Overview
Barn, Farm and Animal Care Team Member, Entry Level, Full or Part Time. Jobs in Haverhill, NH at Tomten Farm and Sanctuary
Barn, Farm & Animal Care Team Member – Entry Level
About Us
Tomten Farm and Sanctuary is a nonprofit sanctuary in Haverhill, New Hampshire, home to 80 to 100 rescued animals across more than a dozen species, including horses, ponies, donkeys, mules, pigs, goats, sheep, cows, alpacas, llamas, chickens, geese, rabbits, and cats. Now in our twelfth year, we do not settle for good enough. We invest in knowledge, relationships, and systems that raise the bar for every animal in our care.
Position Overview
We are looking for a hardworking, dependable Barn, Farm & Animal Care Team Member who is serious about building a career in rescue and sanctuary work. This is an entry level position and a genuine opportunity to get your foot in the door at one of New England’s most dedicated animal sanctuaries.
This is an opportunity for someone who may not have had the chance yet but is excited and ready to commit fully.
Prior experience with animals is welcome but not required. What matters most is that you are kind, observant, hardworking, and genuinely drawn to the daily care of animals.
Much of this role begins with cleaning, feeding, organizing, observing, and supporting the team. Hands-on animal handling responsibilities are earned over time through consistency, attention to detail, and trust.
As you master the fundamentals of daily sanctuary care, opportunities to take on more responsibility with the animals themselves will follow. If you are someone who wants to grow, we are the someones who will help you get there.
Growth Opportunity
For a hardworking and dedicated team member, this role has a clear path forward. As you demonstrate reliability, consistency, and a deepening understanding of Tomten’s care standards, opportunities to grow into more advanced animal care responsibilities become available, with increased responsibility and compensation that reflects your growth.
We mentor everyone who joins our team. If you are the right person, this becomes a genuine collaboration, one where your investment in Tomten is matched by our investment in you.
Key Responsibilities
This role is physical, varied, and demanding in every season. Daily responsibilities can include:
- Stall cleaning, shed picking, and pasture cleanup
- Assisting with hay, grain, supplement, and bedding deliveries including unloading, stacking, and inventory tracking
- Following established feeding routines including hay, grain, supplements, and medications as directed
- Animal care and observation across all species
- Seasonal farm maintenance including watering, weed-whacking, snow removal, and brush clearing
- Operating equipment such as the work gator and mower
This role requires someone who can work independently and as part of a small, coordinated team, maintaining consistent routines and above-and-beyond standards of care.
Physical Requirements
This is a physically demanding role. Team members must be able to lift and carry up to 50 pounds and remain on their feet for extended periods. Work takes place indoors and outdoors in all seasons and all weather conditions.
What We Are Looking For
We are looking for more than a willing candidate. We are looking for a dedicated team member who brings:
- A genuine desire to build a career in rescue and sanctuary work
- Hardworking, dependable, and physically capable of keeping pace with a working sanctuary
- A strong eye for detail and pride in above-and-beyond standards of care
- A calm, steady presence with animals and people alike
- Openness to learning natural horsemanship and low-stress, individualized animal handling methods
- Clear communication and comfort working both independently and within a small, coordinated team
What We Offer
Flexible scheduling, paid main holidays, and accrued paid time off. Health insurance reimbursement and additional benefits become available with length of employment, alongside raises that reflect demonstrated skill, commitment, and growth.
We are a small, hardworking team where every person carries real weight and real pride in the work. We mark milestones together, animal arrivals, recoveries, and the quieter victories that make this work meaningful. It is not a loud culture, but it is a genuinely caring one.
You will work in a beautiful New Hampshire setting, building real relationships with up to 100 individual animals who will come to know you by name. You will work across a remarkable variety of species, ages, and health needs, following each animal from arrival through every chapter of their life here.
And you will be part of a mission and community that extends well beyond the farm itself, from our local community and rescue network to the thousands of people near and far who follow Tomten’s journey and the animals who call it home.
Work that is respected. Growth that is supported. Compassion that is valued.
Requirements
- 18+
- Valid driver’s license and reliable, all-season transportation
- Must reside within approximately 45 minutes of the sanctuary
- Background check and references required
- Commitment to a drug-free, smoke-free, and alcohol-free workplace
- Willingness to work a minimum of 10 Saturdays per year, additional Saturdays are welcome and reflected in pay
- Minimum 12-month commitment
How To Apply
To be considered for this position, please apply by email only and include all requested information below.
Please submit your resume along with a brief letter of interest to [email protected] with the subject line:
Barn, Farm & Animal Care Team Member – Entry Level
Please include the following in your letter:
- Why sanctuary work appeals to you
- Any experience you have with animals, where you gained it, and your level of responsibility
- Your door-to-sanctuary commute time
- Your ideal start date
- Two references including name, role, and contact information
We read every application carefully and will reach out directly to candidates whose work ethic, kindness, reliability, and desire to grow align with what we are building here at Tomten.
Benefits:
- Flexible schedule
Work Location: In person
Title: Barn, Farm and Animal Care Team Member, Entry Level, Full or Part Time.
Company: Tomten Farm and Sanctuary
Location: Haverhill, NH
