Director of Sow Production - Central Iowa

Iowa Select Farms Job Description

TITLE: Director of Sow Production

REPORTS TO: Vice President, Production Operations

LAST REVISION DATE: 1/30/2025

Company Values

• We believe in doing the right thing every day, operating with character and integrity, and being stewards of our resource by committing to:
• Our Animals
• Our People
• Our Environment
• Our Community
• The core values of an organization are those values we hold which form the foundation on which we perform work and conduct ourselves. We expect all leaders, managers, and employees to demonstrate, foster and promote:
• Respect: We treat people with respect regardless of personal opinions or differing backgrounds, and no one within the organization is more or less important than anyone else
• Accountability: We hold ourselves accountable for completing our job responsibilities and following through on our commitments. We encompass our ability to recognize our own strengths and areas for improvement as well as accept responsibility for the performance and actions of ourselves and our teams without blaming others.
• Good Decision-Making: We are expected to continuously improve processes, attain results, and create efficiencies to achieve our mission while solving problems based on a combination of factual information, analysis, wisdom, and experience.
• Flexibility: We must react to changing circumstances, ambiguity and uncertainty with confidence, openness, positive energy, and optimism.
  
  

Purpose Of Position

The purpose of the Sow Production Director role is to lead a team of Sow Farm Supervisors to deliver upon the expected productivity and efficiency of their associated sow herds in support of the greater goals of the Iowa Select Farms production business.

Essential Job Functions And Responsibilities

• Responsibility for a sizable portion of the ISF sow herd, including accountability to performance in production operations as well as advancing team leadership.
• Develop and monitor performance against both operational and financial budgets/forecasts for the assigned portfolio of farms. Further, set objectives within the team and portfolio of farms that align with broader organizational goals and priorities.
• Anticipate, respond to, and provide contingency planning against critical barriers to portfolio success, especially focusing on the management of adverse health events.
• Offer routine reviews of opportunities apparent within the assigned portfolio of farms through diligent analysis of both financial and production performance data.
• Develop strong working relationships with directors across the varied functions of the ISF business to enable and facilitate collaboration, integration, and win-win outcomes
• Develop a network, internal to ISF and across a variety of scientific and operational disciplines, that afford value to the sow production function.
• Place a high priority on the development of others through strong coaching, feedback, and exposure, and encourages the team into moments of opportunity for growth.
• Serve as contingency to Sow Supervisors should there be a vacated role or should there be an urgent necessity, i.e. after-hours emergency.
• Promotes vision and purpose, in a relatable manner, to rally optimism, support, and alignment to greater business purpose.
• Ensure strict adherence to the ISF Animal Wellbeing Policy across the assigned scope of responsibility.
• Ensure strict adherence to ISF Biosecurity Policy across the assigned scope of responsibility.
• Ensure strict adherence to any/all ISF Safety Policies meant to support the health and safety of the team within the assigned scope of responsibility.
  
  

Company Expectations

• Adhere to Iowa Select Farms bio-security policy at all times which includes reporting any violations or concerns to management team
• Compliance with Iowa Select Farms safety policies and procedures which include continuous education to maintain a safe work environment
• Follow Iowa Select Farms animal wellbeing policy at all times and partner with the Production Well-being team in a timely manner if an incident occurs
  
  

LEADERSHIP COMPETENCIES

• Leadership and Collaboration
• Work ethic and Dedication
• Technical Capabilities
• Demonstrated Success
• Time management and Organizational Skills
• Problem Solving and Initiative
• Trusted with Responsibility
• Respect
• Communication
• Accountability
• Ability to learn and teach
  
  

WORK ENVIRONMENT

• This role routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers, phones, photocopiers, filing cabinets and fax machines.
• The noise level in the work environment and job sites can be loud.
• While performing the duties of the job, the employee is frequently exposed to fumes or airborne particles, moving mechanical parts and vibrations.
• The environment you will be working in may have nuisance levels of gases and dust, particularly in the winter months
• The environment of this position will change daily pending weekly schedule.
• This position may require some tasks to be performed in extreme outside weather conditions.
• This position will have duties in all facilities of Iowa Select Farms so employees will need to be comfortable working in and being exposed to all facility environments.
• Employee will be expected to make routine visits to farm sites following all biosecurity protocols.
  
  

Physicality Requirements

• The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of the job.
• Required to stand; walk; sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel objects, tools, or controls; reach with hands and arms; climb stairs; balance; stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl; talk or hear.
• Ability to read and write.
• The employee must have the ability to sit for long periods of time and to maintain focus on projects such as computer screens or detailed paperwork.
• Ability to lift up to 75 pounds along with climbing up ladders and over gates.
• The employee must be able to continuously repeat necessary movements such as bending, lifting and different hand movements as needed to complete tasks.
• Direct contact with animals may occur, so company bio-security practices must be understood and always practiced.
  
  

POSITION TYPE/EXPECTED HOURS OF WORK

• This is a full-time position that will typically require at least 40 hours a week.
• Additional availability may be required during staffing challenges.
• Weekend and holiday availability may be required during staffing challenges.
• Occasional evening hours and weekend work may be required as the job duties demand.
• This is a full-time position with the expected days from Monday-Friday
• Employee must be willing to be on-call for after hour emergencies.
  
  

TRAVEL .

• Local travel will be required for this position through the utilization of a company vehicle.
• Occasional overnight travel might be required for necessary events that pertain to this position.
  
  

EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE And OTHER QUALIFICATIONS

• Bilingual: Preferred
• Education/ Experience: A bachelor’s degree in animal science (or a related field) AND at least ten years previous experience in large-scale swine production operations.
• Must possess a valid driver’s license with an acceptable driving record.
• Must be able to, with or without accommodation, work in all facilities within the requirements of this job description.
  
  

Other Duties

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Additional duties, responsibilities, and activities may be assigned or changed at any time with or without notice.