Foster Specialist (Part-Time Temporary)

San Diego Humane Society; Oceanside (CA); On-site; USD 30,000 - 33,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Birthday Day Off

403(b) retirement plan with 5% match

Free pet adoptions

Job summary

San Diego Humane Society in Oceanside, CA is seeking a part-time Temporary Foster Specialist to join our Foster team. This role supports vulnerable animals by coordinating foster placements, scheduling medical care, and ensuring timely exits from foster care.

The ideal candidate has a High School Diploma or equivalent and at least one year of related experience with animals, plus a valid driver's license. You’ll work about 20 hours per week across approximately 39 weeks at our Oceanside Campus.

Qualifications

• High School Diploma or equivalent required.
• One (1) year of paid full-time related animal experience preferred.
• Ideal candidates have kitten/neonate fostering experience.
• Must have a valid driver’s license and pass SDHS insurance checks.
• Ability to work well with diverse individuals and age groups.

Responsibilities

• Monitor animal progress during foster assignments and schedule vaccines and medical visits.
• Document medical, behavior, and care updates in the animal management system.
• Arrange same-day foster placements for underage animals when available.
• Proactively contact volunteers about animals needing placement and update exit dates.
• Move animals along foster pathways to minimize length of stay.
• Ensure volunteers follow care instructions and escalate issues as needed.
• Perform daily cleaning and feeding in the foster center and handle emergencies as needed.

Skills

Diversity of personalities

Attention to detail

Organizational skills

Education

High School Diploma or equivalent

Job description

Job Details: Job Location: Oceanside Campus - Oceanside, CA 92058, Position Type: Temporary, Salary Range: $22.00 - $24.48 Hourly, Job Category: Foster, San Diego Humane Society is hiring a part-time Temporary Foster Specialist for our Foster team!

How you’ll impact our mission:

At San Diego Humane Society, we’re united by our mission to Inspire Compassion. Foster Specialists are responsible for caring for vulnerable animals who need time away from the shelter, and supporting foster volunteers and animal population management. This role delivers service at the gold standard level in alignment with the SDHS Way, to meet the needs of animals and the people who love them by leading with compassion, finding creative solutions, providing personalized care and building connections. If you’re passionate about making an impact in the animal welfare movement, we’d love to talk to you.

What’s in it for you?

At SDHS, we’re proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer and commit to being a place where every person – staff, volunteer, and guest – can feel a sense of belonging. We support and invest in employees through conscious delivery of benefits and a workplace environment based on our Core Values.

As an employee you’ll enjoy:

• Competitive pay and paid time-off (including your Birthday Day Off!)
• Comprehensive benefits package, training and well-being programs
• 403(b) retirement plan with 5% match after 1 year
• Free pet adoptions, pet vaccines and spay/neuter services
• and so much more!

What you’ll do:

• Responsible for monitoring animal progress during entire foster assignment. This includes scheduling vaccine appointments, medical appointments, medical rechecks, behavior updates, and spay/neuter surgery. Responsible for recording of this information in animal management software.
• Secure appropriate, same day placement for underage animals using available foster placement resources.
• Proactively reach out to appropriate foster volunteers regarding animals who are seeking placement. Once placement has been found, update status as needed and document target exit date in animal’s record.
• Ensure the shortest length of stay for foster animals by monitoring pathways and moving animals to the next appropriate processing step.
• Ensure foster volunteer is following all instructions regarding animal’s care. If deviating from expectations or training/ medical plan, work with Supervisor/Manager to emphasize volunteer’s responsibilities and necessary actions.
• Complete daily cleaning and feeding routines of animals housed in foster center, maintaining assigned area in a clean, organized and professional manner.
• Serve as a point of contact for foster animal emergencies, including after-hours on a rotating on-call basis.

What we’re looking for:

• High School Diploma or equivalent required.
• Requires one (1)yearof paid full time progressively responsible related experience working with animals in a kennel, shelter, or veterinary hospital, or any equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Ideal candidates will have a high level of experience with kittens, neonates, fostering, and/or nursery caregiving.
• Must have a valid driver’s license and be approved by SDHS insurance carrier to drive a company or personal vehicle for work purposes.
• Must have ability to work effectively with diverse personalities and various age groups in a positive manner.

Location & Hours:

Based at our Oceanside Campus.This position works approximately 20 hours per week and will last for approximately 39 weeks.

Pay:

Starting range is between $22.00– $24.48 per hour. The listed hiring range for this position depicts the target range of pay rates for candidates. The maximum of the hiring range is reserved for candidates with the highest qualifications and relevant experience. Compensation for internal candidates may increase beyond the listed range based on performance over time. For all candidates, the actual starting pay rate is determined by a variety of factors, including but not limited to your years of related education and experience, internal pay equity, and position location.

To learn more about our benefits and perks, click here.