Foster Care Coordinator

Foothills Animal Shelter seeks a Foster Care Coordinator who finds purpose in connecting animals who aren’t yet ready for adoption with the care and stability they need to get there. 

Who We Are 

As an open admissions shelter, we are committed to being here for families and their pets in Jefferson County, Colorado. We identify as a socially conscious shelter, caring for over 9,000 dogs, cats, and small animals every year with a compassionate team of staff and volunteers who are committed to the physical and emotional wellbeing of every pet we serve. 

What You Bring 

• You are a natural relationship builder. Foster families trust you, lean on you, and stay engaged because of how you show up for them. You know that retaining good foster homes means communicating well, following through, and making people feel genuinely supported. 
• You have hands-on experience with neonatal and juvenile animal care. You know what a thriving bottle baby looks like versus one who needs urgent intervention, and you can walk a nervous first-time foster caregiver through bottle feeding with patience and confidence. 
• You are highly organized. You manage placements, supply inventories, medical communications, and animal records simultaneously, and nothing falls through the cracks on your watch. 
• You are proactive. You do not wait for problems to come to you — you check in regularly, spot concerns early, and escalate before situations become crises. 
• You are comfortable with the full reality of animal welfare work and can hold space for the hard moments. You understand that animals sometimes decline in foster care, and you know how to support a caregiver through grief while staying focused on the bigger picture. 

What You’ll Do 

• Manage the full foster care lifecycle for each animal, from placement through return-to-shelter coordination and handoff to adoption or other pathways, ensuring medical and behavioral documentation is complete and current at every stage.  
• Provide specialized guidance and support to foster caregivers of neonatal and juvenile animals, including feeding protocols, developmental monitoring, weight tracking, and age-appropriate care standards to optimize survival and placement outcomes. 
• Serve as the primary liaison between foster caregivers and veterinary services staff, communicating care instructions, relaying medical updates, and coordinating veterinary appointments for animals with active health needs in foster care.  
• Respond to urgent foster care situations, including animal illness, injury, or death in care, providing timely guidance, emotional support, and appropriate escalation to ensure the wellbeing of both the animal and the caregiver. 
• Recruit, screen, train, and retain foster volunteers by conducting background checks, providing orientations, performing home inspections, and maintaining ongoing relationships with active foster families.  
• Match animals with appropriate foster homes and coordinate all pick-up and drop-off logistics. 
• Support the animal intake and assessment team during the winter months and as-needed during the summer.

What We Offer

• Let’s start with the obvious: we offer truly meaningful work that positively impacts the lives of thousands of animals each year.
•  You will work with a team of animal welfare professionals who work hard, care deeply, and are 100% dedicated to the well-being of our shelter animals.
•  We strive for a healthy work-life balance, and we offer generous time off including six paid holidays, additional floating holidays (awarded annually on your employment anniversary), three weeks of accrued vacation, and paid sick leave.  
• We offer a full spectrum of employee benefits including medical, dental, vision, disability, life insurance, health savings accounts, flexible spending accounts, and a retirement plan with up to 4% employer match and immediate vesting. Currently, two of our medical plans and our dental and vision plans are offered at no cost for employee-only coverage.
• The pay rate for this position will be $21.00 per hour. Employees in this position will be eligible for incremental base pay increases up to $23.00 per hour upon demonstrated proficiency in each of the following areas of cross-training: administrative tasks specific to the role, animal processing tasks, animal assessments, dog-to-dog introductions, behavior support sessions, and specialized adoption counseling. 
• Foothills Animal Shelter is a Public Service Loan Forgiveness employer. 

Required Qualifications 

• Professional or educational experience with basic veterinary procedures such as vaccinations, medication delivery, observation documentation, and veterinary restraint strategies.  
• Professional or educational experience with neonatal animal care, including feeding and nutrition, medical care, and hygiene preferred. 
• Professional or educational experience in animal learning theory, animal behavior, and positive-based force-free animal training preferred. 
• Experience in animal sheltering or a similar professional animal care field preferred. 
• Valid driver’s license with insurable driving record required. 
• Physical ability to stand and walk for the majority of an 8- or 10-hour shift, lift up to 50 pounds regularly, and physically restrain and handle animals of all sizes including dogs weighing 100 pounds.  
• Ability to work outdoors in all weather conditions year-round and respond quickly to emergency situations requiring immediate physical intervention. 

Schedule 

• 8- to 10-hour shifts with at least one weekend day required; schedule may include holidays.

View complete job description here.

Education and Experience

• Professional or educational experience with basic veterinary procedures such as vaccinations, medication delivery, observation documentation, and veterinary restraint strategies
• Professional or educational experience with neonatal animal care feeding and nutrition, medical care, and hygiene preferred
• Professional or educational experience in animal learning theory, animal behavior, and positive-based force-free animal training preferred
• Experience in animal sheltering or similar professional animal care field preferred

Licenses and Certifications

• Must obtain and maintain euthanasia certification within six months of hire
• Must obtain and maintain rabies pre-exposure vaccination series within six months of hire
• Must obtain Fear Free Shelter certification within 60 days of employment
• Valid driver license with insurable driving record required

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• General knowledge of animal care, treatments, disease, and proper, fear-free restraint of animals of various sizes, weights, and temperaments
• Working knowledge of animal sheltering practices; highly supportive of open admissions philosophy
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• Computer proficiency in Microsoft Office including word processing, spread sheets, meeting software and email; proficient with animal management software and databases
• Ability to multi-task and maintain composure in a fast-paced environment while providing courteous service to potentially difficult, emotional, or frustrated clients
• Ability to maintain the highest levels of confidentiality when dealing with proprietary information and sensitive situations
• Ability to communicate and collaborate with a variety of people and personality types

Physical Requirements

• Ability to stand and walk for the majority of a 10-hour shift on hard surfaces with minimal sedentary work
• Ability to bend, twist, kneel, and squat frequently throughout the shift
• Ability to lift, carry, and move up to 50 pounds regularly throughout the shift
• Ability to physically restrain and handle animals of all sizes and temperaments, including dogs weighing over 100 pounds
• Ability to work outdoors in all weather conditions year-round including heat, cold, rain, and snow
• Manual dexterity to handle veterinary equipment including needles, syringes, and restraint tools
• Ability to respond quickly to emergency situations requiring immediate physical intervention

Working Conditions

• Ten-hour shifts with at least one weekend day required; schedule may include holidays
• Noise, odors, chemical fumes, and animal hair/dander are encountered due to equipment and animals
• Exposure to common allergens including animal dander, feathers, hay/straw, latex, peanut butter, dairy products, and other food items used for animal enrichment
• Exposure to zoonotic diseases and infectious agents through contact with animals and their bodily fluids (urine, feces, vomit, blood, saliva)
• Exposure to cleaning chemicals, disinfectants, and sanitizing agents used in animal care and facility maintenance
• Exposure to emotionally challenging situations including sick or injured animals; euthanasia procedures; and end-of-life decision-making
• Frequent hand washing and use of personal protective equipment (PPE) as required
• Subject to animal bites and scratches
• Work in areas with fluctuating temperatures, humidity, and limited climate control   

Equipment Used

• Animal handling equipment and assessment tools: slip leads, catch poles, etc.    
• Veterinary equipment and tools including needles, syringes, etc.  
• Animal and shelter management software 
• Vehicle use (company provided and personal)
• Chemicals and cleaning tools to provide care for the animals

Salary : $21