Animal Services Officer

Maricopa County; United States; On-site; USD 31,000 - 39,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Tuition reimbursement

Exceptional work-life balance

Growth opportunities

Low-cost healthcare for you and depend

Paid vacation, sick time, and parental

Arizona State Retirement System

Job summary

Maricopa County Animal Care & Control seeks an Animal Services Officer to humane capture and intake stray animals, educate the public on responsible pet ownership, and enforce local animal control laws. You will collaborate with law enforcement, welfare agencies, and other personnel while serving the community from our West or East Valley facilities.

The role requires office/customer-facing presence daily, with rotating shifts and potential overtime.

Qualifications

• High School Diploma or GED required; substitutions with an Associate's degree may be considered.
• One year of animal-related work experience handling/caring for dogs and cats.
• One year of public service experience (e.g., park ranger, outreach, or code enforcement).
• Must possess or obtain by hire a valid Arizona Driver’s License.
• Bilingual English/Spanish preferred.
• Completion of NACA 1 or other national animal control training certification.

Responsibilities

• Patrols assigned areas to ensure compliance with animal control regulations.
• Responds to routine and emergency animal control calls.
• Enforces animal control laws and ordinances and reviews license and rabies records.
• Documents evidence and prepares reports; testifies in court when needed.
• Assists with community outreach on responsible pet ownership.
• Cares for and transports animals; maintains kennels and intake area.
• Works rotating shifts including evenings and weekends; may assist dispatch.

Skills

Public service experience

Bilingual English/Spanish

Good communication

Flexible shifts

Education

High School Diploma or GED

Associate's degree in Animal Science / related field

NACA 1 training certification

Tools

Chameleon software

Job description

Posting Details

Posting Date 10/07/26 Application Deadline 10/12/26

Compensation

Pay Range Anticipated Hiring Range: $22.50 - $28.00 hourly Full Pay Range: $22.50 - $33.50 hourly Salary offers are based on the candidate's equivalent experience and internal equity with other employees within the same job classification.

This position is eligible for overtime compensation for all hours worked over 40 in the designated workweek.

Job Type

Unclassified

Department

Animal Care and Control

About the Position

Do you enjoy interacting with members of our community and their furry friends? As an Animal Services Officer, you will be responsible for the humane capture and intake of stray animals, educating community members on responsible pet ownership, and enforcing animal control laws and ordinances. We will look to you to enhance and maintain positive relationships with animal welfare, law enforcement, and other related personnel and agencies within Maricopa County. This position requires the employee to be in the office and or customer-facing for all hours worked. Every day is exciting when you work as an Animal Services Officer for Maricopa County!

About Us

Maricopa County Animal Care & Control employees are committed to animal welfare and strengthening the human-animal bond in our community, and we are always looking to add talented individuals to our team, either at our West or East Valley Animal Care Centers. As one of the nation’s largest open-admission shelters, we work with our community to serve the animals and people of Maricopa County. Our adoptions, shelter, clinic, and animal services officer teams learn first-hand about proper care of homeless and stray animals and work hard to help find them new homes.

• Proud to Offer Work with a greater purpose
• Tuition reimbursement
• Exceptional work-life balance
• Opportunities for growth and development within Maricopa County
• Low-cost, high-value healthcare for you and your qualifying dependents
• Child care benefits, including access to the Maricopa County Kids Club, dedicated to serving Maricopa County families
• Paid vacation, sick time, and parental leave
• Extensive wellness program, including an incentive
• Enrollment in the Arizona State Retirement System, a defined retirement benefit requiring an 11.98% per paycheck contribution rate that includes a 100% employer match on Day 1

