Principal Livestock Consultant
RSK Group · Remote, UK (home-based within England or Wales)
Our estimate of how close this job is to decisions about what protein a business sources, specifies, buys and serves. How we score
Why this role matters
How close this job is to real sourcing and menu decisions.
Poultry consultants like this one sit between producers, integrators and policymakers, advising on production systems, economics and animal health and welfare across the UK poultry sector. That means the technical recommendations and reports this role produces can shape how flocks are managed on the ground: the practical detail of stocking density, health protocols and welfare standards that most people working on food system change rarely get a seat to influence directly. It's not a buying or specification seat, so it won't decide what a retailer sources, but it puts you inside the rooms where poultry sector practice and policy get shaped, working alongside government bodies including Defra. Over several years, this kind of technical credibility and industry network is exactly what opens doors into supply-chain standards or category roles at retailers, integrators or certification bodies where sourcing decisions on quality, welfare and supply chain resilience are made directly.
Where this role can take you
What this job teaches you, and the jobs it can lead to.
What you'd build
- Poultry sector technical expertise
- Industry stakeholder relationship management
- Consultancy proposal and bid writing
- Policy and sustainability analysis in agriculture
- Technical report writing and data analysis
Where it can lead
- Senior Livestock Consultant
- Poultry Technical Manager
- Agriculture Manager
These roles typically hold direct standing over supplier or producer welfare requirements and production standards, shaping the conditions under which poultry is farmed at scale.
About the role
ADAS, part of the RSK Group, is hiring a Principal Livestock Consultant on a full-time, permanent, home-based or hybrid basis within England or Wales. The role sits within ADAS's specialist livestock team and focuses on growing and delivering poultry consultancy services across the UK poultry sector, working with producers, supply chain businesses, industry organisations and government bodies including Defra. Key responsibilities include delivering technical and strategic consultancy projects for poultry sector clients; building and maintaining relationships with producers, supply chain businesses, industry bodies and government clients; analysing technical, economic and industry data to produce evidence-based recommendations; producing high-quality reports, presentations and technical publications; identifying and developing new business opportunities within the poultry sector; preparing proposals and costed bids; representing ADAS at industry meetings, conferences and stakeholder events; and supporting and mentoring colleagues within the wider livestock team. The role is predominantly poultry-focused but may occasionally extend to wider livestock projects, including possible pig sector work. Essential requirements include significant experience within the poultry sector gained through technical, commercial, consultancy, research or operational roles; a working understanding of policy, environmental and efficiency drivers affecting the poultry sector; a degree or postgraduate qualification in agriculture or a related science with relevant practical experience; a broad understanding of the structure and key players in the UK poultry sector; strong leadership skills; excellent report writing and analytical skills; good computer literacy including MS Word and MS Excel; clear written and verbal communication in English; a full driving licence and own transport; and flexibility in the range of work undertaken. Desirable attributes include sales experience generating consultancy work within agriculture, a working understanding of the UK pig sector, and experience managing or mentoring staff. The role requires travel throughout England and Wales and occasionally Ireland and elsewhere for client meetings and industry events. Salary is up to £45,000 per annum depending on experience, with benefits including a contributory pension scheme, life assurance, health cash plan, continuing professional development support, and a flexible benefits programme with options to buy additional holidays and private healthcare.
We added this one ourselves, from the employer's own advert.
Key terms to include in your CV and cover letter
What this employer is asking for, in their words. Applications are often screened by software looking for exact phrases, so if these describe your experience, use their wording.
- poultry sector expertise
- livestock consultancy
- technical report writing
- stakeholder engagement
- client relationship management
- business development
- proposal writing
- costed bids
- data analysis
- policy analysis
- animal health and welfare
- production systems
- sector economics
- mentoring
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Word
How to position yourself
The language that works with hiring managers for this kind of job.
Frame your interest in this role around the sector's own priorities: production efficiency, animal health outcomes, and the policy and sustainability pressures reshaping UK poultry. Emphasise commercial awareness, stakeholder engagement across producers and integrators, and any consultancy, research or technical services experience. Building deeper fluency in poultry welfare standards and production economics here is a strong credential for a later move into supplier standards or category work.
You apply directly with the employer. We just link you to their advert, and we don't see anything you send them.