Job Title: Shelter Associate

Reports to: Shelter Supervisor

Objective: The shelter associate is both an animal care and a customer service position. This position is responsible for caring for shelter cats, shelter sanitation, and front-line customer service. Depending on the assigned shift, the shelter associate may work as a cat caregiver and adoption counselor or as staff at the reception/retail desk.

Position Type and Hours: Non-exempt, hourly, part-time. Weekend availability is required.

Duties & Responsibilities:

Cat Care and Volunteer Oversight (30% of time)

• Provide care to shelter cats by cleaning and setting up kennels in accordance with shelter protocols; providing food and water for cats according to established feeding protocols; moving cats to different housing areas throughout the shelter based on their needs and shelter capacity.
• Maintain accurate records for cats and kittens throughout the duration of their stay by updating a cat’s Shelter Buddy record when their location, status, or evaluation category changes; creating animal care requests when a cat requires medical attention; processing holds and adoptions; completing bite reports when necessary.
• Monitor the cats’ health and well-being by conducting daily assessments of their kennel environments, food consumption, urination, and bowel movements, as well as changes in behavior; reporting medical and behavioral issues to the behavior and hospital teams following shelter protocols.
• Train and oversee volunteers on tasks related to cat care, sanitation, socialization, and adoption by demonstrating and delegating volunteer tasks; leading and providing corrective feedback to new and seasoned volunteers in a positive and professional manner while adhering to shelter protocols and CAT’s culture agreement when necessary.

Shelter Sanitation (20% of time)

• Manage laundry by utilizing the washer and dryer to clean items staying onsite for washing; drying and decontaminating soiled laundry; folding and putting away clean laundry; bagging and labeling other soiled laundry according to written protocols that will be sent out to the laundry service; putting away returned laundry.
• Clean dishes by loading and unloading the dishwasher according to the written protocol in order to properly clean and sanitize cat dishes and hard toys; putting away clean dishes, labeling and bagging all items with known fomite contamination.
• Maintain washrooms by scrubbing, washing and sanitizing all items that cannot go in the dishwasher or washing machine according to written sanitation protocol; maintain an organized washroom by labeling and bagging all items with excessive contamination and following the established written protocols.
• Clean and organize retail, hallways, stairways, public and private shelter areas by tidying, dusting, sweeping, and mopping; following sanitation protocols and procedures to prevent disease transmission.
• Maintain all cleaning and janitorial products, supplies, and equipment by using organizational protocols to properly mix and dilute cleaning solutions based on the application of the product; using cleaning products and equipment properly and safely; reporting malfunctioning equipment to supervisors for repair or replacement.

Customer Service (25% of time)

• Educate clients, foster parents, volunteers, and the general public by possessing a working knowledge of best shelter practices, cat behavior, basic cat care and enrichment, cat handling, common ailments, and medical terminology; actively sharing knowledge and resources when applicable
• Facilitate cat adoptions by effectively communicating the medical and behavioral history of cats to adopters; establishing realistic expectations regarding an adopter’s cat and adjustment to a new environment; providing information regarding introductions and addressing any other adopter concerns; assisting with pet retention by educating clients on cat behavior and providing behavior modification tools.
• Assist with CAT’s helpline program by responding to client inquiries in a caring, knowledgeable, and professional manner; share resources and tools to promote pet retention; identify shelter candidates and schedule admissions when necessary.
• Assist adopters and volunteers with showing cats by using a conversation-based screening system to help clients determine the right cat for their home based on their experience level, household dynamics, and desired personality traits; practicing safe handling to move cats to the Get Acquainted room or advise clients on how to safety interact with the cat in their kennel or alternative housing.
• Promote a positive shopping experience for customers by attending to retail clients who have questions about products or cat care supplies and practices; recommending the best solutions, toys, or supplies based on knowledge of specific cats or information provided by the customer.

