Adoption Specialist

$17.63/hour Full-Time

Thursday - Tuesday 930a - 630p

Benefits: Medical, Dental, Vision, SIMPLE IRA, and First Stop Health

Required: Two years customer service experience.

Preferred: Two years customer service experience, and experience working in a shelter setting.

General

The Adoption Specialist is responsible for interfacing with prospective adopters to assist in matching them to an animal to join their family. The Adoption Specialist position represents Animal Friends Alliance in a professional and courteous manner and provides quality customer service at all adoption locations. This includes educating and training prospective adopters in the adoption process and in the care of the animals. This position requires learning a wide range of policies and procedures and the ability to enter complete and accurate data into our computer system. 

Major Duties and Responsibilities:

? Represents Animal Friends Alliance in a professional and courteous manner at all times. 

? Cultivates positive client relationships to develop rapport and insight for pairing animals with loving homes. 

? Facilitates client/animal interaction to ensure a safe, pleasant adopting experience. 

? Educates client to the adoption process including the ability to explain and have meaningful conversations about  

? the adoption questionnaire;  

? adoption contract; 

? and medical history and any other paperwork that needs to be covered with clients. 

? Conducts pet adoption counseling and facilitates adoptions. 

? Completes pet adoptions, ensuring all transaction paperwork and computer records are complete and accurate. 

? Observe interactions between prospective adopters and animals to aid in ensuring successful placements. 

? Provides quality in-person, online and telephonic adoption support. 

? Educates clients on responsible animal guardianship, animal care and local ordinances. 

? Ensures that the morning/closing checklists are done accurately and completed as assigned. 

? Takes appropriate photos and videos of adoptable animals, and creates biographies for adoptable animals. 

? Solicits adoptions online, in person and through other applicable means. 

? Works at adoption locations including off-site adoption partners, mobile adoptions, cattery adoptions and at the shelter of Animal Friends Alliance. 

? Supports and assists Adoption Program Supervisor and Adoptions Program Manager with events and tasks as requested

? Cleans and performs related housekeeping duties. 

Other Duties:

? Completes appropriate cleaning for disease control in public areas daily, and ongoing throughout the day. 

? Encourages donations from clients, and assists with any donations being made whether monetary or in-kind. 

? Performs liaison duties as needed. 

? Duties as assigned

Organization Wide Duties:

? Treats animals humanely, with compassion and concern, both on and off the job, and conveys these values to others, in word and action. 

? Represents Animal Friends Alliance in a professional and courteous manner at all times. 

? Provides quality service to customers, volunteers, and staff, recognizing their individual contributions to Animal Friends Alliance. Monitors, supports, motivates and champions volunteers and their work. 

? Solicits monetary and in-kind donations by raising awareness of the organization's work, goals, and financial needs. 

? Follows all safety rules to ensure a safe work environment at all times. Takes immediate action to address any safety concerns or noncompliance issues that could put an animal, employee, volunteer, visitor, or the organization at risk. 

? Learns basic duties of other departments, and supports other departments and staff. 

? Monitors, supports, motivates and accredits volunteers and their work. 

? Understands and operates by Animal Friends Alliance’s core values. 

? Regular and timely presence onsite. 

Work Environment:

? Work performed in an animal shelter setting 

? Prospective for exposure to zoonotic diseases and cleaning chemicals. 

? Prospective for exposure to dangerous and fractious animals. 

? Prospective exposure to high noise levels when in the kennel area. 

? Prospective for animal bites and scratches while handling animals. 

Unusual Demands:

? Work is subject to frequent interruptions. 

? Employee is subject to work weekends, holidays and beyond the normal scheduled hours of work. 

Education/Experience:

Education

• Required: High school diploma or equivalent.
• Preferred: Associates or Bachelors degree from an accredited university.

Experience:

• Required: Two years customer service experience.
• Preferred: Two years customer service experience, and experience working in a shelter setting.

Miscellaneous

• Valid Driver’s License: Required
• Sincere interest in Animal Friends Alliance’s mission & vision

Knowledge:

• Knowledge of cat breed, behavior, and handling.
• Knowledge of Google Suite including Gmail & Docs.

Skills:

• Effective verbal communication skills for in person and telephone contact.
• Excellent customer service skills, particularly with a variety of client situations.
• Basic computer skills.
• Detail oriented. 

Abilities:

• Able to prioritize duties and perform multiple tasks.
• Able to work in a high-stress, fast-paced environment.
• Able to learn, retain and communicate a wide variety of information.
• Able to work with animals.
• Able to work with disinfectants and cleaning supplies. 
• Able to perform physical work including scrubbing, mopping, lifting, walking, and bending.

Physical, Sensory and Mental Requirements

Physical

Frequent 

• Sit, Stand, Walk, Bend, Squat, Kneel, Crawl, Reach above head, Push/Pull objects & reaching above head.
• Lift & carry up to 50 pounds unassisted, over 50 pounds with assistance.
• Exposure to hazards: Biologic, Chemical, Noise, Sharp instruments.
• Exposure to marked changes in temperature .

Occasional 

• Write legibly.
• Use of microwave.
• Climb.
• Operate standard pedals in a company vehicle.

Sensory Requirements: 

Required

• Can hear normal tones
• Can hear soft tones
• Eyesight - Normal/corrected to 20/40
• Eyesight - Close eye work
• Eyesight - Color recognition

Important

• Can distinguish smells
• Can distinguish temperatures by touch/proximity

Not applicable

• Can distinguish tastes

Mental Requirements:

Required

• Ability to read, speak and write English
• Ability to control emotions
• Ability to cultivate and project a positive attitude in the work setting, and when representing Animal Friends Alliance in public.
• Ability to work with controlled substances
• Ability to handle stress

Note: This job description is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, or qualifications associated with the job.