Admissions Counselor

STARTING HOURLY RATE: $18.00 SPANISH SPEAKING DIFFERENTIAL: Additional $1.00 per hour for employees who demonstrate and maintain Spanish language proficiency and are willing to use this skill for Wayside Waifs' business purposes.

POSITION SUMMARY

Wayside Waifs is a managed Admissions shelter. We receive animals via a robust transfer program, owner surrenders and our three animal control agreements. It is the primary responsibility of the Admissions Counselor to ensure that all aspects of the animal intake process are handled in a smooth, friendly, and efficient manner, while providing exceptional customer service and compassionate counsel to members of the public when surrendering their pets. This position requires direct animal handling and the ability to perform all intake procedures including blood draws, vaccines, and other necessary intake activities. 

PRIMARY ACCOUNTABILITIES

1. Ensure that all animals are provided with the highest level of care, are treated humanely with respect and compassion and that all job functions are performed at a standard to achieve overall operational goals for the organization.  
2. Ensure smooth and efficient flow of the animal intake process by:
3. Processing all intake surveys, assessing an animal’s adoptability and scheduling appointments. 
4. Supporting shelter-to-shelter transfers. 
5. Demonstrating a high level of communication with the Admissions Manager and fellow Admissions team members.
6. Establish and demonstrate effective working relationships with the public and co-workers, our animal control partners, volunteers and transferring partners.
7. Ensure the public has a positive experience when surrendering an animal to Wayside Waifs by delivering exceptional, patient, caring and knowledgeable customer service. 
8. Attend required training to enhance knowledge and animal handling skills. 
9. Comply with all Wayside Waifs’ policies and best practices, including a high standard of dependability for punctuality and attendance. 

PRIMARY TASKS & DUTIES

• Pull surveys off website and respond within 24-48 hours. 
• Document observed behavior and medical status of animals during intake and enter into shelter software platform
• Provide counsel and information to the public about all shelter services, policies and procedures, as well as community resources available for their pet.  
• Impound all animals into the shelter software platform.
• Assist with transfers, loading and unloading crates, disinfect crates and vehicle.  
• Additional related tasks as assigned.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS/ KEY COMPETENCIES

• Exceptional customer service and animal management skills.
• Ability to prioritize tasks, multi-task and manage time wisely as required for success in the position.
• Ability to coach and counsel the public under stressful situations.
• Ability to communicate effectively and professionally with co-workers, management and public while demonstrating an upbeat, team-oriented and positive attitude.  
• Ability to perform clerical duties such as data entry, answering a multi-line phone system, returning phone calls, filing, making copies as needed, etc. 
• Coordinate with other departments as needed.

POSITION REQUIREMENTS

Experience 

• General computer experience required. 
• Demonstrated experience working effectively with people in a variety of high-stress situations.
• Experience reading animal body language is a benefit. We handle dogs, cats and small mammals which requires a basic understanding of animal behavior.
• Previous shelter experience and/or knowledge of shelter transport programs preferred.

Physical

• Must be able to lift 50lbs to waist height in order to move animals from kennels, lift food bags, and push and pull a force (i.e. pushing water with the squeegee). 
• Repetitive bending, kneeling, stooping and similar movements required 
• Must be able to physically restrain animals weighing up to and including 100 lbs 
• Able to work with exposure to wet and/or humid conditions and outside weather condition.  
• Significant amount of standing during a typical day, exposure to fumes, animal smells and airborne particles. 
• Noise level is moderate to high. 
• Exposure to animal waste. 

Education

• High School diploma or GED