Adoption Counselor
Description:
Summary of Responsibilities The Adoption Counselor is part of a talented and dynamic team of Adoption Counselors, Animal Care Associates, and Community Relations Associates. Adoption Counselors are responsible for guiding potential adopters through all steps of the adoption process, conducting adoption follow-up calls and maintaining clean, safe adoption areas. Adoption Counselors also communicate with adopters if there are any issues post-adoption.
Essential Duties
• Understands diversity is a strength, equity is non-negotiable, inclusion is our obligation, and embodies this understanding in all interactions with internal and external stakeholders
• Provides high quality customer service
• Follows safe handling practices at all times
• Maintains up-to-date knowledge of available animal inventory and breed characteristics, directing customers toward pets that match their lifestyle
• Introduces pets to potential adopters and to other animals in the household, as appropriate • Determines suitability of match between potential adopter and pet based on lifestyle and the needs of the pet
• Works well as part of a team, asking for and providing help freely
• Other duties as assigned
Qualifications
• Prior Experience: One year of dog and/or cat handling experience in a professional environment required
• Education: High school diploma or GED required
• Credentials: Valid NYS driver’s license or government ID
• Hard Skills: Animal handling and behavior; best practices in animal shelter husbandry and enrichment; basic computer literacy and familiarity with Microsoft Office Suite
• Soft Skills: Excellent emotional regulation; empathy; conflict resolution; strong communication; team focus; flexible and creative problem solving; decisiveness; dependability; organization; time management
• Other: 18 years or older; no medical restrictions to animal contact; authorized to work in the United States
• Availability: Shifts are 10:00am-6:00pm Monday-Friday and/or 9:00am-5:00pm Saturday; this is an in-person position with no expectation of remote work allowances
Physical Requirements
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of the job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. The person in this position is regularly required to:
• Use hands and fingers
• Talk and hear
• Stand, walk, sit, reach with hands and arms, stoop, kneel, and crouch
• Lift and/or move up to 40lbs
• See clearly, with or without corrective lenses, up close, at a distance, peripherally, perceive depth, color and ability to focus
Working Conditions
• Work will take place in a variety of environments including medical offices, administrative offices, operational areas, and offsite, including outdoors
• The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate, and hearing protection is available where noise exceeds acceptable levels
• While performing the duties of this job, the position will be exposed to animal odors, animal wastes, chemical cleaning agents, and airborne particles
• This position requires the handling of animals in stressful conditions and animals that are potentially dangerous
• This position requires exposure to animals who may have infectious or zoonotic diseases