Animal Health Assistant NF-03

Department of the Army

Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona Intermittent $41,110 – $43,180 Closes Jul 16, 2026

Summary

This position is located at the Yuma Proving Ground Veterinary Treatment Facility. Incentives and Bonuses Incentives will not be paid.

Duties

  • May assist veterinarian to prepare for and during surgical procedures, to include preparing surgery packs, scalpel blades, and suture material, monitoring a patient using an anesthetic machine.
  • May serve as scrubbed surgical assistant.
  • Continuously informs medical staff of the changes in general condition of patient during surgical procedures.
  • Prepares and administers vaccinations, oral and topical medications to patient as prescribed by the veterinarian.
  • Prepares and dispenses prescription medication according to veterinarian instructions.
  • Applies knowledge of common topics to assist clients in solving common husbandry problems.
  • Applies knowledge of preventive care, disease prevention, lifestyle risks, and veterinary care to provide individualized wellness counseling to clients.

How You Will Be Evaluated

Your Application Matters: How We Will Review It We want to help you put your best foot forward! Please take time to carefully follow all application instructions – missing information or skipped steps could impact your eligibility. Your application will be thoughtfully reviewed to see how well your experience and qualifications align with the requirements listed in this announcement. This includes your resume, supporting documents, and responses to the assessment questionnaire.

We will consider your responses to our application questionnaire. If you’re tentatively qualified, we’ll take a closer look to ensure your questionnaire responses match the experience reflected in your resume and documentation. Note: If it’s later found that qualifications or experience were overstated, it may affect your consideration for the position – so honesty and clarity are key. Understanding Eligibilities: What You Can Claim When Applying When you apply for a federal position through USAJOBS or USA Staffing, you may be eligible for selection preference or priority consideration based on your background or status.

These eligibilities can improve your chances of being considered or referred for a position. Depending on your situation, you may be able to claim one or more of the following eligibilities: NAF Preference 1 Spouse Employment Preference (SEP) NAF Preference 2 Involuntarily Separated From the Military (ISMP) NAF Priority Consideration 1 Business Based Action (BBA) NAF Priority Consideration 2 Former NAF Employee (FNE)/Current NAF (CNE)/Current APF Employee (CAE) NAF Priority Consideration 3 Outside Applicant Veteran (OAV) (Includes spouses and parents) Refusal of a military spouse to participate in established recruitment procedures for an RFT or RPT position (for example, interview, and so forth) is considered a declination of employment and is a basis for termination of SEP entitlement for the current PCS of the sponsor. Tip: Be sure to review each eligibility question carefully and provide the required documentation. Claiming an eligibility without proper support may affect your application status.

Looking for more details? Refer to the Who Gets Initial Consideration (Selection Preferences) and the What Other Considerations are Available sections of our Applicant Information Kit.

Benefits

Working for Army Non-Appropriated Funds (NAF) can offer numerous advantages. Army NAF employment can provide a sense of pride and fulfillment, as you’ll be supporting communities comprised of military and civilian personnel, and their families, which contributes to the Department of Defense’s overall mission. We offer a wide range of career opportunities, including jobs in childcare, recreation, hospitality, and more. Many employees have opportunities for professional development, including training, education, and certification programs to help towards career advancement.

As an Army NAF employee, you’ll have access to some on-base facilities, including fitness centers, libraries, and many other amenities. Regular full-time and part-time employees are eligible for enrollment in health and life insurance, participation in 401k and retirement plans, and paid personal time off and federal holidays. NAF flexible employees, working in the United States or a U.S. citizen or spouse or child of a U.S. citizen working for a NAFI in a foreign area, are eligible to participate in the NAF 401(k) plan. Some flexible employees may also be eligible to receive health insurance.

For a slideshow presentation regarding these benefits, please click the Review Our Benefits link below.

Required Documents

  • About Your Resume Federal agencies are required to limit resumes to two (2) pages or less and it must support the general or specialized experience described in this announcement.
  • Resumes must adhere to the two-page limit and must be legible so they can be reviewed for eligibility, minimum qualifications, and other position requirements listed in this job opportunity announcement.
  • For additional information on the two-page resume limit, refer to: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/hiring-information/merit-hiring-plan-resources/applicant-guidance-on-the-two-page-resume-limit/.
  • Your resume must be 5 megabytes (MB) or less.
  • We recommend saving and uploading your resume as a PDF to preserve formatting and page count.
  • Click this link for more tips: https://help.usajobs.gov/faq/application/documents/resume/page-limit.
  • Please do not include photographs, personal images or other inappropriate content in your application materials.
  • Required Documents Required documents may vary based on the requirements for the position.
  • The below document(s) are required and MUST be submitted with your application by the closing date of this job announcement: Resume Other Accepted Documents Other accepted documents to support a qualification and/or claimed preference/priority eligibility may include: Cover Letter Veterinary Technician License DA Form 3434 DD 214 or DD 1300 to support Spouse/Parent use of Outside Applicant Veteran Priority Transition Assistance Stamp Card for Involuntarily Separated Military Preference / DD Form 1173 to support Family Member’s use of Preference Resume Transcript Important Information Regarding Access to Certain Federal Facilities: – Access to certain federal facilities may require a REAL ID-compliant driver's license/ID (marked with a star) or an Enhanced Driver's License (EDL) from WA, MI, MN, NY, or VT.
  • See https://www.tsa.gov/real-id for details.

About this role

The Animal Health Assistant NF-03 position with the Department of the Army is based in Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona. This position is located at the Yuma Proving Ground Veterinary Treatment Facility. The role pays $41,110 to $43,180 per year.

Day to day, the work involves may assist veterinarian to prepare for and during surgical procedures, to include preparing surgery packs, scalpel blades, and suture material, monitoring a patient using an anesthetic machine. The full list of duties, conditions, and required documents appears in the official announcement linked on this page.

Who should apply

Review the announcement's Qualifications section closely, since it defines exactly what federal administrative work experience this Animal Health Assistant NF-03 position requires. It is graded at NF-03, which sets both the pay band and the experience reviewers expect you to document. Match your federal resume directly to the announcement's wording so a reviewer can confirm each requirement in writing. For this Animal Health Assistant NF-03 position with the Department of the Army in Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona, confirm you meet each requirement before applying.

How competitive it is

The posted pay of $41,110 to $43,180 per year places this in a competitive but attainable range for qualified applicants. As an entry or assistant-level position, it is a realistic starting point, and gaining federal status here can open doors to higher-graded roles later. Based in Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona, it competes within that local market, which can mean lighter competition than major metropolitan postings. The announcement closes on July 16, 2026, and federal postings can close early once enough applications arrive, so applying promptly is wise.

This overview is general guidance from Job Army to help you understand the role. Always read the official announcement for exact duties, qualifications, and requirements before applying.

Job Details

Department Department of the Army
Job Type Intermittent
Location Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona
Salary $41,110 – $43,180
Pay Period Per Year
Closing Date Jul 16, 2026
Posted Jun 16, 2026
Source ID O2NAFAV-26-12988554
Ready to apply? This application is hosted on the official USAJOBS site.
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