Director of Hatcheries

Position Summary

The Director of Hatcheries provides strategic and operational leadership for all hatchery functions, ensuring the consistent production of high-quality chicks that meet the organization's production, quality, animal welfare, and operational requirements.

This position is responsible for overall hatchery performance, including hatchability, chick quality, biosecurity, food safety, safety, financial performance, team development, and continuous improvement. The Director works closely with Live Production, FSQA, Maintenance, and other departments to drive operational excellence, strengthen team performance, and support the company's long-term growth.

Essential Responsibilities

Leadership & Strategy

• Lead all hatchery operations and align performance with company goals and production requirements.
• Develop and execute strategies to improve hatchability, chick quality, productivity, and cost efficiency.
• Establish, monitor, and achieve key performance indicators (KPIs).
• Foster a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, teamwork, and employee engagement.
• Partner with senior leadership to identify opportunities for operational improvement and sustainable growth.

Operations Management

• Oversee egg handling, incubation, transfer, hatching, vaccination, chick processing, and shipping operations.
• Manage hatch schedules to ensure an accurate and reliable supply of chicks to Live Production and processing operations.
• Analyze operational performance and implement corrective actions when targets are not achieved.
• Partner with Maintenance to maximize equipment reliability, efficiency, and operational uptime.
• Ensure consistent execution of hatchery processes and operating standards.

Quality, Animal Welfare & Biosecurity

• Ensure compliance with animal welfare, food safety, sanitation, and biosecurity standards.
• Collaborate with FSQA and Live Production teams to maintain egg and chick quality.
• Investigate hatchability, chick quality, and mortality concerns and implement sustainable corrective actions.
• Lead audit readiness and regulatory compliance initiatives.
• Promote a strong culture of animal care and responsible poultry production.

Safety & Compliance

• Champion a proactive safety culture throughout hatchery operations.
• Ensure compliance with company policies, OSHA requirements, and applicable regulatory standards.
• Lead workplace incident investigations and implement appropriate corrective actions.
• Support occupational health and workplace safety initiatives.
• Identify and address operational risks before they impact team members or production.

People Leadership & Development

• Lead, develop, and mentor hatchery management and supervisory teams.
• Establish clear performance expectations and accountability measures.
• Develop succession planning initiatives to strengthen the department's leadership pipeline.
• Drive training and workforce development programs.
• Build a high-performing, engaged, and collaborative hatchery team.

Financial Management

• Manage departmental budgets, labor, and resources to achieve operational and financial objectives.
• Identify and implement cost-reduction and efficiency opportunities.
• Monitor labor efficiency, operating costs, and cost per chick.
• Provide regular performance reporting, analysis, and recommendations to senior leadership.
• Balance operational performance with long-term financial sustainability.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Poultry Science, Animal Science, Agriculture, Business, Operations Management, or a related field required.
• 10+ years of progressive leadership experience in hatchery, poultry, agriculture, food manufacturing, or a related operational environment.
• Demonstrated experience leading leaders and managing complex operations.
• Strong knowledge of poultry production, incubation systems, animal welfare, biosecurity, and operational excellence.
• Experience managing KPIs, budgets, labor, and operational performance.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and operational reporting systems.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Bilingual communication skills preferred.

Leadership Competencies

Successful candidates will demonstrate strength in:

• Strategic Thinking
• Operational Excellence
• Business Acumen
• Talent Development
• Change Leadership
• Continuous Improvement
• Collaboration & Influence
• Decision Making
• Accountability

Key Performance Measures

The Director of Hatcheries will be accountable for performance across key operational and business metrics, including:

• Hatchability
• Chick Quality
• First-Week Mortality
• Animal Welfare Compliance
• Biosecurity Compliance
• Safety Performance
• Labor Efficiency
• Cost per Chick
• Budget Performance
• Employee Engagement & Retention

Why Join Our Team?

This is an opportunity to play a critical leadership role in a high-performing poultry operation. The Director of Hatcheries will have the opportunity to influence people, processes, quality, animal welfare, operational performance, and business results while helping shape the future of hatchery operations.