Shepherd – Animal Technician

Grade UE04: £26,093 - £28,778 per annum CMVM / Royal, Dick School Veterinary Studies / Easter Bush Campus Full Time: 35 hours per week Open ended: permanent

The Opportunity:

The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies are looking for an enthusiastic, well‑organised individual, with knowledge and experience in the day‑to‑day management and husbandry of a commercial sheep flock. They will be responsible for all aspects of the flock including lambing, breeding, foot trimming, sorting lambs for sale, organising shearers, maintaining records, etc. They will also be required to set up facilities, provide appropriate animals from the flock and provide practical sheep classes for undergraduate veterinary teaching.

The post holder is expected to have their own working dogs for gathering sheep.

The role will also involve providing animal husbandry of all farm species in other parts of the University Farm Estate and Animal Research facilities when necessary.

In return we offer a competitive salary, 3‑bedroom family accommodation on campus, centrally heated, double glazed and free from rent. Good local schools and the opportunity to be a key part in a successful and progressive business.

• Agricultural experience or qualification, with experience in farm animal husbandry is essential
• Good working knowledge and recent experience of sheep farming including recognition of ill‑health and common problems
• Experience in the use of tractors, ATVs and other standard farm machinery and a valid UK driving licence.
• Prepared to live in the tied accommodation provided on site and have their own working dogs
• Proven ability to work well independently and within a small team environment

Click to view a copy of the full job description.

• A competitive salary.
• An exciting, positive, creative, challenging and rewarding place to work.
• To be part of a diverse and vibrant international community
• Comprehensive Staff Benefits, such as a generous holiday entitlement, a defined benefits pension scheme, staff discounts, family‑friendly initiatives, and flexible work options. Check out the full list on our staff benefits page and use our reward calculator to discover the total value of your pay and benefits.

The University of Edinburgh holds a Silver Athena SWAN award in recognition of our commitment to advance gender equality in higher education. We are members of the Race Equality Charter and we are also Stonewall Scotland Diversity Champions, actively promoting LGBT equality.

Prior to any employment commencing with the University you will be required to evidence your right to work in the UK. Further information is available on our right to work webpages.

On this occasion the University will not consider applicants requiring sponsorship for this role. International workers will therefore only be able to take up this role if they can demonstrate an alternative right to work in the UK.

The closing date for applications is 5 February 2026.

Unless stated otherwise the closing time for applications is 11:59pm GMT. If you are applying outside the UK the closing time on our adverts automatically adjusts to your browsers local time zone.

Interview dates to be confirmed.