Career Center

Are you a dynamic and influential leader looking to advise and oversee a group of dedicated and talented veterinarians? Are you interested in managing the veterinary processes and operations of a nationally-recognized public animal shelter? Your skills, knowledge, and expertise will be an incredible resource in advising County leadership and ensuring staff possesses the proficiency and wherewithal to support a successful clinic operation.

As one of the fastest-growing counties in the country, Maricopa County Animal Care & Control (MCACC) has become one of the largest open-admission municipal shelters in the nation. We currently operate at a 95% save rate and embrace Fear Free values to ensure the physical and emotional health and wellness of the animals in our care. Because MCACC is a public sector, our veterinarians are able to focus on their passion for animals and maintain a work-life balance with our 4-day work week.

Maricopa County is also proud to offer additional benefits like our Licensed Professional Loan Repayment Program, where licensed veterinarians can be reimbursed up to $7,200 a year to assist with student loan payments, and participation in the Federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness program for forgiveness of Direct Loan Program loans after 120 qualifying payments while employed full-time by public service. Employment with Maricopa County also automatically enrolls employees in the Arizona State Retirement System, a defined retirement pension plan, which provides a guaranteed monthly pension benefit for life once retired. We offer three weeks of paid vacation and two weeks of paid sick time per year, as well as six weeks of paid parental leave for the birth or adoption of a child, and our Wellness Incentive Program provides $60 a month to use towards your monthly health insurance premium, which covers the majority of the cost of most individual health insurance plans.

Come join MCACC and lead our team of committed clinicians and help us make a genuine difference by treating and rehabilitating the homeless animals in our community. Apply to become our Chief Veterinarian today!

About Us

Maricopa County Animal Care & Control employees are committed to animal welfare and strengthening the human-animal bond in our community, and we are always looking to add talented individuals to our team, either at our West or East Valley Animal Care Centers. As one of the nation’s largest open-admission shelters, we work with our community to serve the animals and people of Maricopa County. Our adoptions, shelter, clinic, and animal services officer teams learn first-hand about proper care of homeless and stray animals and work hard to help find them new homes.

Proud to Offer

• Flexible schedule with a 4-day work week

• Loan repayment of up to $7,200 per year

• Public service loan forgiveness program

• Opportunities for growth and development within Maricopa County

• Exceptional work-life balance

• Low-cost, high-value healthcare for you and your qualifying dependents

• Enrollment in Arizona State Retirement System

• Paid vacation, sick time, and parental (birth/adoption) leave

• Extensive wellness program, including healthcare premium discounts

• Employee discounts for goods and services

• Learn more at maricopa.gov/5284/Why-Work-Here

We Require

• Doctorate in veterinary medicine

• Four years of clinical veterinary medicine experience, which includes two years of experience managing or leading other veterinarians or clinic staff

We Also Value

• Surgical experience or training in prepubescent sterilizations

Job Contributions

• Recommend, develop, implement, and manage veterinary processes, programs, and systems that address health and disease prevention needs

• Perform physical examinations, vaccinations, and diagnostics to determine and evaluate the health condition of animals at the time of impound, before adoption, or presentation for surgery

• Administer medical treatments and surgical procedures, monitor anesthesia and recovery of animals, and perform post-surgical evaluation and treatment

• Supervise the visual monitoring of impounded animals for signs of illness or unusual behavior, document findings, and approve the release of animals from rabies quarantine

• Supply the Veterinarian Premise and DEA license for both shelters and monitor drug logs to ensure compliance with federal and state laws

• Manage, train, and advise all staff on proper care, medical treatment, and other animal health-related issues, team to ensure the highest-quality care, staff engagement, and maximum productivity

Working Conditions

• Fast-paced animal shelter environment with exposure to extreme and varying temperatures, dogs and cats with unknown temperaments and behaviors, excessive noise, animal waste, and fluids, deceased animals, cleaning chemicals, and zoonotic diseases

• Ability to lift, bend, stoop, stand, and walk on various surfaces, including slippery, uneven, and rough

Selection Procedure

The Maricopa County Human Resources Department reserves the right to admit to the selection process only those candidates considered to be the most highly qualified. Those selected will be assessed based on the evaluation of listed education and experience. The hiring authority will interview and select the successful candidate from a list provided by Human Resources.

All offers of employment made to new hires and rehires at Maricopa County are contingent upon successful completion of a post-offer, pre-employment thorough background investigation. A background investigation is conducted on a current employee who changes to a Safety Sensitive Position or one having the potential for serious adverse impact on the integrity or efficiency of the County. These requirements do not pertain to employees of elected officials who undergo background investigation processes administered through their respective offices.

Maricopa County is an EEO/ADA Reasonable Accommodation Employer.  

We Require

• Doctorate in veterinary medicine

• Four years of clinical veterinary medicine experience, which includes two years of experience managing or leading other veterinarians or clinic staff

We Also Value

• Surgical experience or training in prepubescent sterilizations

About Animal Care and Control, Maricopa County

Maricopa County Animal Care & Control employees are committed to animal welfare and strengthening the human-animal bond in our community, and we are always looking to add talented individuals to our team, either at our West or East Valley Animal Care Centers. As one of the nation’s largest open-admission shelters, we work with our community to serve the animals and people of Maricopa County. Our adoptions, shelter, clinic, and animal services officer teams learn first-hand about proper care of homeless and stray animals and work hard to help find them new homes.

Connections working at Animal Care and Control, Maricopa County