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Purpose:

• To design, manage and control all regional flock health and diagnostic capability within the regional supply chain, delivering healthy breeders, chicks and broilers and the customer at the right time and at optimum cost to the region. In addition, as the designated professional contact with the Provincial veterinary authority, to ensure adherence and compliance with Notifiable and Zoonotic disease control processes, ensuring consumer safety.
• To ensure responsibility and authority for all Animal Welfare matters/conditions

Requirements:

• Veterinary Degree (7 years) + 3 years Postgraduate Qualification in poultry diseases and production.
• 3 - 5 years’ experience preferably within commercial poultry production is recommended.
• Registered with South African Veterinary council (SAVC)
• Undergo continuous training and maintain CPD accreditation as required by professional body (SAVC) to maintain registration

Main Responsibilities:

Operational Veterinary Management

• Designs and implements key Strategic targets – specifically that of cost optimized flock health, poultry notifiable and zoonotic disease surveillance and control and consumer safety.

• Design and implement flock health control and monitoring plan, in-feed and water based medication application strategies, vaccines and vaccination strategies, diagnostic testing regimes and the associated optimized costs.
• Drive a culture of commitment to Key Performance Indicator’s (KPI’s) by using specialist veterinary training to create awareness, action plans and recommendations for improving KPI.s, and by providing recognition for attainment of KPI’s within the regional Veterinary team.
• Manages direct reportees, and provides guidance to the larger regional agric, veterinary laboratory teams, nutritionists and plant teams daily to ensure that the team attains the healthiest bird at the lowest cost within the region.
• Conduct regular team meetings and ensure that records are kept and shared across the team and that action plans agreed to within team meetings are delivered upon.
• Utilize regular communication channels and team meetings to drive continuous improvement and best practice daily across the region in coordination with the regional agric, lab, nutrition and plant executives
• Measures and deliver on KPI’s in terms of breed standards, flock health status and motivate the team to surpass the standard to deliver overall functional strategic goals, as expected by the Regional and Agric Directors
• Ensure that region laboratory team complies with the accreditation requirements of SANAS and the Directorate of Animal Health Fisheries and Forestry (DALRRD).
• Drives the maintenance of AI free compartment status within their region.
• Work with Agric Executive and Veterinary Executive to deliver on the flock health management strategy and translate into action items for regional team.
• Design and implement all poultry disease eradication and control measures within their region
• Interact with Provincial DALRRD when detecting and controlling notifiable diseases.
• Liaise with RCL FOODS’ export department as well as DALRRD on export requirements and issue Export Permits/Health certificates.
• Perform the statutory role and functions entitled to the Veterinarian under the Veterinary and Para-Veterinary Professions Act (Act 19 of 1982) (i.e. issue of veterinary health certificates and medications
• Design, implement and monitor pest control programs.
• Act as Veterinary Executive when she/he is not available and carry the national responsibility.

Animal Welfare

• Review and adjust the RCL Animal Welfare Policy where necessary
• Ensure that animal welfare standards are upheld on the farms at all cost as per RCL Animal Welfare policy
• Act as Animal Welfare Lead during Welfare audits by 3rd parties, example NSF audits
• Train employees on Animal Welfare and highlight the importance of embryo and bird welfare across all operations
• Coordinate Animal welfare audits, both internal as well as external by customers, including cull buyers
• Stay abreast of international best practice with regards to animal welfare standards and procedures.
• Identify and complete if any changes need to be made to the Animal Welfare Management System.

Information and Data management

• Ensure regional team accurately and regularly capture Laboratory samples data onto the laboratory information systems enable access to reliable data and reporting for trend analysis and decision making.
• Suggest system changes to ensure the ongoing relevant and accuracy of improvement processes.
• Share relevant data with regional agric management and processing team to enable reliable business decision making.

