Adoption Specialist

Job Title: Adoption Counselor

Location: Naperville, Illinois

Department: Shelter

Reports To: Shelter Operations Manager

FLSA Status: Part-time, Nonexempt

Pay Range: $16.00 per hour DOE

About Us:

A.D.O.P.T. is a private, non-profit 501(c)(3) organization that has found homes for more than 30,000 pets. We provide a temporary, loving home for dogs and cats that no longer have a family of their own. The animals in our shelter have ended up here for a variety of reasons ranging from abandonment, to rescue from an abusive situation, to owner surrender because they no longer are able to take care of them. Our animals are loving, family pets who are desperately awaiting for their forever home.

A.D.O.P.T. was founded in 1989 by a group of dedicated volunteers determined to find homes for animals in need. Over the years, our objective has remained the same: to place animals into permanent, caring homes and advance the humane treatment of animals through education.

Job Purpose:

Adoption Counselors are the welcoming team members that assist in matching potential adopters with the appropriate dog or cat. They must be positive and outgoing individuals.

Duties & Responsibilities:

• Interact with the public, answering any questions regarding the shelter or our operations
• Have a solid understanding of animal handling and care
• Assist visitors with the adoption process, and find out what they are looking for in a pet
• Review applications
• Maintain understanding of each animal’s personality and behaviors to make an appropriate match for adopters
• Show visitors animals that would be an appropriate fit based on lifestyle and experience
• Counsel on responsible pet ownership while following ADOPT’s guidelines
• Provide excellent customer service and professionalism while communicating with visitors
• Maintains an increasing knowledge of dog and cat behaviors, common issues, and training, to properly educate visitors
• Maintains cleanliness of front areas
• Report behavior or medical concerns to appropriate staff
• Answers telephone calls, retrieves messages from voice mail, initiates and returns/forwards calls as necessary
• Interacts with coworkers and management in a courteous and cooperative manner
• Complies with shelter/department policies and procedures
• Follow up with adopters post-adoption to provide support and address any concerns or questions.
• Maintain accurate records of adoption transactions and update the shelter's database, ShelterLuv, accordingly.
• Additional duties as assigned
• Duties and responsibilities may change, and new ones may be added, at any time with or without advanced notice.

Skills & Qualifications

• High school diploma or GED
• Animal handling: 1 year (Required)
• Exceptional customer service skills
• Confident and outgoing personality
• Skilled communicator
• Comfortable handling all sizes of dogs and cats
• Open availability (Monday through Friday and weekends) needed
• Basic knowledge of animal handling, care, and maintenance
• Basic data entry and computer knowledge, Knowledge of ShelterLuv a Plus
• Passion for animal welfare and a genuine desire to find loving homes for shelter animals.
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple tasks and prioritize workload.
• Patience and empathy to work with potential adopters who may have varying levels of pet ownership experience.

Working Conditions:

• The worker is subject to both environmental conditions: Activities occur inside and outside.
• The worker may have contact with domesticated animals.
• The worker may have contact with animal wastes, kennel cleaners and disinfectants, soiled kennels, animal bedding and dishes.
• The worker may be exposed to loud noises or exposed to zoonotic diseases.

Physical Requirements:

• Medium work: Exerting up to 50 pounds of force occasionally, and/or up to 20 pounds of force frequently, and/or up to 10 pounds of force constantly to move objects.
• Stooping: Bending body downward and forward by bending spine at the waist. This factor is important if it occurs to a considerable degree and requires full use of the lower extremities and back muscles
• Kneeling: Bending legs at knee to come to a rest on knee or knees.
• Crouching: Bending the body downward and forward by bending leg and spine.
• Reaching: Extending hand(s) and arm(s) in any direction.
• Standing: Remaining upright on the feet, particularly for sustained periods of time
• Walking: Moving about on foot to accomplish tasks, particularly for long distances or moving from one work site to another
• Lifting: Raising objects from a lower to a higher position or moving objects horizontally from position to-position. This factor is important if it occurs to a considerable degree and requires the substantial use of the upper extremities and back muscles
• Talking: Expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word; those activities where detailed or important spoken instructions must be conveyed to other workers accurately, loudly, or quickly
• Hearing: Perceiving the nature of sounds at normal speaking levels with or without correction, and having the ability to receive detailed information through oral communication, and making fine discriminations in sound.
• Repetitive motions: Making substantial movements (motions) of the wrists, hands, and/or fingers.

A.D.O.P.T. provides equal employment opportunities to all applicants and employees and strictly prohibits any type of harassment or discrimination in regards to race, religion, age, color, sex, disability status, national origin, genetics, sexual orientation, protected veteran status, gender expression, gender identity, or any other characteristic protected under federal, state, and/or local laws.

Consistent with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), it is the policy of A.D.O.P.T. to provide reasonable accommodation when requested by a qualified applicant or employee with a disability, unless such accommodation would cause an undue hardship. The policy regarding requests for reasonable accommodation applies to all aspects of employment, including the application process. If reasonable accommodation is needed, please contact [name and/or department, telephone, and e-mail address].

Your employment with A.D.O.P.T. is on an at-will basis, meaning either you or the Company can terminate the employment relationship, at any time, for any or no reason, and with or without cause or notice. As an at-will employee, your employment with A.D.O.P.T. is not guaranteed for any length of time.

I understand the description of this job and the essential functions, as given above. I also understand that not all of the duties are described above, and that I will perform those above and other related duties as directed by my supervisor and management. I further understand that employment is at-will, and that either I or my employer may terminate the employment relationship at any time.