Animal Services Coordinator

Animal Services Coordinator

Position Overview:

The Animal Services Coordinator oversees shelter behavior programs and supports animal placement through adoptions, fostering, rescue partners, and other shelters. The position serves as a behavior resource, promotes humane animal care and the Five Freedoms, develops staff and volunteer training, and assists with ethical and compassionate euthanasia decisions. The role also coordinates community outreach, events, education, marketing, and animal placement programs.

Key Responsibilities:

• Provide onsite/offsite animal coordination and behavior oversight; educate the public and volunteers on pet breeds, behavior, care, ownership, licensing, adoption, fostering, rescue, and applicable laws and policies.

• Evaluate and interview potential adopters, foster families, and volunteers and determine suitability according to shelter procedures.

• Coordinate animal selection, equipment, transportation, offsite adoption/foster events, and partnerships with shelters, rescue groups, agencies, and service providers.

• Develop promotional campaigns using websites, social media, media contacts, and community events to increase adoptions, fostering, rescues, volunteers, and donations.

• Recruit, train, and coordinate volunteers for community events and provide instruction in customer service, adoption, fostering, counseling, and safe animal handling.

• Develop and maintain staff and volunteer behavior training programs and provide one-on-one or group education to staff, volunteers, and the public.

• Maintain event records, statistics, files, performance measures, and reports; assist with federal/state reports, grants, fundraising opportunities, and presentations to City commissions and committees.

• Coordinate programs with City departments, outside agencies, businesses, community leaders, and animal organizations.

• Participate in public meetings, outreach programs, promotional events, and activities that encourage community participation.

• Maintain positive working relationships and provide professional, tactful customer service while representing the City and animal shelter.

Ideal Candidate:

Hands-on experience with dogs and cats, with willingness to work with additional species. Applied Animal Behavior education or certification is strongly preferred. Strong customer service, networking, public speaking, and training skills are important. Must be comfortable working in an environment involving euthanasia decisions and demonstrate professionalism, compassion, and ethical judgment.

Qualifications:

• 2 years of full-time animal welfare experience, including at least 1 year involving training, teaching, or animal services education.

• College coursework in psychology, sociology, business/public administration, marketing, communications, animal welfare, veterinary administration, or a related field may substitute for experience year-for-year; 30 semester units equal 1 year of experience.

• Knowledge of animal adoption, fostering, rescue programs, dog/cat behavior, common animal illnesses, animal handling/restraint, public relations, customer service, record keeping, and reporting.

• Ability to collect and analyze data, coordinate animal programs and community events, interpret policies and laws, organize work, meet deadlines, exercise independent judgment, make presentations, train volunteers, and communicate effectively.

• Must be able to work cooperatively with City departments, officials, outside agencies, staff, volunteers, and the public.

• Valid California Class C driver's license required at appointment.

Work Conditions:

May require days, evenings, weekends, holidays, and overtime. Work involves sitting, standing, walking, bending, squatting, kneeling, twisting, climbing, and occasional lifting/carrying up to 50 lbs. Employees may be exposed to animal fur, dander, excrement, infectious or aggressive animals, traffic, and inclement weather. Position may involve travel to community events throughout the City. With supervisor approval, intermittent remote work may be available, but employees must reside in the Sacramento region or be able to report to a City worksite with little notice.