Current Job dates:
Currently recruiting for the season that runs from October 7th, 2025 to May 3rd, 2026.
- During pre-season opening, work with team outdoor grounds-keeping which includes strenuous physical work in hot weather and significant amounts of lifting and bending; and do portions of normal kitchen assistant role
- Ring meal bells according to ranch schedule
- For each meal in crew room, check that buffet and table clean and stocked with necessary tableware, napkins, condiments and clean up following meals
- Perform daily and weekly kitchen cleaning and hand washing of pots according to schedule provided by ranch
- Supply storage area organization, cleaning and rotation
- Serve from buffet according to weekly schedule and/or when needed
- Assist breakfast cook or chef as needed with food prep or projects
- Keep track of supplies and add items to town list for weekly town run
- Learn and practice food and kitchen safety guidance provided by ranch, including handwashing and glove wearing
- Communicate questions and problems to Person in Charge of Kitchen, Hospitality Team Leader, and/or Miller family promptly
- Maintain tidiness and cleanliness of work areas, storage areas and tools and supplies
- Maintain personal tidiness and cleanliness and abide by attire requirements during work and off hours
- Get along with immediate co-workers, and other staff with whom you share living and dining space
- Read and respect information provided in Crew Handbook and Workplace Notes
- Willingness to work and learn ~ this is an entry level position
- Available to work complete guest ranch season, including weekends and holidays
- Willingness to live and work at remote location and get along with co-workers during work time and off-work time
- During pre-season opening, work with other crew to do floor to ceiling cleaning (including refinishing floors) of ranch buildings and common areas, which includes strenuous physical work in hot weather and significant amounts of lifting and bending
- Set up dining room buffet and tables, serve guests, and clean up for breakfast, lunch and supper shifts according to timing and work checklists provided by ranch
- Complete kitchen, dining room, and outdoor furniture cleaning (including kitchen bathroom) and prep chores according to timing and work checklists provided by ranch
- Check all furnishings, lighting, and fireplaces in guest dining room and outdoor patio eating area, ensuring they are tidy and set up correctly for each meal and according to the weather each day
- Rotate between serving roles according to schedule provided by ranch
- Learn guests’ first names and any special needs (provided by ranch office or informed upon arrival) and provide for the special needs throughout guests’ visits
- Learn and practice food and kitchen safety guidance provided by ranch, including handwashing and glove wearing
- Be prepared to participate in cross-training for other departments and work in a different role as needed
- Communicate questions and problems promptly
- Maintain tidiness and cleanliness of work areas, storage areas and tools and supplies
- Maintain personal tidiness and cleanliness and abide by attire requirements during work and off hours
- Get along with immediate co-workers, and other staff with whom you share living and dining space
- Read and respect information provided in Crew Handbook and Workplace Notes
- One year of work in hospitality
- Available to work complete guest ranch season, including weekends and holidays
- Willingness to live and work at remote location and get along with co-workers during work time and off-work time
- Responsible for morning baking as defined by menus and ranch recipes; this includes fresh breakfast bread, three varieties of cookies for lunch, whole wheat, white and cinnamon raisin bread used for breakfast toast as needed
- Prep ingredients for and execute short-order breakfast for crew and guests
- Perform prep duties to support lunch and dinner as assigned by chef
- Execute all three meals as defined by menus on the chef’s day off (and note that chef does same)
- Practice and monitor kitchen and food safety according to ranch guidance, based on Pima County regulations
- Keep track of supplies and add items to town list for weekly town run
- Communicate questions and problems promptly
- Maintain tidiness and cleanliness of work areas, storage areas and tools and supplies
- Maintain personal tidiness and cleanliness and abide by attire requirements during work and off hours
- Get along with immediate co-workers, and other staff with whom you share living and dining space
- Read and respect information provided in Crew Handbook and Workplace Notes
- Three years of culinary and/or hospitality work and/or educational experience
- Available to work complete guest ranch season, including weekends and holidays
- Willingness to live and work at remote location and get along with co-workers during work time and off-work time
- During pre-season opening, work with other crew to do floor to ceiling cleaning (including refinishing floors) of ranch buildings and common areas, which includes strenuous physical work in hot weather and significant amounts of lifting and bending.
