Ranch Veterinary Assistant

About the role

Kapiti Plains Estate Limited, a research station and commercial farm in Kenya's semi-arid lands, is recruiting a Ranch Veterinary Assistant on behalf of the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI). The role supports the Ranch Livestock Manager and resident veterinarians in maintaining livestock health, herd productivity and disease prevention, in a remote, large-scale research and conservancy setting.

Key responsibilities

• Administer medications, vaccines and treatments prescribed by the resident veterinarian, and assist with post-mortems and sample collection.
• Monitor animal health daily, report regional diseases and disease outbreaks, and respond to emergencies outside normal hours.
• Assist with artificial insemination, pregnancy diagnosis, calving support, tagging and breeding stock selection.
• Monitor feed and water consumption, oversee grazing and supplementary feeding, and help with deworming, dehorning, docking and hoof trimming.
• Maintain treatment, vaccination and breeding records, prepare daily and weekly health reports, and track mortality and morbidity.
• Support research trials on animal health, vaccines and disease ecology, and manage veterinary supplies and cold-chain storage.

Required profile

• Diploma in Animal Health and Production from a recognised institution; registration with the Kenya Veterinary Board is mandatory.
• 3 years of hands-on experience in livestock, dairy or conservancy herd management.
• Experience administering treatments, vaccinations and basic diagnostics in large-scale operations, and working with cattle (preferably improved breeds such as Boran).
• Desirable: AI and pregnancy diagnosis experience, research environment experience, and familiarity with wildlife-livestock disease issues.
• Open only to Kenyan nationals; full-time, contract position.

Required skills

• Knowledge of livestock anatomy, common regional diseases and treatment protocols.
• Basic computer literacy for record keeping (MS Office Word, Excel).

To apply, submit a cover letter and CV with three professional referees through the recruitment portal by 20 November 2026, quoting the reference number Kapiti/03/2026 in the subject line. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted, and there is no fee at any stage.