Posting Details
Posting Details
Job Title
Director of Farm Operations
Requisition Number
RE56162
Working Title
Farm Director
Department Name
81110:Horticulture
Work Location
Lexington, KY
Grade Level
48
Salary Range
$64,210-105,914/year
Type of Position
Staff
Position Time Status
Full-Time
Required Education
BA
Click here for more information about equivalencies:
https://hr.uky.edu/employment/working-uk/equivalencies
Required Related Experience
6 yrs
Required License/Registration/Certification
Driver's License
Physical Requirements
Heavy lifting, bending; standing/sitting for long periods of time. Extreme weather conditions.
Shift
Mon- Fri 8:00am - 5:00pm (may vary)
Requires evenings/weekends/holiday as necessary for emergencies, research and events.
Job Summary
The Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment's Department of Horticulture (http://www.uky.edu/hort/) seeks a Director of Farm Operations for the Horticulture Research Farm in Lexington, Kentucky.
The expected start date, which is negotiable, is January 1, 2027.
Horticulture is a vibrant and growing sector of Kentucky agriculture, providing farmers with high-value crops and communities with nutritious fruits and vegetables and attractive landscapes. With an emphasis on sustainability and food as health, the Department of Horticulture seeks an individual with exceptional farming, leadership, and management skills to oversee its nationally recognized, 105-acre research farm. The farm supports research, extension, and education in sustainable horticulture and facilitates multidisciplinary collaboration to investigate, demonstrate, and communicate practices that strengthen community food systems and horticultural enterprises. Its overarching goal is to provide an environment where faculty, staff, and students can make scientific breakthroughs that advance horticultural production systems.
About the Role
The Director of Farm Operations will manage farm staff and facilities and oversee daily operations involving vegetables, fruits, floriculture, nursery crops, greenhouses and high tunnels, a 5-acre research vineyard and winery, a 30-acre certified Organic Farming Unit with a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program (https://csa.mgcafe.uky.edu) that provides experiential learning opportunities, and a 5-acre fruit orchard at another central KY UK research farm on the north side of Lexington. This position reports to the Chair of the Department of Horticulture.
Skills / Knowledge / Abilities
Candidates should possess interpersonal skills that facilitate working with a variety of audiences including faculty, staff, students, administrators, and public stakeholders. Excellent oral and written communication skills, organizational skills, and a commitment to high-quality research, extension and education are required. The individual should demonstrate the ability to function as a team leader as well as within a team and to communicate effectively.
Does this position have supervisory responsibilities?
Yes
Preferred Education/Experience
MS Horticulture or closely related. Experience in an agriculture-related field, including documented leadership experience. The ideal candidate possesses outstanding farming, leadership and management skills, including a holistic knowledge of farm management, from conventional to organic systems, and demonstrated accomplishments in production agriculture.
Deadline to Apply
11/30/2026
