Cat Café Coordinator

Position Title:                Café Cat Care Coordinator

Hours:                          Full time, may require evenings, weekends, and holidays

Supervisor:                   Cat Café Manager, Vice President of Veterinary Medicine (Indirect)

Classification:              Non-exempt, Hourly

Supervisory 

Responsibilities:           Indirect: Cat Café ACTs, Volunteers

SUMMARY

The Café Cat Care Coordinator position is responsible for overseeing all cat care related activities at our off-site adoption center, Tiny Lions Cat Café. Must have in-depth knowledge of cat behavior and health, exceptional customer service skills, and be able to work collaboratively and effectively with multiple departments within HSHV, including behavior, animal care, shelter medicine, intake, and volunteer. 

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES

The Café Cat Care Coordinator position requires a self-motivated, goal-driven team builder who is compassionate, enthusiastic, innovative, organized, flexible, collaborative, and able to handle the stress of a high demand job requiring multi-tasking and managing difficult situations. 

Requires strong customer service and attention to detail, in addition to organizational, computer, verbal and written communication skills. Must also have an in-depth understanding of  cat behavior and health. Advanced written, oral communication skills, and technical knowledge needed. Experience in an animal care environment preferred. Supervisory and management experience strongly prefered. 

An animal care facility can be an emotionally challenging, high-stress, rapidly changing, and high-demand environment.  Feelings of grief and loss, secondary trauma, and compassion fatigue are not uncommon.  As such, working at HSHV requires a high degree of emotional regulation and resilience; the ability to tolerate and manage stress; adaptability to change; empathy for both animals and people; and an overall positive outlook.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Café Cat Care                                                                                                                                           

1. Oversee and manage staff and volunteers in the daily care of cats and kittens housed at the café. Enforce all care policies and protocols.
   • Oversee completion of daily cat care tasks, including feeding, medicating, and cleaning.
   • Attend to the individual needs of each cat by keeping stress low and helping cats that are scared or stressed adjust to the environment.  Make use of tools such as calming music, essential oils and opportunities to hide or retreat from the public or other cats as needed. Guide staff in educating café visitors on proper interaction with cats housed at the café to prevent stress from members of the public.
   • Ensure each cat is eating properly and maintaining a healthy weight, making adjustments to their feeding habits and preferences as necessary. Promptly report all challenging eating/feeding concerns to the HSHV veterinarians.  
   • Ensure the health of all cats through daily monitoring and report any concerns immediately to the HSHV veterinarians to ensure swift diagnosis, treatment and recovery.   Provide needed medication and illness monitoring and reporting.  
   • Ensure proper and thorough cleaning and sanitation, following daily cleaning, spot cleaning (tidying) and deep cleaning protocols needed to maintain a healthy and customer friendly environment.  
2. Maintain the population of cats at TLC by facilitating transport from HSHV and monitoring their adjustment.  Facilitate the return to HSHV any cats who are not adjusting or who become sick or injured.    
   • Monitor adoptions to ensure cat population remains as steady as possible, contact the Intake Manager when large numbers of cats are needed.
   • Work with departments at the main shelter to determine cats suitable for housing at the Café.
   • Set limits for the number of visitors in the café based on the estimated number of cats. 
3. Ensure communication between Cat Café staff and HSHV departments regarding cat care, health, and behavior. Communicate regularly with Shelter Medicine.
   • Ensure daily medications, weights, and other health information is entered in the shelter software.
   • Enter memos/notes in the shelter software regarding animal concerns (behavior and medical), and regular communication. 
4. Develop, update, and follow Standard Operating Procedures, particularly related to cat care and management at the café. Consult other HSHV departments when needed.

General                                                                                                                                                     

1. Be an effective liaison to the community, positively promoting HSHV’s mission, goals and philosophies.   Continuously seek to improve HSHV’s save rate without compromising public health and safety or causing or prolonging animal suffering.
2. Keep abreast of best practices in care of shelter animals and adoptions; make recommendations regarding program improvements and new program elements.
3. Respond to needs with the proper sense of urgency.
4. Work flexibly, effectively and sensitively with a diverse population of customers, volunteers and staff; respond to the needs and concerns of a diverse socioeconomic community.
5. Read email at least daily and respond swiftly and appropriately to phone and electronic communication.    
6. Provide regular updates to other HSHV management and leadership staff.  Maintain an awareness and stay up to date on HSHV services, activities and events.  Keep informed of and abide by agency policies and procedures.  
7. Provide supportive management to staff and volunteers.  Monitor, mentor, and motivate their performance. Assist the Tiny Lions Manager in Maintaining staff training, scheduling, and maintaining staff performance and support. Assist with volunteer coverage through the Volunteer department and Tiny Lions Manager.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

While performing this job, you will be required to continually walk, stand, squat, twist, and kneel, reach and grab with your hands and arms, in addition to being able to lift and move animals, materials and equipment weighing up to 60 lbs. You will need to be able to use a computer keyboard, mouse, monitor and telephone. This position requires the ability to speak normally and to use normal or aided vision and hearing. Work is subject to frequent interruptions. You will be exposed to kennel/shelter setting. You will be exposed to disinfectant solutions used in cleaning. You will be consistently exposed to animals and animal allergens, including animal hair, dander, saliva, fecal matter, urine, zoonotic diseases, fleas and other mites or bugs. You may also be subject to potential danger including parasites and infectious diseases, animal bites and scratches. 

MENTAL DEMANDS

While performing this job, you will be regularly required to use written and oral communication skills; observe and interpret situations; analyze and solve problems; learn and apply new information and skills; perform repetitive work on multiple, concurrent tasks; fulfill intensive deadlines; and interact with staff, the public, volunteers and others encountered in the course of work. You will be exposed to animals’ pain and suffering and must be able to handle occasional volatile situations.

Please note: This job description reflects the assignment of essential functions; it does not prescribe or restrict the tasks that may be assigned. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. 

The Humane Society of Huron Valley is an at-will employer.