Medical Cats Program Coordinator

Austin Pets Alive!; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 40,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading nonprofit in animal welfare seeks a Medical Cats Program Coordinator to oversee the care and adoption of cats with medical challenges. Responsibilities include managing intakes, coordinating volunteers, and developing educational resources. The role requires strong communication skills and a commitment to the no-kill movement.

Benefits

Subsidized medical coverage

401(K) retirement plan with matching

Paid time off

Professional development opportunities

Qualifications

• 2 years of administrative experience required.
• 2 years of experience with Google Suite.
• Preferred: 1-2 years of veterinary experience.

Responsibilities

• Oversee and expand the Medical Cats Program.
• Coordinate with the Medical Clinic for treatment demos.
• Manage intakes and support for fosters and adopters.

Skills

Communication

Time Management

Customer Service

Team Collaboration

Education

High school diploma or equivalent

Tools

Google Suite

Job description

APA! BACKGROUND: Austin Pets Alive! (APA!) is one of Austin’s most dynamic and best-loved nonprofits. The organization is the leader in the no-kill movement nationally and is considered a national thought leader in animal welfare. APA! locally rescues, treats, and adopts out 10,000 homeless dogs and cats each year, providing the safety net for Austin’s most at-risk shelter pets, which helps Austin to be a no-kill city, while also assisting other communities in saving homeless animals. The organization is distinguished by the scrappiness of its grassroots, non-traditional community-based animal rescue work.

The organization continues to innovate best practices to save lives and teaches its renowned lifesaving model through American Pets Alive!, APA!’s national division. In 2020, AmPA! began the Human Animal Support Services (HASS) project, a collaborative movement of more than 10,000 animal welfare professionals working in nearly 1,900 organizations. HASS is the first-of-its-kind collective of shelters and animal welfare professionals coming together to build community-focused animal services that better meet the needs of people and pets by keeping human-animal families together and keeping pets unnecessarily out of shelters.

BRIEF POSITION SUMMARY & OVERVIEW: The Medical Cats Program Coordinator plays a central role in overseeing and expanding the Medical Cats Program, while supporting the effective functioning of all feline lifesaving programs. This program encompasses cats facing medical challenges such as feline leukemia, incontinence, diabetes, seizures, megaesophagus, cerebellar hypoplasia (CH), hospice, and wound care. Responsibilities include managing intakes, providing support for fosters and adopters, developing care protocols, coordinating volunteers, handling data management, and spearheading internal and external education initiatives. The role extends to cover and assist other specialty populations. As a subject expert within APA!, the Medical Cats Coordinator actively contributes to creating and delivering education and outreach efforts focused on these medical conditions.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS :

• Provide concierge-level service as the first point of contact for fosters and adopters of cats with any condition falling under the “ medical cats” umbrella, seeking pre or post-adoption medical coverage or other support– including responding to medical inquiries, scheduling routine and follow-up appointments, requesting medication refills for fostered and pre-adopted cats in accordance with medical protocols, assisting in finding new foster placements, and assisting fosters and adopters with any additional needs.
• Liaise with the APA! Medical Clinic to coordinate and provide demos of treatments (insulin, bladder expressions, wound care, etc). You are an expert in these functions.
• Develop a robust library of documents, videos, etc. for adopters and fosters for each Medical area to ensure each adopter and foster feels supported and set up for success.
• Serve as case manager for cats in foster and onsite.
• Assist with care of onsite medical cats, as needed
• Conduct daily rounds (virtual or in person) to ensure current treatment plans are correct and cats have everything they need to be healthy, happy, and adoptable.
• Maintain the Incontinent & Diabetic tracker with accurate data
• Be the point of contact for specialty pops inboxes. Recruit new volunteers, set protocols for response times. Maintain follow-up schedules.
• Actively engage in the Incontinent, Diabetic, and Medical Facebook groups to support adopters & fosters, as well as recruit new fosters.
• Create a group of volunteers around Austin that are able to provide hands-on support for adopters who require a few more demos for their cats.
• Collaborate with Cat Marketing team to ensure Medical cats are being featured weekly on our socials and have up-to-date, accurate profiles. This can include writing copy for marketing posts.
• Establish a Pawspice Cat program, comprising either a roster of hospice fosters available to accommodate a cat on short notice (either overnight before euthanasia or for an extended period), or volunteers ready to provide last-day comfort on short notice.
• Plan and send dedicated Medical foster pleas to optimally manage space and quality of life for onsite cats with Medical issues.
• Collect and manage programmatic data along with potentially valuable data for research and/or development purposes.
• Advocate for the rescue/intake of cats with medical issues into APA!, coordinating and collaborating with the Admissions and Intake Team, Personalized Care Coordinators, and Care Managers to utilize resources to maximize lifesaving in accordance with our mission
• Create & maintain incontinent cat intranet, complete with how to videos, sample adopter request responses, room set ups, diapering dangers & instructions, etc.
• Design and implement new protocols as required to enhance the Program, staying up-to-date with the latest research findings, and adjusting operations when it benefits the welfare of the cats.
• Create and oversee training for care staff and placement staff, on Medical cats; update materials and protocols annually or more frequently as needed
• Represent APA! in media, education, conferences, and development opportunities pertaining to Medical cats
• Track and discuss difficult or complicated cases with Clinic and Cat Program leadership to ensure optimal outcomes
• Oversee placement decisions for onsite cats with medical issues, maximizing quality of life over convenience of placement
• Provide coverage for (in order of need/importance) FIP Coordinator, FeLV Coordinator, and Ringworm Coordinator as needed.
• Perform other related duties for Medical cats and other specialty populations as assigned.
• Job duties may include some or all of the above, and other duties as assigned by manager
  
