier free and inclusive practices to recruit the most talented candidates. If you require any reasonable adjustments with the recruitment process, please contact us at [email protected] .

Position Description