Boston Adoption Center- Behavior Coordinator

MSPCA-Angell; Boston (MA); On-site; USD 52,000 - 68,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

BCBS health insurance

Dental and life insurance

403(b) retirement plan

Tuition reimbursement

Paid holidays, sick and vacation time

Discounts for pet care

Job summary

MSPCA-Angell in Boston is seeking an experienced animal behavior training professional to join our Adoption Center team as Behavior Coordinator. You will lead training for staff and volunteers, advise on matches for dogs with challenging behavior, and create behavior modification plans that support successful adoptions.

You will provide pre-adoption counseling and hands-on training for new adopters, along with post-adoption support.

Qualifications

• The ideal candidate is organized, creative, and a problem solver with excellent people skills.
• Minimum 1 year direct work or volunteering with animals under supervision of a behavior professional.
• Minimum 1 year in animal welfare or related field; 1 year training/behavior modification experience.

Responsibilities

• Lead training for adoption staff and volunteers in animal behavior.
• Advise staff on facilitating matches for animals with challenging behavior.
• Create and implement behavior modification plans for dogs in the adoption center.
• Provide pre-adoption counseling and hands-on training for prospective adopters; offer post-adoption support.

Skills

People skills

Education

CCPDT-KA, KPA-CTP, IAABC or equivalent experience

Fear Free Certification within 6 months

Job description

This is a full time 40 hour/week position.

MSPCA-Angell is currently seeking an experienced animal behavior training professional with excellent teamwork skills to join our Boston Adoption Center Team.

If you have experience in animal behavior/training and would like to work for an organization that works to help people and animals, this may be the career move you have been looking for.

The Position

The Behavior Coordinator will advise adoption center staff on facilitating appropriate matches for animals with challenging behavior. The Behavior Coordinator will also be responsible for creating and implementing behavior modification plans for dogs in the adoption center, and instructing adoption center staff on the creation of appropriate adoption recommendations. This position will lead training for our animal adoption staff and volunteers in animal behavior. The Behavior Coordinator will also provide advice and direction to staff on behavior related tasks in the adoption center, including but not limited to daily dog walking, low-stress handling for vaccines, administration of medication, and low-stress euthanasia.

The Behavior Coordinator will provide pre-adoption counseling and hands-on training for prospective adopters, alongside post-adoption support to families who are struggling at home.

Qualified Applicant Requirements

The ideal candidate will be an organized, creative problem solver who has fantastic people skills.

EDUCATION

• CCPDT-KA, KPA-CTP, IAABC or other accredited professional dog training certification preferred, or 2 years equivalent experience training dogs under the supervision of a certified dog trainer and in accordance with the MSPCA training philosophy required.
• Fear Free Certification within 6 months or hire or promotion date.

Experience

• One year working or volunteering directly with animals, ideally of different species, sizes, and temperaments, under the supervision of a behavior professional.
• One year working in animal welfare or related field.
• One year training/behavior modification experience in accordance with the MSPCA’s philosophies.

As this position requires excellent attention to details, as well as verbal and written communication skills, we require applicants to include a cover letter with your application which showcases your writing skills.

Who We Are

The MSPCA is one of the oldest and most venerable humane organizations in the world and the largest animal welfare organization in New England- caring for and placing over 11,000 animals annually across our four adoption centers. At our Boston Adoption Center, we care for over 2,000 animals each year with a 92% live release rate.

Take a virtual tour of our adoption center! The MSPCA also has the largest animal relocation program in New England - transporting thousands of cats and dogs from overpopulated animal shelters across the country to Massachusetts, where each animal receives medical care, enrichment, and behavior training prior to adoption. Our animal relocation network, combined with the MSPCA-Angell’s veterinary and adoption center resources, works to protect the largest number of animals possible.

We value our connections to communities and organizations, and serve as a resource to protect the largest number of animals possible.

Our Benefits

Our values-based, dynamic culture is one of the most unique cultures you will find in the nonprofit industry, offering high engagement roles with flexibility and growth opportunities. We provide opportunity for continuing education both in animal welfare and in behavior sciences.

We have created a work environment with a balance of independent work, collaboration with behavior team and management team, and working alongside animal care staff and volunteers to ensure a high level of consistency in animal handling and training skills, ultimately resulting in consistent interactions for the animals that allow them to be the most successful.

Our compensation package includes BCBS health insurance, dental and life insurance, a 403(b) retirement plan, tuition reimbursement, paid holidays, sick and vacation time, employee discounts for pet health care, pet food and free on-site parking!

DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION

We believe that a diverse workforce is integral to our organizational culture, and that employing a workforce with varied and unique perspectives that emerge from racial, gender, sexuality, religious, linguistic, neurological, physical and other differences fuels our ability to fulfill our organizational mission, surpassing our goals and visions. The MSPCA-Angell needs a diverse, well-supported workforce of staff and volunteers to best understand and serve our patients, clients, and communities. We are committed to attracting and retaining a highly talented diverse workforce for our future and appreciate your interest in pursuing a career at the MSPCA-Angell.

Experience

Required

• 1 year(s): Training/behavior modification experience
• 1 year(s): Experience working in animal welfare or related field.
• 1 year(s): Experience working or volunteering directly with animals, ideally of different species, sizes, and temperaments, under the supervision of a behavior professional.

Equal Opportunity Employer

This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws. For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.