Hansen Agri-PLACEMENT is searching for a well-qualified Cattle Inventory & Operations Manager for this progressive and growing Oregon cattle operation. This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced cattle professional who understands both the operational and business sides of the cattle industry and is looking for a long-term career opportunity with significant potential for advancement.

Employer is a well-established, third-generation cattle business located in Oregon with a substantial and expanding cattle enterprise. The operation purchases and handles approximately 100,000 head of cattle annually through its various business activities. The company works extensively with commercial cattle, including butcher cows and the dairy industry, and maintains cattle feeding/backgrounding operations involving approximately 10,000 head. This includes lightweight cattle that may be purchased in the 300-pound range and grown to approximately 850–900 pounds before disposition.

The company has developed a strong cattle business and continues to pursue additional growth opportunities. With this continued growth, ownership is strengthening its management infrastructure and is looking for an individual who can bring together the cattle inventory, procurement, cattle operations, trucking/logistics, financial, and risk-management sides of the business.

This is a newly established key management position and not simply an inventory or administrative role. Employer is looking for someone who knows cattle, understands cattle flow and cattle economics, is comfortable working with numbers and technology, and can provide ownership with the information necessary to make sound business decisions. The successful individual will report directly to ownership while working closely with Finance/Administration and key personnel throughout the cattle operation.

Qualifications

• Strong working knowledge of the cattle industry with experience in areas such as cattle procurement/buying, backgrounding/stocker operations, feedlot operations, dairy/beef cattle marketing, cattle inventory management, livestock transportation/logistics, or cattle risk management.
• Must understand cattle flow from purchase through delivery, feeding/backgrounding, movement, marketing, sale, and closeout.
• Strong understanding of cattle economics, including purchase cost, freight, cost of gain, breakevens, inventory value, projected value, and marketing considerations.
• Ability to understand how purchasing decisions, cattle numbers, available capacity, transportation, timing, and market conditions affect the overall operation.
• Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills with excellent attention to detail.
• Ability to recognize potential inventory, pricing, timing, capacity, transportation, and operational risks before they become problems.
• Excellent communication skills and ability to coordinate effectively with ownership, cattle buyers, cattle operations, trucking/logistics, finance, administration, and other key personnel.
• Strong computer skills required, including proficiency with Excel, databases, inventory programs, and other business-management systems.
• Ability to analyze cattle and operational information and turn that data into clear, practical information for ownership.
• Self-motivated with the ability to work independently, exercise sound judgment, take ownership of responsibilities, and proactively identify problems and opportunities.
• Employer is looking for an individual who wants to grow with the company and assume increasing cattle operations, personnel supervision, and management responsibility.
• Agricultural or livestock-related education is beneficial; however, strong practical cattle experience, business knowledge, stability, and proven ability will receive strong consideration.

Areas of Responsibility

Cattle Inventory & Asset Management

• Maintain accurate and timely records of cattle owned, purchased, controlled, or otherwise committed by the company.
• Track cattle by location, head count, purchase status, cost, weight, expected movement, and projected disposition.
• Maintain accurate cattle inventory reconciliation and documentation procedures.
• Monitor cattle inventory aging, cattle flow, projected movements, and upcoming operational requirements.
• Identify and resolve inventory discrepancies, missing documentation, and data-integrity issues.
• Ensure ownership has a clear understanding of where cattle are, what is invested in them, where they are going, and their projected value and exposure.

Cattle Procurement & Risk Management

• Work closely with cattle procurement personnel to track cattle purchases and commitments.
• Follow cattle from initial purchase through delivery, feeding/backgrounding, movement, sale, and final closeout.
• Monitor cattle cost, projected value, breakevens, inventory position, and potential financial or operational exposure.
• Assist management in evaluating purchasing decisions, timing, inventory levels, available capacity, and cattle disposition.
• Identify and communicate significant pricing, inventory, transportation, capacity, timing, or other cattle-related risks to ownership.
• Help establish the information and controls necessary to effectively manage risk within a high-volume cattle business.

