Hatchery Foreman

RCL FOODS, Chicken Division is on the hunt for a Hatchery Foreman to join our Hatchery based in East London. The Agriculture function is looking for an individual who displays good people management skills and is results and goal oriented. The Hatchery Foreman will report in to the Hatchery Manager, and will be responsible for ensuring that the best quality eggs are set in order to ensure the hatch of the best quality chicks at the lowest cost, delivered to satisfied customers.

**Duties & Responsibilities**:**
Operation Supervision Grading**:

- Receiving of eggs from laying farms or external.
- Recording of egg core temperatures.
- Verify eggs received and despatched.
- Co-ordinating and management of the egg bank.
- Planning of flocks to be set and setter cards.
- Maintain Pre-Heat Room and Preheating of egg sets.
- Monitoring of cold room temperatures and RH% including hygiene and housekeeping.

**Setters**:

- Monitoring of environmental conditions and pressures including hygiene.
- Planning and monitoring of setting of eggs in the incubators.
- Planning and monitoring of transfers into the hatchers.
- Monitoring of embryo temperatures.
- 10 day candling.
- Record and monitor water loss.
- Monitor and record accuracy of incubators.

**Hatchers**:

- Prepare hatchers for transfer.
- Monitor and record environmental conditions.
- Transfer eggs into the hatchers. Verify flocks transferred.
- Program controllers for eggs transferred.
- Measure, monitor and record hatch window.
- Transfer of chicks to the chick holding area.
- Sample chick fluff per hatch. Cleaning and sanitising processes to be audited.

**Chick Take off**:

- Observe chick quality and contamination of chick debris.
- Observe quality of chicks during chick transfer from chick basket to carousel.
- Audit chick counting and record any variances.
- Monitor and record chick quality.
- Measure and record chick weight.
- Measure and record yoke free body mass.
- Analsye and record unhatched eggs per flock.
- Measure and record vent temperatures.
- Monitor environmental conditions.
- Ensure availability of vaccines.
- Prepare vaccine and administer.
- Record culls per flock.
- Prepare delivery note to dispatch.
- Dispose of culls and debris as per procedure.
- Monitor and record truck temperature prior to loading.
- Dispatch chicks as per placement plan.
- Verify chicks loaded with IDN and chick truck driver.
- Communicate, dispatch with farm manager, chick placement supervisor, and hatchery.
- Reconcile chicks hatched to placement delivery notes and other hatchery and farm manager daily.
- Audit and manage seal register.

**General Production**:

- Ensure the submission of samples to the laboratory (blood, water, dust, mortality and feed) as required by best operating practices to enable proactive management of potential animal health issues.
- Manage the vaccination process to ensure immunisations and vaccinations are done in time and according to the RPM, BOP and veterinary specifications.
- Ensure that effective rodent control measures are in place.

**Hygiene and Biosecurity**:

- Adhere to the VCD and BOP procedures

**Ensure compliance to SHEQ and Risk Management**:

- Training of staff with regards to animal welfare, food safety, equipment within the operation and Bio-security procedures

**Maintenance**:

- Test equipment and the standby generator on a weekly basis to ensure reliability and good working order.
- Test the alarms in the morning and afternoon, on a daily basis to ensure good working order.
- Maintain the hatchery grounds.

**General**:

- Updating KPI’S
- Manage resources
- Monitor and record stock levels
- Maintain good asset care management
- Plan all leave for the employees
- Maintain good housekeeping practices at all times
- Analyse reports with the ability to problem solve

**Minimum Requirements**:

- Minimum Grade 12 is required, relevant tertiary qualification will be an advantage.
- Valid Code EB drivers’ licence
- Minimum of 5 years in a Hatchery environment, 2 to 3 of which should be in a supervisory capacity.
- Verbal and written communication
- Computer literacy
- Display good people management skills
- High level of problem solving.