Ranch Animal Health Associate

Heritage Vet Partners and their Partner Clinics • Flagstaff, AZ

3d • Onsite

About The Position

Heritage Vet Partners dba Dr. Hannah Varnell is a mobile ranch-animal practice serving cattle, sheep, goats, horses and other livestock across Northern Arizona. The practice focuses on herd health and preventive medicine, on-ranch herd work and haul-in clinics in rural and tribal communities. It is part of Heritage Vet Partners (HVP), a veterinary partnership specializing in mixed and large animal practice that supports partnering veterinarians while preserving their legacy, client relationships and culture.

The Ranch Animal Health Associate combines hands-on veterinary technical support with outside sales and order fulfillment for animal health products. Based in Flagstaff, Arizona, the associate assists Dr. Varnell at ranch herd-work days and haul-in clinics; prepares samples and paperwork; maintains equipment and inventory; and serves as a client contact for product orders, delivery and follow-up. The position starts at up to five hours per week, scheduled around herd-work days and clinics, at $20 per hour. It is part-time and non-exempt. This is an entry-level role; no formal veterinary credential is required, and training is provided in species-specific handling, sample handling and documentation. Responsibilities may grow as skills and comfort develop.

All clinical work is performed under Dr. Varnell’s direction. The associate does not diagnose, prescribe or sign regulatory, laboratory or health documents. Product recommendations follow the veterinarian’s guidance and herd health plan; prescription, extra-label and Veterinary Feed Directive products require the veterinarian’s authorization under a valid veterinarian-client-patient relationship. Duties requiring an accredited veterinarian remain the veterinarian’s responsibility. Controlled substances are stored, handled and logged only by the veterinarian.

Work takes place at ranches, sale barns and haul-in sites, sometimes involving drives of up to about three hours each way and full-day events scheduled in advance. Early starts and occasional weekend days occur during seasonal herd work. The work involves potential exposure to animal-related injuries, weather extremes and zoonotic diseases, and requires personal protective equipment and adherence to biosecurity and safety protocols. Pay is $20 per hour for up to five hours per week initially, with potential for more hours as the practice grows. Benefits eligibility follows HVP policy for part-time employees. HVP offers opportunities for professional development and continuing education.

Requirements

• High school diploma or equivalent.
• Comfort and safety around cattle, horses and small ruminants of varying temperaments.
• Valid driver’s license and reliable transportation to the Flagstaff base.
• Ability to lift 50 pounds, stand and walk for long periods, and work outdoors in heat, cold, dust and mud.
• Strong organization and attention to detail, especially with records and labeling.
• Basic computer skills, including Microsoft 365, email and spreadsheets.
• Clear, courteous communication with ranchers and the public.
• Ability to follow the veterinarian’s direction and applicable scope-of-practice limits.

Nice To Haves

• Ranch, livestock, 4-H/FFA or animal-care experience.
• Veterinary technician or assistant experience, or coursework in animal science, veterinary technology or a laboratory setting.
• Sales, customer service, farm supply or animal-health product experience.
• Experience with chutes, livestock-handling equipment or basic mechanical repair.
• Familiarity with rural and tribal communities in Northern Arizona.

Responsibilities

• Help set up and break down work areas at ranches, chutes and clinic sites.
• Assist with low-stress cattle, sheep, goat and horse handling, sorting and restraint as directed.
• Record animal IDs, ear tag and 840 EID numbers, treatments, weights and findings on processing sheets.
• Draw up and hand off vaccines and products, tracking lot numbers and doses used.
• Run check-in and paperwork at haul-in clinics, including RSVPs and deposits.
• Record histories, vital signs, body condition scores and weights.
• Administer vaccines, dewormers, medications and treatments as directed by the veterinarian and permitted under Arizona law.
• Collect routine blood, fecal and urine samples as directed.
• Assist with field procedures, including preparation, instrument handling, sedation monitoring and recovery.
• Maintain accurate medical and treatment records in the practice management system.
• Reinforce the veterinarian’s discharge and home-care instructions with clients.
• Clean, disinfect and organize the vet truck, vet box, chute-side kits and haul-in clinic equipment.
• Clean and sterilize instruments, syringes, implanters and reusable supplies between uses.
• Perform basic equipment upkeep, such as charging, calibration checks and battery or part replacement, and report needed repairs.
• Keep equipment logs current.
• Restock truck and clinic supplies before and after each field day.
• Receive orders, check packing lists against invoices, and enter purchase receipts.
• Rotate stock, monitor expiration dates and cold-chain storage temperatures, and flag low stock.
• Help prepare supply orders.
• Prepare and organize laboratory submission forms for veterinarian review and signature.
• Package, label and ship diagnostic samples according to laboratory and carrier requirements, and track results.
• Maintain official ID and tag records and test-record filing.
• Assemble draft paperwork for health certificates and other regulatory forms for the veterinarian to complete and sign.
• Process samples after collection, including centrifuging, separating and aliquoting serum, and labeling and storing samples.
• Run routine in-house tests as trained, such as fecal egg counts, packed cell volume, total protein and semen evaluation slide preparation.
• Record laboratory results accurately and keep lab equipment clean and quality-checked.
• Receive client orders by phone, text, email and in person, and place orders with distributors and manufacturers.
• Pick, package and deliver products to ranches or arrange client pickup while maintaining cold chain.
• Learn the practice’s animal-health product portfolio and how products fit common herd health programs.
• Support clients in choosing products that meet their needs under the veterinarian’s guidance and the herd health plan.
• Provide customer service, answer product questions within scope, track back orders, handle returns and resolve order issues.
• Help clients use manufacturer rebate and producer programs, and maintain accurate order and invoice records.
• Refer clinical questions and matters requiring a prescription, VFD or medical judgment to Dr. Varnell.
• Help maintain facilities and work sites, including pens, chutes and storage areas, where skills match.
• Support setup of the practice’s future haul-in facility as it develops.

Benefits

• Opportunities for professional development and continuing education.
• Benefits eligibility follows HVP policy for part-time employees; specific benefits are not listed.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Part-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: High school or GED