Dairy Herdsperson

Dairy Herdsperson (Fixed Term)

Department/location
Estates Division (Business Services)

Salary
£27,319 - £31,236

Reference
XM50989

Category
Assistant staff

Closing date
22 September 2026

The University of Cambridge is seeking an experienced and dedicated Dairy Herdsperson to join the team at the Cambridge University Farm (CUF). CUF operates as a commercial farm while providing an exemplar teaching facility for the Vet School, supporting clinical teaching and maintaining high welfare and compliance standards. The livestock enterprise includes a high-yielding dairy herd of approximately 220 milking cows producing around 2 million litres of milk per year, alongside a 250-head sheep flock.

About the role

As a key member of the dairy team, you will contribute to the safe, efficient and compliant operation of the dairy herd. Working closely with the Dairy Farm Manager, you will support long-term herd planning, daily herd management, robotic milking operations, breeding and youngstock care. The role also supports the teaching needs of the Vet School, ensuring animals are available for clinical teaching as required. This is a practical role requiring strong practical skills, sound judgement and the ability to work independently. You will participate in an alternate weekend rota and a one-in-four on-call rota for robotic milking systems and night checks.

Key responsibilities

- Dairy herd management, including planning breeding programmes, monitoring milk production and ensuring accurate record keeping.
- Oversight of robotic milking systems, including preventative and corrective maintenance and ensuring cows are milked at appropriate frequencies.
- Monitoring animal health and welfare, identifying issues such as mastitis, lameness and metabolic conditions, and liaising with Vets as required.
- Artificial insemination, including identifying bulling, handling straws correctly and maintaining breeding records.
- Calving and calf rearing, recognising signs of calving, assisting safely, managing colostrum, rearing calves and carrying out disbudding and castration.
- Feeding operations, including feeding 240 dairy cows and 200 youngstock, adjusting feed mixes and operating feeding equipment.
- Dry cow management, including dietary monitoring and drying off cows in line with herd policy.
- Ensuring compliance with assurance schemes and regulatory bodies such as DEFRA, the RPA and the Environment Agency, and maintaining a safe working environment for staff, students and visitors.

About you

- Extensive practical experience in modern dairy herd management, ideally within a high-yielding herd environment.
- Strong knowledge of modern farming methods and agricultural machinery.
- Understanding of regulatory bodies such as DEFRA, the RPA and the Environment Agency.
- Good communication skills, particularly when working with Vets and students.
- Ability to work effectively with minimal supervision.
- Good IT skills and accurate record keeping capability.
- S/NVQ Level 3 in Livestock Production (Dairy) or equivalent experience.
- A full, clean UK driving licence.

Please be aware that a Full UK Driving Licence is essential for this role (a full EU Driving Licence is acceptable on appointment, but the successful applicant must transfer to a UK Licence prior to confirming a start date).

Commitment to ongoing professional development and keeping up to date with industry developments.

We offer:

- Accommodation is provided on site due to the requirements of the role.
- Relocation Package is available.
- Standby Payment Allowance for being part of the standby rota, including weekends, for our robotic milking system alarms.

Fixed-term: The funds for this post are available for 2 years in the first instance.