Director of Cattle Operations – The 808 Ranch

The ideal candidate has demonstrated experience integrating modern cattle, ranch, and agricultural technologies into daily operations and can produce strategic financial analyses to evaluate implementation costs, operational impact, payback periods, and return on investment. Qualifications should include but are not limited to:

• Significant leadership experience in seedstock and/or commercial cow-calf production.
• Knowledge of cattle reproduction, breeding systems, herd health, nutrition, grazing, and cattle marketing.
• Working knowledge of genetics, performance records, EPDs, genomic information, and seedstock marketing is strongly preferred.
• Experience as a leader with strong people management skills.
• Practical understanding of animal welfare, low-stress cattle handling, workplace safety, and biosecurity.
• Proven capability in preparing and interpreting strategic financial reports, capital-investment analyses, cash-flow projections, and return-on-investment calculations.
• Willingness and ability to travel routinely among ranch locations in Arkansas and Missouri as well as to other industry events.
• A bachelor’s degree in animal science, agricultural business, ranch management, or a related discipline is preferred, but substantial directly relevant experience may substitute for formal education.

Responsibilities:

Cattle Operations

• Lead daily, seasonal, and long-range cattle operations across all three ranch locations
• Oversee breeding programs, calving management, weaning, backgrounding, cattle feeding, replacement heifer strategy, and culling decisions for both the seedstock and commercial herds
• Develop and execute herd health, vaccination, biosecurity, animal welfare, and record keeping protocols with our veterinarians and adviser
• Coordinate with the Director of Land and Stewardship to implement short and long term animal nutrition and forage programs, including grazing plans, hay production and inventory, supplementation, mineral programs, feed procurement, and drought contingency planning
• Monitor key production indicators, including conception and pregnancy rates, calving distribution, weaning weights, death loss, replacement rates, cow efficiency, pasture utilization, and pounds weaned per exposed female
• Coordinate cattle movement, shipping, receiving, sorting, processing, and inventory reconciliation across all locations
• Maintain high standards for cattle handling practices, facilities, working systems, fencing, water infrastructure, and ranch and herd appearance\
• Collaborate and coordinate with the Director of Marketing and Branding to facilitate the capture of content for all The 808 Ranch platforms (print, digital, website, social media)

Seedstock and Commercial Programs

• Provide leadership and support for the Genetics Program and Sales Manager. Including development of a robust recipient herd program to enable advanced Precision Genetics breeding strategy, as well as a structured bull development program that fits the needs of the local market
• Supports the Genetics Program and Sales Manager to ensure accurate and timely collection, analysis, and reporting of performance data, registrations, pedigrees, genomic information, and expected-progeny-difference data where applicable
• Support the Genetics Program and Sales Manager with the planning and execution of bull sales, female sales, private-treaty marketing, customer service, and post-sale relationships
• Forecasting commercial cattle inventories to support a future regional beef supply chain
• Build working relationships with breed associations, genetic advisers, veterinarians, nutritionists, marketing partners, and other industry professionals

Financial and Inventory Management

• Develop annual operating budgets, capital plans, and multi-year financial projections for cattle and ranch operations
• Track results against budget, explain variances, recommend corrective action, and report performance to ranch leadership
• Evaluate major production and capital decisions with real financial analysis, including expected return, risk, and cash flow
• Manage livestock, feed, forage, equipment, and supply inventories with accurate records and regular reconciliation. This will require collaboration with the Director of Land and Stewardship
• Participate in commodity-risk, marketing, purchasing, and input-cost decisions as appropriate to the ranch’s business strategy
• Maintain disciplined purchasing practices and manage relationships with feed, animal-health, equipment, transportation, and agricultural-service vendors

People Leadership

• Recruit, lead, schedule, evaluate, and retain the cattle team, and coordinate shared crew from the Land & Stewardship team during peak cattle work.
• Set clear standards for safety, animal care, ranch appearance, accountability, and work quality.
• Coach and develop direct reports, including team members earlier in their careers, with practical development plans.
• Run regular team meetings, one-on-one check-ins, performance reviews, and operational debriefs
• Lead by example in the field while delegating effectively and holding people accountable for results.

Technology and Data

• Evaluate, implement, and manage technologies that strengthen cattle and ranch operations, including herd management software, electronic identification, performance data platforms, and remote monitoring.
• Lead the move from pen and paper to a shared system, where information is captured once, in the field, and is available to everyone who needs it.
• Collaborate with the Community and Education Coordinator to create internal training modules or source external training as needed for staff to ensure adoption and proficient use of technology.
• Evaluate new technologies for return on investment.