Animal Care Technician

City of Seattle; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

The Seattle Animal Shelter seeks compassionate Animal Care Technicians to provide high-quality care to shelter animals. This role involves daily animal care responsibilities, community engagement, and maintaining an inclusive culture devoted to animal welfare. A commitment to safety and customer service is essential.

Benefits

Comprehensive benefits package

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

Vacation, holiday, and sick leave

Qualifications

• One year experience in care, handling, and treatment of animals.
• Prior professional shelter or veterinary experience is highly desired.
• Knowledge of proper animal husbandry.

Responsibilities

• Provide daily cleaning, care, exercise, and enrichment to animals.
• Counsel pet owners and provide compassionate customer service.
• Assist in humane euthanasia of animals and maintain detailed records.

Skills

Animal handling

Customer service

Compassion

Multitasking

Job description

The Seattle Animal Shelter(SAS) is seeking motivated and progressiveAnimal Care Technicians to work with shelter animals and their owners. If you are a compassionate team player who is dedicated to providing top-level care to shelter animals and empathetic customer service to our community members, this is the job for you!

As an Animal Care Technician (Animal Control Officer I), you will work in the shelter to provide daily cleaning, care, exercise, and enrichment to the animals in our care. You will work with community members to reunite them with their lost pets, adopt animals to their new homes, counsel pet owners, foster parents, and potential adopters, provide education and resources, take in stray and surrendered animals and much more. You will work hand in hand with a dedicated team of staff and volunteers to provide our shelter pets and our community with exceptional care, support, and resources.

ABOUT US
SAS is a nationally recognized animal welfare organization that promotes public safety and animal welfare and protects animals from cruelty and neglect in the City of Seattle. SAS runs animal sheltering and adoption programs to reunite lost animals with their owners and places animals in forever homes. SAS hosts a spay and neuter clinic providing low-cost services and manages pet licensing for City residents. And SAS’ animal control field services staff enforce Seattle’s laws regarding animals, helping keep animals and people safe.

SAS is a division of Finance and Administrative Services (FAS), the is often the public's first interaction with the City of Seattle, operating as a customer-focused front door that assists with everything from paying utilities or reporting a pothole to requesting public information or even adopting a new pet.

TheDepartment of Finance and Administrative Services(FAS) is often the public's first interaction with the City of Seattle, operating as a customer-focused front door that assists with everything from paying utilities or reporting a pothole to requesting public information or even adopting a new pet.

The 500-plus employees of FAS span across 10 divisions and work behind-the-scenes providing critical functions, like managing 120 City facilities—including police and fire stations—overseeing the City's neighborhood customer service centers and Customer Service Bureau and making sure minority-owned businesses can equitably compete for City contracts. No matter the need, FAS is here—at your service.

• Work onsite at Seattle Animal Shelter to provide high quality care to animals in the shelter system to maintain a healthy and humane environment for animals, employees, volunteers, and visitors. This includes, but is not limited to:
  • Feeding, watering, walking, monitoring, and providing enrichment.
  • Disinfecting shelter areas, animal areas, enclosures, and equipment.
  • Following established animal care, cleaning, feeding and veterinary protocols.
  • Work with animals who may be ill, injured, stressed and/or aggressive.
• Commit to an inclusive culture rooted in commitment to racial equity and community engagement.
• Provide compassionate, equitable and professional customer service, education, and support.
• Build collaborative, respectful relationships with colleagues, volunteers, and community members.
• Maintain composure and professionalism in stressful situations.
• Utilize trauma informed, fear free, least aversive-minimally invasive, humane and safe animal handling skills.
• Process animal intakes and outcomes.
• Detailed, accurate and consistent record keeping and data entry.
• Assist in humane euthanasia of animals.
• Must be able to consistently work weekends, holidays, and evenings.

Minimum Qualifications:
One (1) year experience in care, handling, and treatment of animals.

(Or a combination of education and/or training and/or experience which provides an equivalent background required to perform the work of theclass.)

The most successful candidates willpossess the following:

• Prior professional shelter or veterinary experience performing work comparable to this position is highly desired.
• Knowledge of proper animal husbandry.
• Experience in trauma informed, fear free, least aversive-minimally invasive, safe and humane animal handling techniques to reduce potential stress and hazards to both handlers and animals.
• Desire to work in a progressive, community-based environment that is committed to ongoing advancement and improvement in animal welfare.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Multitasking skills in a fast paced and sometimes stressful environment.
• Experience with PetPoint.
• Bilingual or multilingual.

Work Environment/Physical Requirements:

• This position requires full-time onsite work.
• Must be able to stand, walk, bend, and stoop.
• Must be able to lift over 50 pounds.

Licensing, Certification and other Requirements:

• Current Washington State driver’s license.
• A Washington Euthanasia Technician Certification is required after hire. Training provided.

Note:

• The work involves frequent exposure to agitated and fearful animals who may be ill or injured, feces, bodily fluids, zoonotic disease, and parasites.
• Must be able to work weekends, evenings, and holidays regularly and consistently.

This position is classified as an Animal Control Officer I. It is Civil Service represented, FLSA non-exempt and is eligible for overtime. The full pay range for this step-progression position is $35.43 - $38.21 per hour. New employees begin at Step 1 of the pay progression, which is $35.43 hourly. Current City employees’ starting rate of pay will be based on Personnel Rules regarding promotions.

Application Process
Applications are reviewed after the posting closes. You must submit the following items to be considered for this position no later than4:00pm Pacific Time on the scheduled closed date.

1. Completed NEOGOV online application.
2. Cover letter describing how your skills and experience align with the stated job responsibilities and qualifications.
3. Current resume indicating relevant experience, knowledge, skills, and education.

Your application may be rejected as incomplete if you do not include the relevant information in the application. Cover letters and/or resumes are not accepted in lieu of a completed application. Applications and/or Supplemental Questionnaires that state “see my resume” or “see my personnel file” are considered incomplete and will not be accepted.

PLEASE NOTE: This job advertisement is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

Background Check:Applicants must successfully pass a background check, which will be conducted in accordance with Seattle’s Fair Chance Employment Ordinance, SMC 14.17. Applicants will be given a chance to explain or correct background information and provide verifiable information of good conduct and rehabilitation.

Pre-Employment Physical: Successful candidates will be required to pass a pre-employment physical.

Why work at the City of Seattle?
The City of Seattle recognizes every City employee must play a role in ending institutional and structural racism. Our culture is the result of our behavior, our personal commitments, and the ways that we courageously share our perspectives and encourage others to do the same. To cultivate an antiracist culture, we seek employees who will engage in theRace and Social Justice Initiative by working to dismantle racist policies and procedures, unlearn the way things have always been done, and provide equitable processes and services.

The City of Seattle offers a comprehensive benefits package including vacation, holiday, and sick leave as well as medical, dental, vision, life and long-term disability insurance for employees and their dependents. More information about employee benefits is available on the City's website at:https://www.seattle.gov/human-resources/benefits/employees-and-covered-family-members/most-employees-plans

Who May Apply:This position is open to all current City employees that meet the minimum qualifications. The City of Seattle values diverse perspectives and life experiences. Applicants will be considered regardless of race, color, creed, national origin, ancestry, sex, marital status, disability, religious or political affiliation, age, sexual orientation, medical condition, or pregnancy. The City of Seattle encourages people of all backgrounds to apply, including people of color, immigrants, refugees, women, LGBTQ, people with disabilities, veterans, and those with diverse life experiences.