Senior Farm Associate, Accelerator Farms

Finding the right place to grow your career isn’t (over) easy, so we’re here to help by sharing a few reasons why the grass is greener at Vital Farms. We think you’ll appreciate our focus on Conscious Capitalism, which drives business decisions that benefit all our stakeholders (leading to even better business results). You might be drawn to our innovative approach and refusal to settle for the “way things have always been done.” Or you could find it exciting to grow your skills while working for an industry-leading brand. Whether you’re into our values, our brand, or our egg-cellent puns, we hope you’ll join our Crew and help us change the world 108 square feet at a time! At Vital Farms, we’re proud of the diverse communities we serve and the stakeholders who help bring our purpose to life. We’re committed to fostering an inclusive and collaborative environment where every crew member feels valued. We see this as one of our greatest strengths - and your role is key to helping us build on it.

Your Role:

We are seeking a dedicated Senior Farm Associate to oversee the day-to-day operations of our company-owned farms. The ideal candidate will act as one of our farmers and be responsible for managing daily farm activities, ensuring optimal egg production, and maintaining animal welfare.

What You'll Do:

• Supporting training and onboarding of team members by sharing expertise, demonstrating procedures, and reinforcing biosecurity and welfare standards.
• Providing day-to-day guidance and coordination to ensure farm activities are completed safely, efficiently, and in alignment with production goals.
• Serving as a point of contact between farm associates and the live production manager, helping to communicate priorities and share updates.
• Identifying opportunities for process improvement and sharing recommendations to strengthen farm performance and team effectiveness.
• Ensuring proper scheduling and time off for all assigned team members.
• Helping the team effectively schedule and complete large tasks around the farm.
• Ensuring all paperwork is completed accurately and fully.
• Submitting all required daily, weekly, and monthly paperwork in a timely manner.
• Conducting all required farm sampling, including but not limited to bloodwork, tracheal swabs, manure samples, drag swabs, soil sampling, water, and feed samples.
• Completing and sending all sample submissions promptly.

Managing rodent and fly monitoring activities, including checking and replacing fly cards, cleaning bait stations and tin cats, and baiting for rodents and other pests. Attending all internal and third-party audits of assigned barns. Attending all on-site pest observations completed by outside pest control companies. Ensuring birds are weighed on the predetermined schedule and completing welfare assessments at the time of weighing. Recording and submitting work orders through Micromain to the maintenance team and maintenance manager. Communicating feed inventories and requesting feed deliveries from the live production manager. Adjusting barn controllers only as directed by the live production manager. Leading discussions for assigned farms during weekly production calls.

In addition the Sr Farm Associate will also be responsible as the team leader and for the responsibilities of the Farm Associate by:

Responsible for day-to-day tasks and management of the farm including driving production outcomes, egg quality and animal welfare as directed by the Farm Manager

• Communicate with Farm Manager and Team Leader on course of action to improve or resolve production related issues.
• Conduct weekly Lights on/Lights off flock observations.
• Monitor environmental conditions, make recommendations to equipment settings and/or equipment programming as needed to resolve issues as directed by the Farm Manager and Team Leader
• Monitor feed levels/consumption; and communicate with team leader to make necessary orders/adjustments.
• Monitor bird health and work closely with Farm Managers and Farm Support to address any health challenges.
• Maintain Audit Readiness of assigned barns.
• Enter data and ensure accuracy of data into daily, weekly, and monthly paperwork and recording systems.
• Ensure proper removal and disposal of all mortalities.
• Ensure proper egg collection and packing is completed daily.

Complete required monitoring of pasture including predation levels, biodiversity, and species counts. Ensure proper management of pasture and paddock rotation. Comfortable with performing euthanasia as needed in accordance with the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) euthanasia guidelines Maintain facility security by ensuring all points of egress and ingress are secured. Be on call for barn alarms triggered by, but not limited to, utility and tech failure. Perform tasks as directed by Farm Manager and Team Leader, including but not limited to moving shade structures, opening and closing gates, clearing roads of debris, and maintaining fence lines to prevent predator access.

What You Bring to the Table:

• BS degree and/or equivalent experience preferred, ideally in relevant field.

