Behavior Specialist

Kansas Humane Society Of Wichita; Wichita (KS); On-site; USD 17,000 - 24,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Generous paid time off

10 paid holidays per year

Health, dental, and pharmacy plans

Vision insurance

SIMPLE IRA Retirement Plan with a good

Pre-tax spending accounts

Discounted YMCA membership

Discounts on adoptions and pet goods

Employee Assistance Program

Job summary

The Kansas Humane Society Of Wichita is seeking a Behavior Specialist to improve the mental and behavioral health of animals in our care, developing and administering programs to support behavioral well‑being and consulting with adopters on animals with advanced concerns.

Responsibilities include leading canine and feline behavioral work, training, and creating behavior plans, while coordinating with Admissions, Adoptions, Foster, and Shelter teams to promote safe and successful adoptions.

Qualifications

• Education requirement: High School Diploma or equivalent.
• Knowledge: good judgment and independent decision-making with limited supervision.
• Experience: previous animal handling experience preferred.

Responsibilities

• Behavior Management: lead in dog and cat behavior and handling; participate in playgroups and training; develop behavior improvement plans.
• Consults: advise Admissions on adoptability of animals with behavioral concerns; advise adopters and shelter staff.
• Customer Service: provide timely, polite, and professional service to staff, volunteers, and the public.

Skills

Animal handling

Customer service

Independent work

Teamwork

Education

High School Diploma or Equivalent

Job description

Job Details: Job Location: Wichita, KS 67219, Salary Range: $15.00 Hourly, Come join the Kansas Humane Society pack! We are looking for a Behavior Specialist who loves being an important part of an animal's life.

***KHS is a qualified employer for the Public Loan Service Forgiveness program.***

We offer:

• Generous paid time off
• 10 paid holidays per year
• Paid time when closed for Inclement Weather
• Comprehensive low deductible health, pharmacy and dental plans
• Vision insurance plan
• SIMPLE IRA Retirement Plan with a generous company match
• Pre-tax spending accounts for health care and childcare expenses
• Discounted YMCA membership
• Discounts on adoptions, retail store items, basic veterinary services and medicine, and pet food
• Employee Assistance Program

POSITION PURPOSE

The primary purpose of a Behavior Specialist is to maintain and improve the mental and behavioral health of animals in KHS’s care. Behavior Team Members will develop and administer programs to provide mental care for animals in KHS’s care, work on behavioral improvement plans to help animals, especially those that would otherwise be unfit for adoption, and consult with adopters about animals with advanced behavioral concerns.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

Behavior Management: Become a leader in dog and cat behavior and handling. Be trained in and participate in canine playgroups, dog and cat training, and programs to assist fearful or aggressive cats and dogs. Work with team members to build behavior improvement plans for animals that come into KHS care who have other behavioral concerns that are currently preventing them from being a safe adoption candidate.

Provide consults for the Admissions department regarding the adoptability of animal’s entering the shelter with advanced behavioral concerns. Provide consults to owners needing behavior help with animals they are considering for surrender. Provide consults to Adoptions team and adopters regarding animals with behavioral concerns and recommendations.

Customer Service: Provide and model timely, polite, and respectful internal and external customer service regardless of the circumstances. Must remain calm, flexible, and willing to see other perspectives. Provide recognition and support to both staff and volunteers for their individual contributions to KHS. Assure that every individual who enters the shelter is recognized and treated as a potential donor. Respond in a timely and professional manner to phone calls received on the Behavior phone line regarding questions about animals in our care, adopter behavior questions, and other assorted phone calls.

Volunteer Interaction: Assist in the training of volunteers for a variety of behavior and enrichment related programs such as KHS’s Canine Courage and Feline Fortitude. Assist in the training of volunteers for a variety of behavior and enrichment related programs. Assist the Foster Department in training and consultations for foster families as needed.

Shelter Flow: Continuously monitor animals and ensure efficient movement through shelter processes. Bring animals whom are no longer maintaining behavioral health to the attention of the Behavior & Enrichment supervisor or the Shelter Operations Officer.

Training: Participate in staff training and development opportunities as requested. Work with HR and Management to assist in animal behavior and handling training as needed for staff and volunteers.

Euthanasia: Train to become a Certified Euthanasia Technicians and work on a rotating basis to provide euthanasia when needed.

KHS Team Work: Be ready and willing to be cross-trained and assist all other members of your department. All KHS team members provide assistance to other departments as needed.

