Job Title: Canine/Feline Care Attendant

Department: Animal Care

Reports To: Care Center Manager

FLSA Status: Nonexempt

Summary:

Uphold Better Together Animal Alliance values and mission. Assure high quality, professional customer service and compassionate animal care.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities (other duties may be assigned):

Handle dogs and cats of all sizes, ages, temperaments and needs safely and appropriately.

Follow and maintain excellent knowledge of organization cleaning, sanitation, and disease prevention protocols in order to provide a safe, clean environment for all.

Provide all animals with appropriate housing, food, water, bedding, toys and other mental stimulation and enrichment, social interaction with humans and, where appropriate, members of own species.

Maintain knowledge of all care center standard medical procedures, vaccines, preventatives, and common diseases and their symptoms, transmission, prevention.

Monitor health of animals and rapidly identify any health issues and report to veterinary staff or management.

Monitor behavioral health of animals and rapidly identify any issues that may require special action and report to management.

Use care center database and employee communication systems to keep accurate animal inventory, write animal behavior and other memos, submit medical exam requests, place holds on animals and keep abreast of all staff communication.

Work with staff and volunteers to get to know, provide for, transition, and promote adoptable animals.

Ensure all animals are clearly and consistently marked with accurate, up-to-date, easy to read information.

Work with and supervise volunteers and community service workers appropriately to provide animals and humans with a safe, clean, organized, and pleasant experience.

Assist veterinary staff by properly administering or restraining for vaccinations, microchips, blood draws, medications, and restraining for exams.

Provide basic grooming services to care center animals as needed.

Provide high quality, professional, compassionate customer service to all who visit, call, volunteer, and donate.

Actively engage members of the public from the moment they arrive, assisting them and answering anyquestions.

Facilitate good adoption matches through conversation and help set realistic expectations of time, care, and commitment.

Ensure all animals in our care have photos, web write-ups, and profiles in Shelter Luv.

Specific Skills:

Compassion and empathy for animal and human clients.

Strong interpersonal and verbal and written communication skills.

Maturity, good judgment and professionalism.

Ability to work individually and on a team, multi-task and self-start.

Ability to remain calm and empathic in stressful situations.

Education/Experience:

High School Diploma or GED

Experience working with animals is preferred but not required

Experience operating a computer, internet and web-based programs, Microsoft Office.

Competencies:

Oral Communication -listens and gets clarification, responds well to questions, participates in meetings.

Critical Thinking/Problem Solving - Identifies and resolves problems in a timely manner, works well in group problem solving situations, uses reason even when dealing with emotional topics.

Technical Skills - Assesses own strengths and weaknesses, pursues training and development opportunities, strives to continuously build knowledge and skills, shares expertise with others.

Internal/External Customer Service - Manages difficult or emotional customer situations, responds promptly to customer needs, solicits customer feedback to improve service, responds to requests for service and assistance, and meets commitments.

Interpersonal Skills - Focuses on solving conflict, not blaming, maintains confidentiality, listens to others without interrupting, keeps emotions under control, remains open to others' ideas and tries new things.

Teamwork –Balances team and individual responsibilities, exhibits objectivity and openness to others' views, gives and welcomes feedback, contributes to building a positive team spirit, puts success of team above own interests, able to build morale and group commitments to goals and objectives, supports everyone's efforts to succeed.

Cost Consciousness - Works within approved budget, develops and implements cost saving measures, contributes to profits and revenue, conserves organizational resources.

Ethics - Treats people with respect, keeps commitments, inspires the trust of others, works with integrity and ethically, upholds organizational values.

Organizational Support - Follows policies and procedures, supports organization's goals and values.

Motivation - Measures self against standard of excellence.

Quality - Looks for ways to improve and promote quality, demonstrates accuracy and thoroughness, applies feedback to improve performance, monitors own work to ensure quality.

Quantity - Meets productivity standards, completes work in timely manner, strives to increase productivity, and works quickly.

Safety and Security - Observes safety and security procedures, determines appropriate action beyond guidelines, reports potentially unsafe conditions, uses equipment and materials properly.

Adaptability - Adapts to changes in the work environment, manages competing demands, changes approach or method to best fit the situation, able to deal with frequent change, delays, or unexpected events.

Attendance/Punctuality - Is consistently at work and on time, ensures work responsibilities are covered when absent, arrives at meetings and appointments on time.

Dependability - Follows instructions, responds to management direction, takes responsibility for own actions, keeps commitments, commits to long hours of work when necessary to reach goals, completes tasks on time or notifies appropriate person with an alternate plan.

Position Requirements:

Some experience and/or training or equivalent combination of education and experience in handling cats, dogs and infection control issues.

Demonstrates compassion, integrity, respect, stewardship and optimism.

Able to lift and/or move up to 25 lbs regularly.

Able to lift and/or move up to 50 lbs occasionally.

Able to tolerate long periods of time standing.

Able to tolerate moderate to loud noises.

Language Skills:

Basic Skills– Ability to read and interpret documents such as safety rules, animal charts, company policies and procedure manuals. Ability to write routine reports and correspondence. Ability to speak effectively before groups of employees or visitors of organization.

Reasoning Ability:

Intermediate Skills – Ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out instructions furnished in written, oral, or diagram form. Ability to deal with problems involving several concrete variables in standardized situations.

Physical Demands:

While performing the duties of this Job, the employee is regularly required to walk and stand; is occasionally required to sit; is regularly required to use both hands to make coordinated movements to grasp; is regularly required to reach with hands and arms, stoop, kneel, crouch, talk or hear; is regularly required to lift and /or move up to 20 pounds, frequently lift and/or move up to 30 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 40 pounds. Proper lifting technique is required.

Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus.

Work Environment:

While performing the duties of this Job, the employee is occasionally exposed to high, precarious places. The employee is occasionally exposed to toxic or caustic chemicals. The employee is occasionally exposed to fumes or airborne particles. The employee is exposed to animal feces and animals with a potential for zoonotic exposure.

The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

This position requires exposure to areas where the use of personal protective equipment such as safety goggles is required.

Intent and function of Job Descriptions:

All descriptions have been reviewed to ensure that only essential functions and basic duties have been included. Peripheral tasks, only incidentally related to each position, have been excluded. Requirements, skills, and abilities included have been determined to be the minimal standards required to successfully perform the positions. In no instance, however, should the duties, responsibilities, and requirements delineated be interpreted as all-inclusive. Additional functions and requirements may be assigned by supervisors as deemed appropriate.

In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, it is possible that job requirements may be modified to reasonably accommodate disabled individuals. However, no accommodations will be made which may pose serious health or safety risks to the employee or others or which impose undue hardships on the organization.

Job descriptions are not intended as and do not create employment contracts. Better Together Animal Alliancemaintains its status as an at-will employer. Employees can be terminated for any reason not prohibited by law.

Job Type: Full-time

Salary: $14.00 

Benefits:

• 401(k) matching
• Employee discount
• Health savings account
• Paid time off