Admissions Specialist

The Humane Society for Southwest Washington is currently seeking a Admissions Specialist to join our team. This is a full-time, FLSA nonexempt opportunity.

Since 1897, the Humane Society for Southwest Washington (HSSW) has been caring for the animals of Southwest Washington. 

Today, we are the largest animal welfare agency in Southwest Washington with campuses in Vancouver and Longview, where we help thousands of adoptable pets find shelter, TLC, and loving homes. And through programs like free pet food, emergency shelter, financial assistance, and medical care, we provide critical support that helps pets in need stay home with the families they love. Thanks to our hardworking staff and volunteers, we serve more than 10,000 pets each year. At our Community Veterinary Clinic (CVC), we provide high-quality, subsidized care to the pets of income-qualified families in our community. The CVC expands access to preventative care and spay/neuter, provides care for treatable conditions, and offers essential support to keep pets happy and healthy. And at ReTails Thrift Store, our team of staff and volunteers help hundreds of thousands of items find a second life, providing vital funding for our work with animals.

Thanks to our hardworking staff and volunteers, we served more than 10,000 pets in our community - helping them find new homes or providing the support they need to stay with the family who loves them.

Our mission is to rescue, return, restore, rehome, and reconnect one animal at a time. That work is possible thanks to the dedicated teams of staff and volunteers who are here for the animals every day. We are committed to a diverse, healthy, and engaged team of employees and volunteers who strive for excellence, treat one another with kindness, and provide quality and compassionate care for the pets and people we serve.

Admissions Specialist

The mission of the Admissions Specialist is to assist community members in working through a multitude of potentially emotional situations without judgement. From owner requested surrender of beloved pets to assisting community cat populations to redeeming pets back to their families, the Admissions Specialist will be in service to community members working through some of their toughest life choices. The ideal candidate will be a community minded individual who is detail focused, passionate about progressive animal sheltering, and who will see a bright future with a leading shelter in the Pacific Northwest. 

Providing excellent service to patrons in a fast-paced admissions center that serves over eight thousand animals per year, the Admissions Specialist takes a one team approach to daily work with other employees and volunteers. This position partners with animal control intakes, including large-scale seizures, lost & found program, and ensuring processes are updated as needed and adhered to. The Admissions Specialist critical work on the team to ensures consistent and effective pathway planning for newly arrived animals and ensure community access to surrender prevention support to reduce intake.

The position requires a person with interest, enthusiasm, and affinity for working with a diverse group of people and animals, excellent verbal, and written communication skills. This position takes a one team approach to working with fellow staff, volunteers, and workforce partners. Admissions Specialist positions are FLSA non-exempt and may be either full-time (between thirty & forty hours per week) or part-time (less than thirty hours per week), reporting to the Population and Pathway Manager.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Level 1

• Provide high quality customer service to patrons and co-workers.
• Provide prompt in-person and telephone customer service.
• Conduct the admission of stray and relinquished animals following safety and intake protocols, enter computer data and complete necessary paperwork.
• Perform lost and found program duties to assist patrons seeking lost animals. 
• Provide essential animal care, as necessary.
• Take immediate action to bring shelter-related issues, incidents, or equipment failures to the attention of supervisor.
• Actively solicit donations from clients, assist with accepting in-kind donations
• Actively promote HSSW programs and events to clients, volunteers, and staff
• Keep appropriate teams informed of animal behavior and health concerns. 
• Maintain accurate kennel and computer records. 
• Perform data entry tasks throughout the day and work with multi-line phone systems.
• Keep service desk areas orderly, stocked and cleaned following disinfection protocol.

Level 2

• Perform all essential duties and primary responsibilities as Level 1. 
• With acquired knowledge, skills, and abilities perform as an independent decision maker in all aspects of Admissions with policies, procedures, and SOPs. 
• Mentor and train fellow admissions team staff and volunteers to perform essential duties efficiently and effectively.
• Perform liaison duties for cases and intakes with animal control officers.
• Provide follow-up reports and documentation on animals with a court hold or protective custody statuses. 
• Trained in cat and dog handling, safely bunking intakes in holding areas independently from care teams.
• Easily identify and speak to community resource programs and HSSW intake diversion tactics to keep people and pets together. 
• Proficiently and securely handle deceased animals upon arrival (DOAs) and serve as a designated key holder for White Pod 

General Expectations

• Always represent HSSW in a professional and courteous manner. Providing high quality service to customers and co-workers.
• Maintain a positive, cooperative relationship with all departments and co-workers to promote a team effort in all interactions.
• Follow all safety guidelines to ensure a safe work environment. Take immediate action to address any safety concerns or noncompliance of safety rules that could put an employee, volunteer, workforce partner, client, animal, or the organization at risk. 
• Participate on committees and special projects and perform other duties as you see the need for.
• Promote integration and utilization of volunteers and workforce partners. Recognizing their individual contributions to the collaborative success of the organization
• Communicate with supervisor on significant developments within the department.
• Exercise good judgment in all interactions.
• Respect organizational policies and procedures, maintaining a positive and respectful attitude as a positive role model for other employees.
• Demonstrate flexible and efficient time management and ability to prioritize workload.
• Consistently reports to work on time prepared to perform duties of position and meeting department productivity standards.

