The Position

The Animal Services Department is committed to protecting the health, safety, and well-being of all people and animals in our community. We prioritize lifesaving as our guiding principle. We will shelter homeless, abandoned, and lost animals and work to keep and place animals in safe, caring homes. We also provide education and services to enhance the lives of people and their animal companions, and to strengthen the human-animal bond.

We are currently looking to hire a total of three (3) Animal Center Operations Coordinators to be assigned to each one of our programs (Shelter Intervention Program, Dog Behavior/Enrichment Program, Feline Foster Program). The position will be challenging and fast-paced, but never boring!

Future Salary Increases:
July 1, 2023 : 5%
July 1, 2024: 5%
July 1, 2025 : 5%

• Plus any potential merit increases

We are looking for someone who is:

• Self-Motivated. You will be responsible for overseeing the work for one of the department's animal welfare programs and should be motivated to make improvements as needed.
• Able to communicate effectively. You will directly interact with the public, staff, volunteers, and other departments; you will need to counsel and educate them on various aspects of the animal welfare program.
• Collaborative. To accomplish tasks, you will work with a variety of individuals, including employees, volunteers, representatives of other departments and agencies, vendors, and members of the general public.
• Detail Oriented. You will be assisting in writing clear and effective instructions, memos, correspondence, and reports for customers, staff, and other departments.
• Knowledgeable of Animal Welfare Industry Best Practices. Promote animal handling best practices for a variety of animals and should be comfortable handling various situations.

What you will typically be responsible for:

• Coordinating and implementing positive animal outcome procedures to enhance animal transfers, adoptions, and foster
• Counseling and educating the public on various pet breeds, dog and cat characteristics, and County animal service policies and procedures
• Organizing activities to promote animal transfers, adoptions, and foster
• Coordinating the animal flow
• Coordinating and implementing animal handling best practices
• Creating a positive work environment, while supporting a diverse staff
• Creating, establishing, and maintaining internal/external relationships

What you will typically be responsible for under the different Animal Center Operations Coordinator Programs:

• Assess pet owners’ surrender needs to identify placement for animals without shelter intake
• Assist owners to achieve the best possible outcome for their pet
• Engage with Transfer Partners to make direct placements or placements for animals in the shelter

• Efficiently and safely perform behavior evaluations on canine population
• Train and lead volunteers and staff in pet enrichment activities including playgroups and dog walking
• Provide behavior information to potential adopters

• Recruit and train volunteers to assist Feline Foster program
• Maintain up to 200 kittens in foster care at any one time
• Maintain supply inventories for Feline Foster program

A few reasons you might love this job:

• You will make an impact on vulnerable animal populations.
• You will be working with a highly innovative animal welfare agency.
• You will gain valuable animal shelter service experience.
• You will work with a highly motivated team.
• You will have the opportunity to make a difference.

A few challenges you might face in this job:

• You may need to deal with passionate and vocal community stakeholders.
• You will be working with a vulnerable public and animal population.
• You will be working in a fast-paced and demanding environment.

Competencies Required:

• Decision Making: Choosing optimal courses of action in a timely manner
• Delivering Results: Meeting organizational goals and customer expectations and making decisions that produce high-quality results by applying technical knowledge, analyzing problems, and calculating risks
• Environmental Exposure Tolerance: Performing under physically demanding conditions
• General Physical Ability: Using strength, endurance, flexibility, balance, and coordination
• Safety Focus: Showing vigilance and care in identifying and addressing health risks and safety hazards
• Using Technology: Working with electronic hardware and software applications
• Action and Results-Focused: Initiating tasks and focusing on accomplishments
• Attention to Detail: Focusing on the details of work content, work steps, and final work products
• Displaying Ownership and Accountability: Holding self and others accountable for measurable high-quality, timely, and cost-effective results
• Handling Stress: Maintaining emotional stability and self-control under pressure, challenge, or adversity
• Professional Integrity & Ethics: Displaying honesty, adherence to principles, and personal accountability
• Self-Management: Showing personal Organization, self-discipline, and dependability
• Oral Communication: Engaging effectively in dialogue
• Writing: Communicating effectively in writing
• Teamwork: Collaborating with others to achieve shared goals

Minimum Qualifications

Education: Possession of an Associate of Arts Degree or the successful completion of at least 60 semesters or 90 quarter units from an accredited college or university.

Experience: Two (2) years full-time or its equivalent experience in animal sheltering, one (1) year of which must have included training, teaching, or providing animal services education in a public animal control and services setting.

Substitution for Education: Additional qualifying experience or experience of any of the types listed below may be substituted for the required education on a year-for-year basis up to a maximum of two (2) years, including:

• Experience working in a public animal control and services setting
• Experience working with animals in a humane, zoological, shelter, conservancy, veterinary or other non-laboratory settings
• Experience training animals in a non-laboratory setting
• Training or teaching experience in a public or private organization
• Experience as a volunteer in a City or County Animal Services agency

Selection Process

• Application Filing and Evaluation: Applications will be evaluated to determine which candidates will move forward in the next phase of the recruitment process.
• Online Oral Interview: The oral interview will measure candidates' competencies as they relate to the job. In the oral interview, candidates must achieve an average passing score of 70% or higher on each of the oral interview competencies, as well as an overall passing score of 70% or higher. These may include, but are not limited to: Decision Making, Delivering Results, Handling Stress, Action and Results-Focused, and Oral Communication.
• Departmental Hiring Interview