Safety: Comply with KHS Safety policies and procedures in order to maintain a healthy and safe environment.

Opening and Closing Duties: Set up behavior areas for all scheduled behavioral needs and assess shelter space limitations. Inventory and order supplies as needed for your area. Set up for playgroups. Assess the daily shelter needs and ensure animal flow through the shelter. Clean and sanitize all department areas though out the shelter ensuring we follow best practices in animal welfare.

KHS CORE VALUES

The Kansas Humane Society has HEART:

HAVE COMPASSION

We have empathy and understanding for the community and pets we serve, our teammates and

our partners in animal welfare

EXEMPLIFY COMMITMENT

We show our dedication in our work ethic and willingness to learn and grow.

ACT WITH INTEGRITY

We prioritize integrity in all our actions.

RESPECT ALL

We treat all animals and people with respect.

THRIVE THROUGH COLLABORATION

We are better together, united in our service to pets and their people.

Qualifications: EDUCATION/CERTIFICATION: High School Diploma or Equivalent.

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE: Must have the ability to exercise good judgment and make independent decisions with limited supervision. Should have the ability to cope with physically and emotionally demanding work.

EXPERIENCE REQUIRED: Previous animal handling experience with dogs and cats preferred.

SKILLS/ABILITIES: Independent decision making, able to work independently and in a group setting, flexibility, customer service. Respect for the human/animal bond. Ability to work with all types of animals including, but not limited to, dogs, cats, small domestic mammals, and birds.

PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES AND REQUIREMENTS OF THIS POSITION

TALKING: Ability to speak effectively and communicate clearly

AVERAGE HEARING: Able to hear average conversation

REPETITIVE MOTION: The employee may be required to squat repeatedly during the day.

FINGER DEXTERITY: The employee is regularly required to use hands to type.

AVERAGE VISION: Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus.

PHYSICAL STRENGTH:

Constant repetitive motion and lifting up to 30lbs above shoulder height (2-4 hours daily)

Must be able to use both hands for repetitive actions, firm grasp and fine manipulation. Hands exposed to water and cleaning chemicals on a repetitive basis (8-10 hours daily)

Physical restraining of small and large animals 5lb to 150+lb (8 hours daily)

Pulled/jolted/jumped on by small and large animals 5lb to 150+lb (8 hours daily)

Repetitive lifting, carrying, pushing, pulling, throwing of 5lb to 150+lb (2 hours daily)

Repetitive typing (8-10 hours daily)

Standing, walking, kneeling on hands and knees, crouching, stooping, crawling (8 hours daily)

WORKING CONDITIONS

Will handle sick, injured, potentially aggressive, and deceased pets. Noise exposure varies and often includes loud barking and other animal vocalizations. Animal waste contact, smells, and visual exposure are prevalent. Exposure to industrial cleaning supplies will happen daily. Floors may be slippery, and light may be dim or inadequate in some areas of the shelter. Subject to exposure to extreme hot/cold weather.

MENTAL ACTIVITIES AND REQUIREMENTS OF THIS POSITION

REASONING ABILITY: Ability to deal with a variety of variables under limited standardization.

MATHEMATICS ABILITY: Ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure using whole numbers and common fractions.

LANGUAGE ABILITY: Ability to read, analyze, and interpret documents. Ability to communicate clearly.

INTENT AND FUNCTION OF JOB DESCRIPTIONS

Job descriptions assist organizations in ensuring that the hiring process is fairly administered and that qualified employees are selected. They are also essential to an effective appraisal system and related promotion, transfer, layoff, and termination decisions. Well-constructed job descriptions are an integral part of any effective compensation system.

All descriptions have been reviewed to ensure that only essential functions and basic duties have been included. Peripheral tasks, only incidentally related to this position, have been excluded. Requirements, skills, and abilities included have been determined to be the minimal standards required to successfully perform the positions. In no instance, however, should the duties, responsibilities, and requirements delineated be interpreted as all-inclusive. Additional functions and requirements may be assigned by supervisors as deemed appropriate.

In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, it is possible that requirements may be modified to reasonably accommodate disabled individuals. However, no accommodations will be made which may pose serious health or safety risks to the employee or others or which impose undue hardships on the organization.

Job descriptions are not intended as and do not create employment contracts. The organization maintains its status as an at-will employer. Employees can be terminated for any reason not prohibited by law.