Farm Manager
At a glance:
- Farm manager of a 100 acre mixed farm outside Stroud, Gloucestershire
- Responsible for operations supporting market garden, livestock, tree nursery, agroforestry, sales and farmhouse rentals
- Permanent, full time position
- From £35,000
- Starting 1st January 2026
Background
Good Small Farms was established in July 2021 to demonstrate that it is possible to be a viable, mixed, regenerative small farm. We are certainly mixed and regenerative and, relative to most farms, small. We aim to reach breakeven, and thus viability, by the end of 2026.
The start up phase is evolving into a more steady-state phase where a different set of skills is required to lead the business. Eric, who has been running the farm since its inception, is looking to step back so a new farm manager can take the lead. The established enterprises within Good Small Farms (a market garden, tree nursery, livestock, agroforestry and farmhouse) need support to continue to grow and hone their skills while also collaborating together to be able to provide a wide range of produce year round.
To say that we are reaching a steadier state does not mean that we have stopped growing or innovating. We aim to develop our own chicken processing facility and are cooking up recipes for products that help us deal with gluts and keep hold of the value of the food we produce. We are exploring the possibilities of a production kitchen. There are plans for more ponds and tree planting on the farm too.
In parallel to the day-to-day operations, we are looking to distribute ownership more broadly while ensuring robust governance. This involves evaluating established examples of steward, employee and employee trust ownership and to start engaging our customers and the local community about that transition.
Job Description
The job is varied and ranges from helping to support each of the enterprises (moving the cows, harvesting in the market garden, turning the woodchip, managing farmhouse bookings) to engaging with partners and customers to see how we can collaborate more closely. However, at its heart, the role is about supporting the team to ensure they achieve their goals and have the resources to do so. There is a lot of activity on the farm at any one time and the farm manager acts as conductor to the orchestra to make sure the activity is as smooth and joined up as possible.
The farm manager is responsible for overseeing the budgets of the enterprises as well as the overall company budget. They will work closely with both the enterprise leads and the finance manager to make sure budgets are on track and to quickly identify when they are not and come up with plans to rectify the situation. We are currently in both a Countryside Stewardship Mid-Tier agreement and an SFI agreement; the farm manager will be responsible for overseeing these and submitting claims. Similarly, the farm manager will be responsible for our organic and Pasture for Life certifications.
The role also includes ‘projects’ such as establishing a chicken processing facility, a catering kitchen, barn renovations, ecosystem enhancement work and initiatives supporting the sales and marketing team. Occasional weekend working will be required, to cover running the market stall and watering seedlings or moving the cows, for example, but the team share these responsibilities so it is not a regular requirement.
Finally, the role includes engaging with the wider community. We host an open day each year and host many farm tours and educational visits, from primary school to masters level students.
The farm manager will report to Eric, Director of Good Small Farms and, in due course, a broader board of directors.
Requirements
The ideal candidate will:
- Demonstrate a track record of successfully managing a team with compassion, enthusiasm and a sense of fun
- Be familiar with market garden scale vegetable growing
- Be familiar with livestock management (cattle and poultry preferred)
- Have worked in an organic or biodynamic mixed farm
- Demonstrate a high level of financial and numeric proficiency; there is no escaping spreadsheets, product masterlists, interoperability, Zettle, Stripe and the wonderful world of online procurement. This is not something we want to shy away from but to embrace to make our lives easier and our understanding of the business better
- Be a great communicator: in the end it is all about how to effectively communicate, whether this is working with the team, providing feedback in quarterly reviews or on farm tours explaining the advantages of agroecological farming
- Network: part of the role is engaging with customers, other farms, policy leads and DEFRA. An ability and enthusiasm for networking is essential
- Ensure compliance with health and safety legislation
You may have some but not all of the requirements listed above but think that this really is the role for you. If that is the case, please do still get in touch. What is the worst that can happen?
Please email eric@goodsmallfarms.co.uk with a CV and a bit about yourself. We will be holding interviews in late November and early December and the deadline for applications is 30 November 2025.
Stockperson Opportunity
We are looking for a motivated and hardworking person to join the team at Good Small Farms. The role will be working with Matt (the stockman) who is responsible for the livestock on the farm. We have a small beef suckler herd, a flock of laying hens and a broiler enterprise; most of the produce is retailed directly to customers.
Salary
Real living wage, working 5 days per week (8 hour days)
Timeline
Application deadline: 31st Jan 2025
Rolling assessments: 5th Jan – 30th Jan 2026
Start Date: 2nd March 2026
Responsibilities
- General animal welfare including organic solutions to common pests and diseases
- Planning and implementing livestock moves in line with regenerative practices, using electric mobile fencing
- Maintaining accurate records of stock movements, medication and illness as well as pasture analysis and management
- Poultry management and processing, both broiler and layer operations
- Silvopasture: planning, planting and maintaining trees in fields
- Upkeep and maintenance of farm equipment and infrastructure
Skills and Experience
- At least 2 years experience of working with livestock
- Experience of organic or pasture fed systems and of mob grazing
- Good communication and team-working skills
- Excellent organisational skills
- Pasture and soil testing and record keeping (e.g. Soilmentor, Sectormentor)
- A love of the land and a passion to work with nature
- Ability to work outside in all weathers
- A sense of humour
- Full UK driving licence
- IT skills
Contact
Matt Dowen
07735 896729 / matt@goodsmallfarms.co.uk
What we are looking for when we recruit
Good Small Farms looks forward to applications from a range of backgrounds, which it hopes will help invigorate its operations in the future.
We believe that everyone has a right to be treated with dignity and respect, and to be provided with equal opportunities to flourish and succeed within an ethical and trusted working environment that enables them to do so and that is attractive and accessible to everyone who is interested in developing their career with us.
We also value diversity of thought and experience and are committed to creating systems that value difference so that everyone can feel welcomed, included and nurtured throughout their time with us.
If you are keen to work with us, let us know! Even if we don’t have an advert out, there might be work available, be it a discrete short-term project or something more long term. Get in touch with Eric.
Volunteering
There are often opportunities for volunteers on the farm. You might be considering a career change or wanting to spend some time out in the fresh air, but with a purpose. Bear in mind that we are a commercial operation and so do expect hard work in exchange for experience and learning. Please get in touch with a little bit about yourself and we will hopefully be able to find something that is helpful for us and beneficial for you.
