Expanding our service to the ranching industry through curated ranch manager job listings
Featured in the Spring 2019 Newsletter
This spring marks an exciting time for the King Ranch® Institute for Ranch Management (KRIRM) as a new online service is rolled out to the ranching industry. The Institute is proud to introduce an online Ranch Manager Job Board that offers another avenue of service to our industry stakeholders.
The number one priority at KRIRM is to train excellent ranch managers to lead complex ranches. Each year, the Institute is made aware of a number of job searches, some of which its students are candidates for and some they are not. In an effort to better serve the industry, KRIRM created the Ranch Manager Job Board to help those in its network find jobs or find managers for their ranches.
The Ranch Manager Job Board features a listing of managerial and supervisory ranching positions from ranches across the country with readily available application instructions and information. Finding that management-level job posting has never been easier. For the employer in search of a ranch manager or other supervisory position, the ranch manager job board will be a great place to post a job. Through a simple electronic submission request form, posting a job online is fast and easy.
“Our website receives 5,000 to 8,000 visits each month by industry stakeholders interested in information, education, or training in ranch management,” says KRIRM Director Clay Mathis, PhD. “These visitors make up a large network, which provides an opportunity for employers and those seeking ranch management positions to connect. At KRIRM, we serve all those involved in ranching and see this as an opportunity to help our industry.”
A Need for the Industry
While many websites and resources are out there to assist a person in a job search, KRIRM is unique in offering only managerial positions. This job board was created with the intention to be the premier website to find high-level ranch management positions at diverse and complex ranching operations.
“It has become increasingly difficult for many ranching operations to find good qualified ranch manager applicants,” says Director of Recruiting and Training of Turner Enterprises Chris Redman. “The Institute has established a powerful reputation for quality continued education throughout the country. They have been able to get people together who value quality education both from an employer and employee standpoint.”
As a recruiter for the second largest landholding company, Redman recognizes that KRIRM’s job board will be a powerful tool that brings the right kind of applicants to their organization. Through many avenues of recruitment such as job search websites, email chains, and placement services, Redman says those resources are either expensive or not always effective.
“Using job boards like Indeed and others, you end up getting a lot of unqualified applicants you have to sort through,” he says. “The KRIRM job board will draw the most qualified ranch management applicants.”
Redman is no stranger to the mission of the Institute. As a 2014 graduate of the ranch management master’s degree program, Redman knows that the job board will be the first site searched by the most qualified applicants because of the training and education mission of KRIRM.
“If a ranch wanted access to the best possible pool of candidates, they should post on the KRIRM job board. A person seeking a manager would have the best possible candidates all in one place,” he says.
Lee Creech, manager of Rocky Mountain Sire Service for Leachman Cattle of Colorado in Denver, Colo., makes the same observation on the excessive amount of jobs available online that do not necessarily fit a ranch manager role. Creech explains the frustration of sorting through unorganized and vague job descriptions on some job websites. Most of those job sites force individuals to commoditize applications, says Creech, to fit multiple job postings making it hard for an application to be specific to a certain job or to stand out among others.
Creech is excited for the new ranch manager job board with the Institute, explaining that historically there hasn’t been a place to look for high-caliber type jobs.
“I think the fact that the job postings are vetted lets a potential applicant know that it’s the real deal. The employer is interested in hiring the best and likely believes in the principles that KRIRM represents,” says Creech.
Not even two years ago, Creech was on the job search before graduating from KRIRM in 2017. For today’s candidates looking for a ranch manager job, Creech recommends the new ranch manager job board to find quality job listings.
“Why not start your search with a curated job board from the ones who know the industry the best with the place [KRIRM] that has connected the top ranches with the best managers for the past 15 years,” he advises. “No entity is better connected to the needs of large complex ranching operations.”
Employer Seeking a Manager
If you are a ranch owner or employer in search of a manager, there is currently no charge for this service. An electronic submission form was created for requests to post ranch managers jobs to the board. All submitted jobs will be reviewed by KRIRM staff and screened to determine if the appropriate criteria is met. Only jobs that include a management or supervisory component will be posted on the Ranch Manager Job Board.
Employee Seeking a Position
Start your search on the main page of the job board, reviewing a list of available jobs. As you navigate to view more about a specific job posting, it will provide information about the ranch, location, responsibilities, and qualifications. Depending on the application process of each ranch, you will either be directed to their website to apply or instructed to fill out an attached application and submit to the ranch’s point of contact.
To learn more, view the job listings, or submit a request, click here.