Requirements

• One year of animal-related work experience handling and caring for dogs and cats in a kennel facility, veterinary clinic, or animal hospital
• One year of public service experience (i.e., park ranger, community outreach, or code enforcement officer)
• High School Diploma or GED
• Other combinations of education and experience may be considered in substitution for the minimum qualifications
• Must possess or have the ability to obtain by the time of hire a valid Arizona Driver’s License
• Must be flexible and able to work all shifts, including starting as early as 5 am and finishing as late as 10 pm, as well as weekends and holidays. Employees can be assigned to any shift, with any combination of days off, determined by the Department's needs
• We Also Value Experience as a kennel employee, veterinary technician, and/or animal control representative
• Bilingual skills in English/Spanish
• Completion of NACA 1 or other national animal control training certification
• Associate's degree in Animal Science, Criminal Justice, Business Administration, or a closely related field

Job Contributions

• Patrols assigned areas to ensure compliance with animal control regulations
• Responds to routine and emergency animal control calls
• Enforces animal control laws and ordinances, ensures the humane treatment of animals, and reviews animal licenses and rabies vaccination records
• Issues verbal and written warnings, compliance notices, and summons to violators
• Conducts competent in-depth investigations of complaints and reports of animal attacks, animal bites, animal nuisances, and serious animal-related violations
• Serves as a resource for citizens, the veterinary community, and local authorities for questions pertaining to responsible pet ownership, rehoming pets, reclaiming pets, and other animal-related concerns through community outreach
• Gathers evidence for animal control cases, including photographs, tape recordings, and interviewing witnesses
• Maintains legal chain of custody for evidence, presents evidence in court, and testifies as needed
• Locates, captures, contains, transports, and impounds stray animals using a variety of safe and humane methods
• Completes animal intake information and logs accurate data
• Identifies sick/diseased animals, takes precautions to prevent the spread of disease to other animals or humans, recommends veterinarian care if needed, and administers first aid, medications, or other treatment
• Works in a rotating emergency response shift, running emergency calls from 6 PM to 10 PM
• Works on the intake ramp when needed, helping offload both outside agencies and the field truck, inputs data into Chameleon, vaccinates dogs, kennels dogs, and maintains cleanliness on the ramp
• Works in dispatch, dispatching calls to Officers and answering phones when assigned
• Performs a daily safety pre‑and post‑use inspection of assigned vehicle and ensures maintenance, such as keeping kennels sanitized, vehicle clean, checking oil and other fluids, and tire pressure
• Help maintain the cleanliness of the facility by performing daily cleaning duties, including disinfecting equipment and animal amenities to prevent the spread of odor and disease
• Completes daily duties at the animal shelter when assigned, such as feeding, watering, and caring for animals, and performs inventory checks on supplies and equipment

Work Conditions

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to drive, stand, and walk on all types of surfaces, including slippery, uneven, and/or rough ones. Employees must be able to lift and carry up to 75lb, and perform duties that may require climbing, crawling, kneeling, squatting, lifting, bending, and stooping. Environmental factors include working indoors or outdoors, in the extreme heat of the Arizona summers. Frequently handles and will be exposed to dogs and cats with unknown temperament or behavior. Work will occur in an animal shelter and field environment that can potentially include excessive noise, animal waste and fluids, deceased animals, cleaning chemicals, anesthetic gases, and zoonotic diseases. May be assigned to work at other shelter locations based on operational needs. Exerting over 100 lbs. occasionally, 50-100 lbs. frequently, or up to 20-50 lbs. constantly.

Equipment

Field vehicle, bite stick, radio, county computer, county cell phone, control pole, large and small control nets, animal trap, and affiliated equipment.

Protective Equipment Required

Bite sleeves, bite gloves, break sticks, and hazmat gear.

Selection Procedure

• Consideration will only be given to candidates who submit online applications
• Candidates will be contacted primarily through email and their Workday online application profile
• Must pass a pre-employment background and/or fingerprint investigation as required by statute or policy, including drug and alcohol testing requirements for positions designated as safety-sensitive

Equal Opportunity

Maricopa County is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all applicants. If you require a reasonable accommodation during the application process or to perform the essential functions of the position under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), please contact [e-mail] to initiate the interactive process.