Equine and Livestock Manager

Equine and Livestock Manager | Lake Placid, NY

About North Country School & Camp Treetops

Located on the outskirts of Lake Placid, NY, North Country School & Camp Treetops sit on a 220-acre campus amid majestic mountain peaks in New York State's Adirondack Park. Since 1921 and 1938 respectively, we have been nationally renowned for pioneering educational programs rooted in progressive practices and experiential learning. Both Camp and School guide children to engage the natural world, take on intellectual and physical challenges in a nurturing community, and cultivate independence and creativity. 

Position Overview

North Country School & Camp Treetops seek a professional Equine and Livestock Manager to help manage its large diversified working farm—one that works in harmony within a dynamic ecosystem and feeds and educates its campus community. In this role, you will join a dynamic farm team to blend educational programming with hands-on farm management, equine care, animal husbandry, and maintaining and caring for the soil on which the farm’s animals and plants are raised. This includes participating in long-term planning of the farm, contributing thoughtful ideas and practices to its overall operations, and serving as an educator who regularly interfaces with students and campers ranging in age from 8-15. 

What You Will Do

As an integral member of the full-time farm staff, you will work closely with a small group of farmers and educators to execute programming for both Camp and School. Your responsibilities will include and are not limited to; leading twice daily barn chores with children and adults, supporting ongoing farm connections between Camp and School programs, daily medical care for animals, animal husbandry, specifically breeding sheep, English riding lessons, mentoring new farmers each season, and collaborating with your colleagues on new and innovative ideas connected to sustainable agriculture in the Adirondacks. All of this work will be done in close collaboration with the Educational Farm Director to develop and implement animal welfare standards, ensuring they align with sustainable agriculture practices and equine care protocols.

How You Will Spend Your Time

Livestock and Animal Husbandry (30% of time)

Alongside the farm team, the biggest portion of your work will be spent attending to the farm’s resident animals, including 200 laying hens, 100 meat birds, 15-30 turkeys, 10-15 pigs, 20-50 sheep, and a herd of 10-15 horses. You will:

• Oversee all aspects of daily care, feeding, wellbeing, and support system maintenance to implement best practices for our diverse set of animals. 
• Perform daily tasks including, but not limited to: tending to the water and food of all livestock, vaccinating, weighing, sorting and tagging animals, moving animals within rotational grazing plan through pastures, organizing supplies, building and moving electrical fences, monitoring grass levels, and mucking stalls.
• Assist with the planning and maintenance of rotational grazing systems to promote pasture health and sustainable land use.
• Assist in the harvesting of our meat birds, laying hens, and turkeys with campers and students, including coordinating harvest dates and transportation of larger livestock for off-site harvesting. 
• Assist in the breeding and birthing of lambs (you may be on call at all hours of the day or night during lambing season). 
• Being on-call as needed to conduct night visits to check on sick or nursing animals, or animals that are in the barns overnight. 
• Assist in the purchasing of animals for our program and maintain livestock records and develop yearly program plans for Camp and School. For our horse herd, this includes buying/leasing and selling of horses for use in our riding program for Camp and School. 
• Work closely with the Educational Farm Director and keep them up-to-date on any livestock issues in a timely manner. 

Equine Management (20% of time)
Another significant element of your role will be managing our herd of 10-15 horses, working to provide them with comprehensive care through feeding, grooming, health monitoring, basic first aid, maintaining the barns where they reside, and overseeing their general health and wellness through the coordination of veterinary visits, farrier appointments, and managing equine health records. You will also help to lead Camp and School’s English horseback riding program while ensuring the wellbeing of both riders and horses as you teach campers and students how to care for horses. During the School year (September-May), this includes finding ways to incorporate our herd into the academic curriculum while maintaining the health and wellness of the herd through regular training. During the Camp season (June-August) this includes participation in the annual riding clinic, helping to teach riding lessons, and supporting and mentoring riding counselors. You will help train faculty, staff, and counselors on horse care and safety throughout the year. 