Technical Expertise

• Provide technical expertise and training to internal customers and colleagues.
• Provided expertise in regional management team meetings across Feed, Breed, Agriculture and Processing.
• Recommend solutions based on findings to the farms and processing for their action.
• Stay current on any update or changes of the relevant documents (eg OIE TAHC, legislation), changing customer requirements, etc.

Contribute to function Strategy into Action

• Implement agreed key areas of delivery for Veterinary and Laboratory functional SIA’s to enable delivery of the long-term Regional Agriculture and Veterinary strategy.
• Communicate operational capacity requirements to the National Veterinarian and plan required asset utilization and capex requirements accordingly for Laboratories to enable SIA delivery.

Provide Leadership

• Designs, develops and leads veterinary diagnostic excellence, poultry disease control, zoonotic and notifiable disease control and surveillance practices with the region
• Leads regional executive team towards meeting strategy and targets through regular communication and utilization of full organization talent management tool set, in relation to flock health and disease control issues
• Ensure the development of a future generation of leaders and specialists and ensure optimal turnover and retention levels are maintained with specific reference to the scarce and critical skills within the Veterinary structure.
• Drives Employment Equity within the Veterinary team to ensure that diversity is achieved at all levels and that statutory targets and requirements are met.
• Champions training and development of veterinary team through utilizing available training opportunities or contributing to the development of new training solutions in collaboration with regional and national training specialists.
• Conduct regular performance appraisal with subordinates and ensure that the process is cascaded through the regional team.
• Develop and manage high performance multi-disciplinary team in order to anticipate and solve veterinary problems within broader function team.
• Manage employee relations climate and ensure corrective action is taken where required in line with relevant legislation and company policy

Management of Safety Health Environment and Quality (SHEQ)

• Ensure that the Lab implement all legislative standards and action is taken where required prevent areas of non-compliance.
• Measure and manage sustainability practices within area of responsibility.
• Participate in safety meetings to ensure that action points are defined and delivered upon within regional Laboratory environment.
• Suggest amendments to policies and practices within operational area of responsibility to the National Veterinarian.
• Ensure that documentation required within the Total Quality Management system, is maintained and applied consistently throughout the region.
• Action any policy and procedure training required highlighted in the training needs analysis.
• Implement bio-security standards across the region and suggest enhancements based on on-going learning’s.
• Ensure that security is maintained within the Laboratories and initiate appropriate investigations where incidents occur.

Financial Management

• Develop and control regional veterinary costs to ensure the optimal utilization of assets and budgets, in line with the expectation of the Regional and Agric Directors
• The veterinarian is directly and indirectly responsible for vaccines and medication issued.
• The quantum of this vaccines and medication spend is of R25-50m per region per annum.
• The veterinarian is directly responsible for diagnostic cost on average of R10-15m per annum.
• The veterinarian is directly or indirectly responsible for the laboratory operational revenue of R25 -30m per annum.
• Report on a regular basis on actual KPI’s versus budget and work with team to address areas of non-conformance or concerns proactively and timeously.
• Control, report on and manage all input costs within the Veterinary team and manage any over or underspend appropriately to ensure that issues are addressed before significant financial loss occurs.
• Authorizes expenses within level of authority and monitor spending activity within teams to ensure compliance to financial and ethical standards.
• Implements and drives optimal cost management initiatives within the team where these do not impact on long term business sustainability.
• Ensure that direct report is accountable for department budget expenditures.
• Mitigate business risks within budgetary constraints through allocating spend to areas of high priority across the regions.
• Ensure correct operational planning to meet budgeted vaccine production.
• Input into CAPEX documentation taking into account return on investment and sustainability requirements.
• Manage and coordinate external supplier relationships and contracts in collaboration with the procurement team and National Veterinary to ensure agreed service levels are met.

Occupational hazards

• Even though all reasonable steps are taken to limit exposure, during the course of normal duties the veterinarian may be exposed to chemicals (example formalin fumes) and potentially zoonotic pathogens (example Avian Influenza, Salmonella, E. coli).

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