Description
The Department of Horticulture (http://www.uky.edu/hort/) seeks to fill a 12-month staff position as the 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. The Director of Farm Operations will manage farm staff and facilities and oversee daily farming 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.
Applications should be submitted by November 30, 2026 for full consideration. Please use the University of Kentucky’s electronic application process to apply. The application should include a cover letter that outlines the candidate’s approach to the position’s qualifications, responsibilities, and vision for effectively managing the farm to optimize its impact on the horticulture industry in KY and beyond, followed by a career resume that concludes with the names, addresses, emails, and phone numbers for three references.The selected candidate will be required to provide documentation verifying eligibility to work in the United States.
Requirements
Suitable candidates should have a minimum of a Bachelor’s degree (Master’s degree is preferred) and at least 6 years of 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. 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.