- Complete daily and weekly housekeeping services for up to 20 guest cabins and ranch and crew common spaces according to standards provided by ranch
- Complete evening bed turn-down service
- Complete more extensive changeover cleaning according to standards provided by ranch between guest visits
- Provide laundry service for guests upon request within time parameters provided by ranch
- Complete ranch and dining room laundry according to schedule provided by ranch
- Be prepared to participate in cross-training for other departments and work in a different role as needed
- Communicate questions and problems promptly
- Maintain tidiness and cleanliness of work areas, storage areas and tools and supplies
- Maintain personal tidiness and cleanliness and abide by attire requirements during work and off hours
- Get along with immediate co-workers, and other staff with whom you share living and dining space
- Read and respect information provided in Crew Handbook and Workplace Notes
- One year of work in hospitality
- Available to work complete guest ranch season, including weekends and holidays
- Willingness to live and work at remote location and get along with co-workers during work time and off-work time
- During the first few weeks of pre-season opening, work with team to clear trails, which can include strenuous physical work in hot weather and significant amounts of time working on foot leading horse, and horseshoeing (with instruction and mentoring provided)
- Learn ranch trails, pastures and place names for use during morning wrangle, guiding guest rides and ranch work
- Learn saddle horse names and gain familiarity with their traits and personalities
- Work as team to gather horses during the morning wrangle calmly and safely in timely fashion
- Catch saddle horses with assigned bridle and the guest’s assigned saddle, and guide horse, and observe for health or lameness concerns, brush, saddle and check tack in time for ride departures
- Check tack again, adjust cinch and assist guests with mounting (from mounting block) and containing their gear (cameras, water bottles, jackets), provide coaching or brief instruction as appropriate, and maintain control of horse from ground until guest is settled in saddle and ready to assume control ~ request help from co-workers for difficult mounting situations
- Lead and maintain control of guest rides to assigned location at gait appropriate to terrain and instructions; provide guests with instruction as needed and upon request, with particular attention on guests’ first day riding; and contribute to guests’ enjoyment of their riding experience
- Take responsibility for horse and guest safety and any first aid or emergency situation, and use radio communication to ranch office to request support as appropriate
- Monitor and assist with guests’ dismount after ride, unsaddling, brushing and returning horses to corral
- Take responsibility for riding horses assigned to you to the best of your ability and ask questions and seek help developing the horses’ and your own skills
- Work as a team and as assigned on daily barnyard or ranch chores such as barnyard cleaning, feeding, doctoring, tack repair, horseshoeing, trail or fence work etc.
- Observe and report issues with horses, guests or ranch infrastructure (fencing, gates, water, trails, etc.) as soon as possible
- Read and respect information provided in Crew Handbook and Workplace Notes, including:
- Maintain tidiness and cleanliness WORKING ORDER AND DO NOT LOSE of work areas, storage areas and tools and supplies
- Maintain personal tidiness and cleanliness and abide by attire requirements during work and off hours
- Get along with immediate co-workers, and other staff with whom you share living and dining space
- Minimum of three years of professional work and/or relevant western horseback riding experience in livestock agriculture or horse related recreation
- Professional guiding experience strongly preferred
- Horseshoeing training and/or entry level work experience preferred
- Available to work complete guest ranch season, including weekends and holidays
- Willingness to live and work at remote location and get along with co-workers during work time and off-work time
HOSPITALITY ~ Food and Beverage
Kitchen Assistant
Position Summary
The Kitchen Assistant takes care of the crew dining room and performs daily and weekly kitchen cleaning and organizing chores, including washing pots and other kitchen tools that require hand washing.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Minimum Qualifications (Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities)
Server
Position Summary
Two servers provide dining room service for ranch guests during breakfast, lunch, and supper daily, in addition to performing related back of house cleaning and prep chores, including washing dishes and pots. Shifts are scheduled around meal times with set-up time before the meal and cleaning and side work time after.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Minimum Qualifications (Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities)
Sous Chef
Position Summary
The sous chef bakes fresh breakfast bread and cookies daily, prepares short-order breakfast for all ranch guests and crew, performs prep duties assigned by the chef, and covers the chef’s day off for all three meals. This position works from the early morning through lunch, with the exception of the chef’s day off when all three meals are covered.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Minimum Qualifications (Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities)
HOSPITALITY ~ Housekeeping
Housekeeper
Position Summary
Housekeepers provide daily housekeeping and laundry service for 20 guest cabins and ranch and crew common spaces. During the morning shift, all cabins and common areas are cleaned according to ranch procedures. Typical tasks for the afternoon shift include laundry and changing over unoccupied cabins. The evening shift involves visiting cabins during guest dinner to turn on lights, turn down beds, and the like.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Minimum Qualifications (Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities)
LAND AND LIVESTOCK
Horseback Guide/Farrier
Horseback guides care for a herd of 100+ saddlehorses and breeding stock, guide horseback rides for ranch guests, and do barnyard and ranch work to support the overall guest and ranch operation. Horseshoeing and developing horses for guest use is part of the job as well. This is a great job for someone who appreciates interesting, rugged country and the opportunity to spend many hours in the saddle. This is NOT an entry-level guiding job. We have a 250 pound weight limit for all riders ~ guides must not push this limit. Guides wear western attire consisting of a cowboy hat, tucked in button down or snap shirt, jeans in good repair, and western style cowboy boots (with smooth sole, heel, and no laces).
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Minimum Qualifications (Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities)
How to Apply
An overview of our hiring process:
- Active recruiting takes place beginning in June and July and continues until all positions are filled.
- Returning crew confirm their plans in July.
- For the best chance of success, try to apply by August 1st.
- All applications are reviewed.
- Additional information is gathered on a smaller sub-set via interviews, reference checks, and requests for supplemental materials.
Mid-season hires:
If jobs become open during the guest season, we look at applications held in our files. We may also post openings again on CoolWorks. If you see a job advertised mid-season that interests you, please contact us to let us know of your interest. We keep applications on file until May 1st.
To apply:
- Complete the online application form available by clicking on Apply Here below.
- We strongly encourage you to provide a resume ~ you can attach it to your application.
- Professional references are required. Make sure that contact information is up to date. If we can't reach people we will quickly give up on your application.
- Please use the CoolWorks communication forum to send any additional supplemental materials.
- Please note that it is very important to let us know the dates when you will be available. We expect crew to arrive in early October 2025 (or on negotiated date for mid-season hires) and the seasonal commitment runs through the beginning of May 2026.
Contact Info
- Mary Miller
- office@elkhornranch.com
- (520) 822-1040
- elkhornranch.com