Cattle Flow & Operations

• Coordinate incoming cattle with available capacity, transportation requirements, operational needs, and overall company strategy.
• Maintain visibility of purchased cattle, open commitments, expected arrivals, locations, and transportation requirements.
• Coordinate cattle movement among ranches, feeding/backgrounding locations, trucking operations, buyers, customers, and other operational partners.
• Monitor cattle placements, transfers, sales, closeouts, and available capacity.
• Identify bottlenecks, scheduling conflicts, transportation issues, and opportunities to improve cattle flow and utilization of company resources.
• Develop a thorough understanding of the company's various cattle enterprises and how cattle move between locations and business segments.

Cattle Economics & Financial Coordination

• Work closely with Finance to reconcile cattle purchases, freight, expenses, inventory values, sales, and related financial information.
• Monitor cattle purchase costs, inventory values, projected values, breakevens, and other key economic indicators.
• Maintain visibility into capital invested in cattle and anticipated cash requirements.
• Analyze cattle performance and closeout information to identify trends, variances, risks, and opportunities.
• Assist ownership with cattle projections, forecasting, and operational decisions based upon sound financial and production information.

Reporting & Business Systems

• Develop and maintain dependable daily, weekly, and monthly cattle inventory and management reports.
• Standardize reporting for cattle head count, locations, purchases, movements, sales, open commitments, projected activity, and inventory exposure.
• Ensure cattle information is accurate and consistent across operational and financial systems.
• Develop reports, spreadsheets, dashboards, and other management tools that provide ownership with current and forward-looking information.
• Continually evaluate existing systems and recommend improvements that increase accuracy, efficiency, and accountability.

Planning, Strategy & Process Improvement

• Provide forward-looking analysis of cattle inventory, purchasing requirements, available capacity, cattle movements, transportation needs, and operational priorities.
• Participate with ownership in planning cattle purchases, inventory levels, capacity utilization, marketing timing, and overall cattle strategy.
• Identify and implement process, system, and workflow improvements that support continued company growth.
• Develop procedures that improve accountability, inventory control, communication, and consistency throughout the cattle operation.
• Help develop a more centralized and scalable management structure as the company continues to expand.

Position Authority & Accountability

The Cattle Inventory & Operations Manager will have primary responsibility for the accuracy and integrity of cattle inventory tracking, reconciliation, reporting, and day-to-day coordination of cattle inventory information. This individual will be expected to identify and escalate inventory discrepancies, cattle exposure, operational risks, and process deficiencies while helping develop procedures that improve management visibility and accountability.

The position will also provide meaningful input into cattle procurement, inventory levels, operational capacity, transportation planning, financial forecasting, marketing and disposition decisions, cattle closeouts, and risk management.

As the individual develops within the position and assumes broader operational responsibility, the role is expected to include direct supervision and leadership of personnel. Supervisory responsibilities are not necessarily expected immediately upon hire but will become an important part of the position as the role grows.

Career Growth Opportunity

This position is designed as a long-term career-growth opportunity within a cattle business that has experienced considerable growth and anticipates continued expansion.

Initially, the position will focus heavily on cattle inventory, operational coordination, reporting, cattle economics, and risk management. As the successful individual demonstrates ability and develops a complete understanding of the company, responsibilities are expected to expand.

Future opportunities are expected to include greater involvement in cattle procurement, forecasting, operational planning, direct personnel supervision and leadership, cattle economics, risk management, and overall cattle enterprise strategy.

The long-term vision is for the successful individual to progress from managing cattle inventory and operational information into a broader director-level cattle operations and enterprise leadership role.

As part of the overall compensation opportunity, the employer is also offering profit-sharing, providing the successful individual an opportunity to participate financially in the continued success and growth of the business.

Employer is looking for more than someone to fill an immediate need. They are looking for an individual with the cattle knowledge, business aptitude, leadership potential, integrity, and desire to become an important part of the company's future.