Reception (25% of time)

• Serve as a CAT representative to the general public by greeting and directing shelter customers; checking phone tickets and responding to all phone messages; answering phones in a timely and professional manner; monitoring and responding to emails from adopters using an upbeat, professional tone; screening calls and forwarding to appropriate departments when necessary; creating a positive first impression over the phone, via email or in person.
• Schedule veterinary and admissions appointments by sending appointment links for veterinary appointments when appropriate; sending surgery clients to our online appointment system; sending admissions requests to the admissions team.
• Process financial transactions accurately and in a timely fashion by entering retail purchases in Square; finalizing adoptions in Adopets; processing credit card transactions; accepting cash and check payments and providing appropriate change; reconciling cash and credit card transactions against Square nightly; preparing deposit bags; elevate financial discrepancies to management when necessary.
• Maintain cat and client records by creating, updating, and editing records accurately when processing adoptions, donations, and retail purchases.
• Provide clients with accurate information regarding cat admissions by using our resources to provide clients with information regarding laws in the area governing cats, admissions, and property law; directing clients to services when appropriate; maintaining realistic client expectations; protecting CAT’s interests by upholding internal policies and applicable laws.

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities:

Knowledge

• Animal sheltering
• Cat behavior
• Cash handling
• Computer programs, including Microsoft Office, Google Suite, Shelter Buddy. Adopets, and Acuity

Skills

• Communicate effectively in person and in writing
• Prioritize tasks to meet deadlines
• Analyze and solve problems effectively
• Remain organized
• Work independently with little direction or supervision
• Input data precisely
• Handle animals safely
• Follow protocols and procedures
• Operate standard office equipment, including computers, copy machines, telephone systems

Abilities

• Work cooperatively within a team environment
• Diffuse conflict
• Listen empathetically
• Facilitate difficult conversations
• Provide corrective feedback in a positive manner
• Delegate tasks effectively
• Connect with new people

Qualifications and Experience:

Necessary

• High school diploma or equivalent
• >1 year of professional experience

Preferred

• Customer service experience
• Previous experience working within a volunteer organization or animal shelter

Mental Effort: This position has minimal variation in tasks, and the job holder will often complete tasks according to a set of established protocols and procedures. However, this position requires the job holder to anticipate potential challenges and workflow interruptions and to collaborate with other staff and volunteers to successfully complete the job’s essential functions.

Physical Requirements and Work Environment:

Physical Requirements

The physical demands and work environment characteristics described are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Move and/or transport items up to 50 pounds (assisted or unassisted)
• Position oneself at various levels to successfully carry out the essential functions of the job
• Provide direct animal care including feeding, providing water, cleaning litter boxes, and other animal handling
• Clean animal housing and facility
• Disinfect and sanitize using agents such as bleach and Rescue®
• Communicate effectively with other staff, volunteers, and the public by email, phone, or in-person
• Navigate the shelter and building
• Read and keep accurate records/files
• Work on a computer and use various software programs
• Operate office equipment such as a copy and fax machine, printer, scanner, and multi-line telephone

Work Environment

Work in this position is performed at an animal shelter. The work environment may have occasional hazards or obstacles, and there is a moderately low level of personal risk encountered while performing assigned tasks. Job conditions are occasionally uncomfortable relative to noise, temperature, smell, cleanliness, or exposure to contagious disease. The worker may encounter the following:

• Distressed animals that put the worker at risk for injuries such as bites and scratches
• Animal urine, animal feces, animal vomit, animal blood, animal fur
• Medications used to treat animals
• Zoonotic disease that can be transmitted from cats to humans
• Disinfecting agents such as bleach and Rescue®
• Animal handling equipment such as nets, leather gloves, etc.

Pay Range: Position starts at $18.00 per hour

Benefits for part-time employees include: Paid vacation/sick time after 90 days, 11 paid holidays and 2 floating holidays of your choice, 20% off retail and select hospital services, eligibility to enroll in CAT's 403 (b) retirement plan, and an EAP.

This position 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.

Please note: There are required screener questions for this position that will replace the requirement for a Cover Letter.