3+ years experience in poultry barn operations strongly preferred, relevant internship experience will be taken into consideration 1-2 years demonstrated experience leading, influencing, or motivating individuals or teams, either directly or through cross-functional collaboration

• Must be willing to work nights, weekends and holidays
• Ability to operate independently
• Ability to lead daily operations and travel to 2-4 barns at any given time
• Located within commutable distance (45 minutes) to assigned farm in Southern Indiana.
• Ability to travel 20% for company events, job fairs, team meetings and other business needs
• Strong communication skills
• Great organizational skills and attention to detail, with the ability to manage multiple tasks simultaneously

Personal commitment to ensuring all milestones are met on time Ability to manage multiple, time sensitive, priorities and deadlines Creative problem-solving ability Must be willing to work weekends, nights, and holidays as needed. You’re no hero – You know the power of teamwork and celebrate the work of others before your own. You give a sh*t – You believe in acting like an owner and making Vital Farms a place to be proud of. You raise the standards – You know growth can be hard, but you strive to improve yourself and others each day. You can walk in someone else’s boots – You seek to understand other’s viewpoints and think that you get to better answers by sitting on the same side of the table. You don’t walk on eggshells – You’re not afraid to leave the bullsh*t behind and have honest conversations. We recognize that talent comes in many forms. Even if you don’t meet every requirement, we encourage you to apply. You may have strengths we haven’t yet considered!

What We Bring to the Table:

• A fast-paced, energetic, remote environment with passionate people who are leading a movement to bring ethically produced food to the table.
• Competitive pay and benefits (Medical, Dental, Vision, and Paid Parental Leave, just to name a few).
• Generous retirement contributions: 401(k) + 3% Contribution from Day 1.
• Free eggs and butter (yes, really!), along with friends and family discounts.
• Fun team SWAG that will make you the talk of the town.
• Professional development opportunities and an amazing team dedicated to your growth.

At Vital Farms, compensation decisions are dependent upon a variety of factors, which may include, but are not limited to, skill level, experience, education, training, market demands, and business needs. A reasonable estimate of the current starting annual base salary for this position is $60,000 - $80,000. Please keep in mind that hiring at the maximum end of the range would not be typical in order to allow for potential continued future salary growth.

Who We Are:

Vital Farms, a Certified B Corporation, offers a range of ethically produced foods nationwide. Started on a single farm in Austin, Texas, in 2007, Vital Farms became a national consumer brand that works with 350 family farms and is the leading U.S. brand of pasture-raised eggs by retail dollar sales. Vital Farms’ products, including shell eggs, butter, hard-boiled eggs, and liquid whole eggs, are sold in over 24,000 stores nationwide. Vital Farms’ ethics are exemplified by its focus on the humane treatment of farm animals and sustainable farming practices. In addition, as a Delaware Public Benefit Corporation, Vital Farms prioritizes the long-term benefits of each of its stakeholders, including farmers and suppliers, customers and consumers, communities and the environment, crew members, and stockholders. In short, we exist to improve the lives of people, animals, and our planet through food. Commitment to Equal Opportunity To fulfill Vital Farms mission of bringing ethically produced food to the table, we’re committed to building teams that reflect diverse perspectives and lived experiences. We believe that when all crew members feel valued and respected, they bring their best ideas forward - fueling innovation, belonging, and shared success. We strive to create a welcoming environment rooted in equal opportunity and encourage individuals from all backgrounds and experiences to apply. To that end, we make employment decisions based on qualifications, merit, and business need. Vital Farms does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender and gender identity, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, lactation and related medical conditions), sexual orientation, marital status, age, national origin, citizenship status, military or veteran status, physical or mental disability, genetic information or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. Ready to Join Us? Together, we’re cultivating an environment where every Crew member can thrive, grow, and know they’re part of something bigger - improving lives through ethical food. If this role sounds like the right fit for you, we’d love to hear from you! Even if you don’t meet every qualification, we encourage you to apply - you might be exactly what we need!

Next Steps:

Shortly after you complete your application, you'll receive a follow-up email elaborating on any potential next steps in our process. If you don't immediately receive said follow-up email, we would highly encourage you to check your spam filter! In order to fulfill Vital Farms mission to “bring ethically produced food to the table,” we seek to build teams that leverage diverse perspectives to create a welcoming and innovative environment that is committed to the principles of equal employment opportunities. To that end, we make employment decisions based on qualifications, merit, and business need. Vital Farms does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender and gender identity, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, lactation and related medical conditions), sexual orientation, marital status, age, national origin, citizenship status, military or veteran status, physical or mental disability, genetic information or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

Notification to Agencies:

**Vital Farms is not accepting unsolicited third-party recruitment agencies in the hiring process for this role. If you are a potential candidate interested in a role with Vital Farms, please submit an application directly.

California Applicants:

Please see our California Employment Candidate Privacy Statement for more information about how we collect, use, retain, and disclose personal information as part of our recruitment and hiring process.