Farm Intern and Staff Coordination (20% of time)

In this role, you will work closely with the Educational Farm Director as well as Camp and School Directors to ensure staff and interns are effectively utilized and receive a high-quality, educational experience. Alongside the Educational Farm Director this will include mentoring a team of two to six farm interns, in addition to supporting the scheduling, training, professional development, and overseeing them as they help to manage daily tasks across the farm in connection to Camp and School programming. As part of this, you will support teachers in connecting their classroom to the farm and counselors as they facilitate farm-based activities for campers through the ongoing development of a farm-based curriculum and integration of that into programming for both Camp and School. 

Operational Support (20% of time)

This position will ensure for the smooth operations of the farm, particularly in managing equine and livestock equipment and infrastructure. This ranges from maintaining all electronet movable fencing, permanent electric fencing, and working to improve those systems, to leading hay deliveries with children and adults in our community. You will also participate in planning and executing farm improvement projects, including sustainability initiatives and work closely with the farm team to execute a variety of farm projects, including regular carpentry.

Vegetable Garden and Perennial Crop Support (10% of time, seasonally)

Alongside other members of the farm team, you will assist with our three acres of production gardens, 100-ft-high tunnel, 50-ft heated greenhouse, edible forest garden, 11-acre tapped sugar bush, rotating drum composter, and two teaching kitchens. This includes assisting with the maintenance and harvesting of the vegetable garden and perennial spaces, supporting the integration of crop production with livestock and pasture management for sustainable farm practices, and assisting the farm team with seed starting, maple sugaring, composting, and field work.

The Skills You Bring to Our Community 

• Bachelor's Degree in Animal Science, Sustainability, Earth Sciences, Agricultural Education
• Demonstrated ability to manage livestock with 1-3 years experience
• Past equine experience working with and caring for horses
• Prior experience working with and educating children on a working farm 

The Values You Bring to Our Community 

• A collaborative, welcoming, joyful, and inclusive approach
• Deep appreciation for the natural world, animals, plants, and community 
• Passion for working with others and collaborating with like-minded farmers to build upon a 100+ year farming legacy
• Desire to improve the land we grow on and farm using regenerative agricultural practices
• Curiosity and a desire to continuously learn
• Warmth, grace, kindness, and a willingness to step outside your comfort zone
• Independence and ability to be a self-starter
• Openness and strength in the face of challenges
• The desire for a highly collaborative work environment that values innovation and creativity
• Attention to detail, cleanliness, and organization

The Benefits of Working Here

In addition to a competitive salary ranging from $42-55K (dependent on experience) you will enjoy:

• On-campus housing
• Health insurance 
• A retirement plan with TIAA
• Personal time off
• Paid family leave
• Tuition remission for North Country School & Camp Treetops
• Childcare stipend
• Vegetables and food from the farm when in season
• Seasonally sourced daily meals
• Miles of walking/hiking/skiing trails, rock climbing crag, ski hill
• Access to on-campus woodshop and ceramics studio

How to Apply

To apply, please send your resume with a cover letter to [email protected] [email protected]. As part of the application process, you will be required to complete a nationwide criminal background check.

Our Mission and Values
North Country School and Camp Treetops strives to create a community that gives children the self-confidence, knowledge, skills, and values to lead satisfying and productive lives while contributing to their world.

We are a values-driven community and seek to have a positive impact the world around us by living out our core values on and off campus:

• Cultivate Community: We believe in the inherent value and contributions of every person, and in fostering connections to build and nurture a strong, inclusive community.
• Walk a Mile: We believe that understanding and honoring every person’s unique worldview, experiences, and challenges is at the root of empathy and compassion.
• Dig Deep, Keep Growing: We believe that by setting ambitious goals, working hard, and persevering, we build strength and character and set a course for lives of growth, purpose, and fulfillment.
• Stay Curious: We believe in the power of creativity and wonder. We believe that curiosity about ourselves, other people, and the world around us leads to growth, innovation, and sometimes unconventional ideas.
• Our Planet, Our Job: We believe in individual and collective responsibility for our planet, and in leading by example as a community that works to respect, protect, and restore the natural world.

The 5 Guiding Principles of our Farm
Through active, daily participation in our farm and garden, children will:

1. Learn to care for an animal and know what it means to nurture another being.
2. Begin to understand where their food comes from and participate in the process of growing and harvesting food.
3. Gain a sense of the life cycle of plants and animals, and the interconnectedness of all organisms.
4. Recognize the importance of their contributions to the functioning of our community.
5. Develop a strong connection to the natural world and a future interest in protecting it.