Animal Care Technician

Full Time, Pay Rate $16.82/hour

WEEKEND HOURS REQUIRED

Holidays Required

Required: 1 year of animal handling experience especially dogs

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

General

The Animal Care Technician performs routine animal care and related duties at the Animal Friends Alliance. This position requires learning a wide range of policies and procedures and use of independent judgment and training to take appropriate actions with standard situations.

Major Duties and Responsibilities:

• Cleans kennels, feeds animals, and performs related housekeeping duties including for animals with contagious and zoonotic diseases.
• Provides general care, medical treatments and vaccinations to cats in medical quarantine.
• Meets the behavioral and enrichment of all shelter animals
• Handles animals and makes determinations regarding their disposition.
• Cleans, disinfects and stores equipment used in and around shelter.
• Performs shelter duties including taking reports from the public, receiving animals brought to the shelter, reclaiming animals to their owners, and transporting animals to offsite locations.
• Maintains proper inventory levels of cleaning and other supplies. Informs supervisor when reordering is necessary.
• Ensures that morning/closing checklists are done accurately and completed as assigned.
• Oversees and trains volunteers working directly with the Animal Care Technician.

Other Duties:

• Attends one-on-ones with direct supervisor.

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
• Potential for exposure to zoonotic diseases and cleaning chemicals

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: One year caring for animals.
• Preferred: Two years of animal handling in a face paced environment

Miscellaneous

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

Knowledge:

• Knowledge of Google Suite, including Gmail and Google Drive.
• Knowledge of Microsoft Office, including Excel
• Knowledge of animal breed, behavior, handling and care
• Basic technical procedures used in giving shots and medicating animals

Skills:

• Effective verbal and interpersonal skills for in-person, written and telephone communication, for interaction with the public and colleagues.
• Excellent organizational skills.
• High level of professionalism.
• Emotional intelligence, work ethics and integrity.
• Strong computer skills.
• Detail-oriented.

Abilities:

• Able to understand and use a database.
• 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 autonomously.
• Able to plan, schedule and organize multiple priorities and a high volume of work.

Physical, Sensory and Mental Requirements

Physical

Frequent

• Sit, stand, walk, bend, squat, kneel, crawl, reach above head, and push/pull objects.
• Write legibly.

Occasional

• Lift and carry up to 35 pounds unassisted, and over 35 pounds with assistance.
• Exposure to hazards: Biologic, chemical, noise, and sharp instruments.
• Write legibly
• Climb
• Operate standard pedals in a company vehicle.
• Potential for exposure to zoonotic diseases and cleaning chemicals; Potential for exposure to dangerous and fractious animals; Potential exposure to high noise levels when in the kennel area or when around animals; Potential for animal bites and scratches while handling animals.
• Exposure to marked changes in temperature.

Sensory Requirements: (Required, Important or N/A)

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, Important or N/A)

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.