Community Cats Program Specialist

PAWS Chicago; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 26,000 - 33,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

EAP

403(b) retirement

Paid time off

Job summary

PAWS Chicago is seeking a Community Cats Program Specialist to oversee day-to-day TNR operations, coordinate scheduling, trap loans, and engage caretakers and community trappers. This role collaborates with the Lurie Spay/Neuter Clinic and supports workshops and educational resources.

The position requires strong organizational skills, data management, and the ability to work outdoors in varying conditions. PAWS Chicago offers an Employee Assistance Program, retirement plan, and paid time off.

Qualifications

• Two or more years of relevant experience (e.g., program coordination, operations, community outreach, or animal welfare).
• Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, and ability to manage multiple workstreams and deadlines.

Responsibilities

• Seamless access to TNR services: coordinates scheduling and appointment distribution with Clinic leadership.
• Oversees trap inventory and rental processes and plans an annual calendar of high-volume events.

Skills

Excel proficiency

Data reporting

Relationship building

Project coordination

Cross-functional collaboration

Tools

Clinic HQ

Shelterluv

Salesforce

Smartsheet

Job description

• Location 3516 West 26th Street,Chicago, IL, 60623,United States
• Base Pay $19.23 - $24.04 / Hour
• Other Compensation Employee Assistance Program (EAP) through Blue Cross Blue Shield; 403(b) retirement plan with employer match; Paid time off, including vacation and sick days
• Job Category Community Outreach
• Employee Type Non-Exempt FT
• Required Degree NONE
• Manage Others No

• Name PAWS Chicago
• Phone [phone]

Description

The Community Cats Program Specialist ensures community members have a clear, consistent path to PAWS Chicago’s Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) services. Working within PAWS’s established strategies, the Specialist oversees day-to-day TNR operations in partnership with the Lurie Spay/Neuter Clinic, including scheduling, trap loans, eligibility, and data tracking. The Specialist also engages caretakers and community trappers through relationship-building, workshops, and educational resources. Bringing creativity and thoroughness to this work, the Specialist helps inform the implementation of strategy and operationalizes leadership decisions to maximize the clinic’s impact on outdoor cat populations in the communities we serve. The role also provides operational support to other Community Services programs and events as assigned.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Seamless access to TNR services
  • Coordinates TNR scheduling and appointment distribution through a single, consolidated channel in partnership with Clinic leadership and staff.
  • Oversees trap inventory and trap rental processes across PAWS and helps extend trap access into the community.
  • Plans and coordinates a full annual calendar of high-volume spay/neuter events with the Clinic.
  • Develops and maintains procedures and reference materials related to service eligibility, scheduling, and trap rentals, and partners with Clinic and Community Outreach leadership to train and inform operational staff on them.
• Community engagement and education
  • Serves as the primary TNR service liaison for community cat trappers, including recruiting, onboarding, and supporting volume trappers and managing their volume accounts.
  • Plans and coordinates TNR workshops, outdoor cat shelter builds, and other community events, and leads or facilitates them as needed.
  • Develops and maintains resources such as instructional and best-practice guides and drafts public communications.
  • Serves as a resource for caretakers and community members by phone, email, and web, including guidance on ordinance compliance and complex situations.
  • Engages, trains, and coordinates PAWS volunteers to support trap deliveries, cat pickups, and on-site trapping efforts.
• Program strategy, oversight, and data reporting
  • Contributes input to program goals, strategy, and service offerings alongside Community Services and Clinic leadership, and operationalizes leadership decisions.
  • Monitors TNR activity and trends against plan, and flags variances and escalates concerns to leadership.
  • Maintains accurate colony, caretaker, and service data across PAWS systems, and prepares recurring reports.
  • Contributes to the development of metrics and a model for evaluating program effectiveness.
  • Helps ensure PAWS meets its obligations as a Cook County Colony Caretaker Sponsoring Organization, including required records, reporting, and caretaker registration processes.
• Field and operational support
  • Participates in trapping and returning of outdoor cats and conducts site assessments as needed.
  • Supports other Community Services programs and events, such as off-site events, advocacy efforts, the pet food pantry, and CACC diversion, by filling frontline roles as assigned.

Requirements

• Two or more years of relevant experience (e.g., program coordination, operations, community outreach, or animal welfare).
• Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, and thoroughness, with the ability to manage multiple workstreams and deadlines and stay focused on priorities.
• Working proficiency in Excel or an equivalent tool for pulling, processing, and reporting data, and the ability to learn new database, scheduling, and CRM systems (such as Clinic HQ, Shelterluv, Salesforce, and Smartsheet).
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including drafting clear public-facing communications that represent PAWS Chicago’s mission and values.
• Strong relationship-building and customer service skills, with a commitment to building trust with diverse communities and an understanding of the barriers residents may face in accessing care and resources.
• Ability to collaborate across teams and departments, including supporting work led by others.
• Ability to train and inform others and to facilitate group sessions such as workshops.
• Creative and practical approach to problem-solving, with the flexibility to adapt as priorities and direction change.Ability to work independently and remain professional in emotional or high-pressure situations.
• Passion for animals and working knowledge of animal welfare issues.
• Ability to work outdoors in varied weather and to lift and carry humane traps and equipment.
• Must be available to work pre-determined evening, weekend, and holiday hours.
• Current, valid driver’s license and the ability to travel throughout PAWS’s service area; comfortable driving cargo vehicles when needed for field work.

Preferences

• TNR or community cat experience.
• Bilingual in English and Spanish, or the ability to understand Spanish.
• Experience with program evaluation, data analysis, or reporting.
• Experience in community outreach, social services, or public health.
• Experience in an animal shelter, veterinary clinic, or similar animal welfare setting.

Physical Requirements

• The Community Cats Program Specialist must be able to physically handle cats with different temperaments.
• Ability to lift and transport cat traps and carriers.
• Physical stamina and ability to perform tasks that may require bending, lifting, stooping, kneeling, crouching, crawling, reaching, walking, pushing, pulling, lifting, grasping, and prolonged standing or walking.
• Walking and moving about to accomplish tasks, particularly for long distances or moving from one work site to another.
• Ability to lift 50 lbs occasionally, 30 lbs frequently and 10 lbs constantly.
• Ability to perform repetitive motions and work comfortably in small or confined spaces.

PAWS Chicago Values-in-Action

• Respect: for each and every life.
• Community: of people and organizations committed to helping homeless pets.
• Innovation: to constantly improve best practices and seek out new ideas and strategies to save more lives. To be a Learning Center that evolves and grows.
• Pro-activity: to solve difficult problems and to be prepared to offer emergency and crisis support.
• Transparency: that informs the public about the fate of homeless animals.
• Education: that raises awareness about the realities that homeless animals face in the community and across the nation, providing a forum for people to get involved in effecting change and promoting and supporting reasonable pet ownership.
• Sustainability: through financial management practices that maximize the impact and reach of our resources and ensure that PAWS Chicago will always be a resource for homeless animals.
• Compassion: towards all people and animals.
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP) through Blue Cross Blue Shield.
• 403(b) retirement plan with employer match.
• Paid time off, including vacation and sick days.

NOTE: PAWS Chicago reserves the right to modify, interpret, or apply this job description, as it desires. This job description in no way implies that these are the only duties, including essential duties, to be performed by the employee occupying this position. This job description is not an employment contract, implied or otherwise. The employment relationship remains “at-will.” The job requirements may be changed to fulfill any obligation(s) to reasonably accommodate qualified individuals with disabilities.