Ranch Manager

Job Summary

We are seeking an experienced Ranch Manager to oversee all operations, ensuring efficiency, sustainability, and team cohesion. This hands-on leadership role combines strategic planning with day-to-day management, requiring excellent organizational skills, effective and collaborative communication, and a proactive problem-solving mindset. The ideal candidate will balance maintaining the ranch's aesthetic and animal welfare with developing revenue-generating opportunities.

Roles and Responsibilities

Operational Leadership

-Manage and oversee all aspects of ranch operations. Provide guidance and feedback to team leaders and contactors

-Develop and execute strategies to generate revenue while preserving the ranch's core values and integrity

-Ensure the ranch's overall presentation and facilities meet the highest standards

-Daily Planning and Communication

-Conduct daily morning meetings to communicate plans, priorities, and tasks to the ranch team

-Participate in weekly team meetings and other important strategic discussions

-Schedule and coordinate appointments, service calls, and contractors as needed to ensure everything is running and maintained up to standards

-Maintain open, clear communication with employees, contractors, and advisors to support seamless workflows. Ability to use cell phone, email, spreadsheets, and video conferencing

Hands-On Ranch Management

-Perform practical ranch tasks, including:

-Training and caring for ranch horses

-Monitoring cattle health and managing grazing patterns. Moving cattle to support rotational grazing and land health

-Building and repairing infrastructure, such as fences, irrigation systems, and facilities

-Overseeing landscape maintenance, reservoirs, water systems, vegetable gardens, and livestock enclosures

-Water System management via SCADA

Promptly investigate and address any unusual or suspicious activity to ensure the safety of animals and property

Animal Husbandry

-Provide daily care, including feeding, watering, and health monitoring, for all ranch animals

-Administer treatments, vaccinations, and other necessary health measures. Arrange for routine veterinary care as needed

-Ensure the care for all animals on site is upheld to the highest standards

Organization and Maintenance

-Maintain an organized inventory of tools, equipment, and supplies

-Ensure all equipment and vehicles are regularly serviced and operational

-Oversee and participate in building projects which may require the use of construction, carpentry or welding skills

-Plan and prioritize tasks to meet seasonal and ongoing project deadlines

Employee Training and Development

-Train new/existing employees

-Collaborate with HR manager on recruiting, interviewing and hiring new employees.

-Organize tasks to maximize productivity and ensure high-quality work

-Foster a positive, collaborative work environment through communication and mentorship

Time Management

-Balance the day-to-day operational needs with long-term projects

-Monitor and manage overtime of all hourly staff

-Create schedules that optimize time for the manager and also for the team

-Ensure timely completion of administrative tasks, including record-keeping and email/phone correspondence

Revenue-Generating Activities

-Identify and oversee initiatives to generate additional income, such as selling surplus firewood, grass-fed beef, eggs, garden/orchard products and olive oil

-Manage seasonal agricultural production for hay and other products

Key Skills and Qualifications

-Bilingual candidates are preferred

-Authorized to work in the U.S., able to pass a drug screening and background check, and willing to complete a 90-day probationary period

-Exceptional organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities and maintain detailed records

-Strong communication skills to lead teams, coordinate with contractors, and to engage directly with ownership and their guests

-Hands-on ranch expertise, including animal husbandry, water systems, equipment maintenance, heavy machine operation and construction planning and logistics

-Strong time management skills with the ability to balance strategic, operational, and administrative duties

-Knowledge of sustainable ranch practices, resource optimization, and safety protocols

Work Environment

This role requires flexibility to meet the ranch's dynamic needs, including availability on nights and weekends.