Required Qualifications

• Safely perform physical work for duration of 8-10-hour shift.
• Demonstrated ability to safely handle a variety of companion animals. 
• Minimum two years of animal handling experience 
• Minimum one year of customer service experience
• Minimum one year’s experience with data entry administration.
• Ability to work a flexible schedule that may include weekends, and on-call status.
• Demonstrated ability to utilize Microsoft suite of products.
• Excellent interpersonal skills with a high degree of social and emotional intelligence.
• The ability to work in an emotional field where a positive attitude, sense of humor and understanding how to recognize and address compassion fatigue are essential.
• The ability to work collaboratively in a fast-paced environment with diverse populations.

Required Competencies

• Communicativeness - Effective listening, verbal, and written communication skills.
•  Written Communication - Meticulous ability to maintain and organize written and computerized records.
• Composure - Compassion and confidence when communicating with the public, staff, and volunteers.
• Effective Conflict Management skills
• High Standards - Excellent customer service skills that display active listening and a radical sense of hospitality.
• Organizing & Planning - Must have effective organizational skills.
• Problem Solving & Decision Making

Physical Requirements & Working Conditions

This position requires you to be comfortable speaking with people and to groups of people. Work duties and tasks may require walking, standing, sitting, stooping, squatting, bending, typing, speaking, seeing, listening, utilizing arms, hands & fingers for grasping, lifting, operating computers, answering telephone, and in working with a variety of animals. Position may call for repetitive use of hands to perform tasks in addition to operate computers, telephone, and cell phone; use computer keyboard for extensive periods of time. Reasonable accommodations may enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. Additional physical requirements may include occasional lifting of up to fifty pounds with assistance. This position will require some work on weekends, evenings, and on-call. 

Work is performed in an animal shelter that operates seven days per week, with exposure to environmental conditions that include working with and/or near animals, with exposure to animals with questionable temperaments and potential exposure to fractious animals, high noise levels, zoonotic diseases, animal bites and scratches, cleaning chemicals, allergens, and potential exposure of infectious diseases to personally owned animals.

This job description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties to be performed by the employee occupying this position. Employees will be required to follow any other job-related duties required by their supervisor. This document does not create an employment contract implied or otherwise, other than an “at-will” relationship. HSSW participates in E-Verify. 

Compensation

The hourly pay range for this position is $19.47 to $25.24 per hour and in accordance with associated position level. The starting pay within the following ranges is dependent upon experience.

• Admissions Specialist 1: $19.47 to $20.85 per hour.
• Admissions Specialist 2: $20.85 to $25.24 per hour.

Employee Benefits and Perks
In addition to serving in an organization with a compassionate and strategic purpose, eligible employees enjoy a comprehensive benefits package and a variety of employee perks.

Benefits include:

• Health insurance effective the first of the month following hire (full-time employees).
• Dental and vision insurance effective the first of the month following hire.
• Matching percentage 401(k) retirement plan beginning the first month after hire, with a 3-year graded vesting schedule and ROTH contribution option.
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP) available to all employees and household members.
• Section 125 FSA Cafeteria Plan for out-of-pocket health and/or dependent day care expenses.
• Access to affordable life, disability, and accidental supplemental insurance.
• Numerous employee discounts and discounts with partner organizations.
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness qualified employer: To learn more about this Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program, go to https://studentaid.gov/manage-loans/forgiveness-cancellation.

Paid Time Off (PTO) 

This position accrues PTO at a rate of 1.84 hours for every 40 hours worked. 

Additional Paid time includes:

• Floating Holidays (full-time employees).
• Bereavement leave
• Pet bereavement leave

Culture

Vision: A community where everyone loves and cares for animals.

Mission: Rescue. Return. Restore. Rehome. Reconnect. One animal at a time

Values: Compassion. Collaboration. Excellence. Service. Integrity.

The ultimate team player:

• Displays interest, enthusiasm, and an affinity for working with people.
• Demonstrates an attitude in being of-service, using good judgment, maintaining a positive outlook, and ideally, a sense of humor.
• Works well in teams and demonstrates an attitude and commitment to collaboration with a sincere interest in helping others succeed.
• Is committed to achieving excellence individually and as a part of the team.
• Exhibits adaptability, curiosity, flexibility to change, open to new ideas, and encourages others to recognize changes in work tasks, situations, and environment as an opportunity for transformation.
• Is committed to personal and professional development through life-long learning.

How to Apply

Does HSSW sound like the right place for you? 

Does this job sound like a great fit & do you meet the qualifications for this position?

If so, then click the Apply button to begin your journey to join our team today. HSSW participates in E-Verify.

For more information visit https://HSSW.org/careers/ 

Application Deadline: Open until filled.