  
  

OTHER FUNCTIONS:

• Attend and participate in all required training sessions and meetings
• Attend and participate in conferences as a speaker
• Maintain open and consistent communication with Program Manager or designee, supervisor, and other colleagues
• Partner with Volunteer, Placement, Support, Intake, and Clinic teams to collaborate across programs on Medical lifesaving
• Oversee Medical cats volunteer programs and manage volunteers interested in your department on an ongoing basis
• Able to work in a high-volume, fast-paced, high-stress environment
• Able to react to change productively and perform other duties as assigned.
  
  
  

QUALIFICATIONS, SKILLS, & EXPECTATIONS:

• High school diploma or equivalent required
• 2 years of administrative experience
• 2 years of experience with Google Suite
• Must embody APA!'s core values of innovation, respect, drive, resourcefulness, and inclusion
• Commitment to APA!'s customer experience expectations
• Willing and committed to working well with volunteers and staff in all roles
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Basic understanding of feline leukemia and feline shelter medicine
• Excellent time management skills and ability to prioritize competing tasks appropriately, delegating as needed
• Knowledge of and passion for the No Kill movement and its aims in Austin and throughout the region
• Preferred: 1-2 years of veterinary or other experience directly handling cats in a shelter, rescue, or clinic setting
• Preferred: 1-2 years of employee or volunteer management experience
• Preferred: Experience in developing and implementing progressive programs
• Contribute to the success of Austin Pets Alive! by leading the Medical Cats Program through both daily tasks and larger program innovations and refinements.
• Support the mission of Austin Pets Alive! to end the unnecessary death of shelter cats in Austin and the surrounding regions.
• Positively uphold the mission and culture of APA! in all activities
• Must embody APA!'s Core Values of Innovation, Respect, Drive, Resourcefulness, and Inclusion
• Commitment to APA!'s customer experience expectations
• Willing and committed to working well with volunteers, fosters, adopters and staff.
  
  
  

PHYSICAL JOB REQUIREMENTS:

• Must be able to work around animals (including diseased, injured, and/or potentially aggressive animals), loud noises, chlorine or other chemicals, and inclement weather
• Must be able to work in spaces where cats are present either in kennels or free in a group-housed setting
• Must be able to comfortably and safely handle, including during medication administration, cats of all temperaments and socialization levels, including feral cats
• Must be able to comfortably interact with cats of various health levels, including cats who may carry zoonotic diseases such as ringworm, scabies, intestinal parasites, etc.
• Must be able to routinely lift 40-50 pounds
• Must be able to focus in a loud and busy environment despite distractions
• Must be able to walk around the shelter as needed - uneven ground, keeping a safe distance from dogs and handlers
• Must be able to visually observe people and animals from up to 150 feet away
• Ability to hear normal speech at close contact and shouting up to 150 feet away
• If reasonable accommodations are requested, reasonable accommodations will be made to enable employees with disabilities to perform the essential functions of their job absent undue hardship to the organization.
  
  
  

WORK ENVIRONMENT:

• Standard office environment, with exposure to environmental conditions that include working with and near animals
• Uses own transportation to travel and transport
• Occasional after-hours or weekend work may be required to support program needs
• Work is normally performed inside; some outside work is required
• Exposure to unpleasant odors and noises.
• Exposure to bites, scratches and animal waste
• Possible exposure to contagious diseases
• Rapid pace with exposure to potential hazards including animal waste, disinfectants, and high levels of noise
• Potential for animal bites and scratches and diseases that can be transmitted from animals to people
  
  
  

TIME COMMITMENT:

• This is a full-time, nonexempt position with an average of 40 hours per week.
• Shift and schedule flexibility is required, as weekly schedule is subject to change
• Able to work evenings, weekends, and holidays as needed
  
  
  

WORKING RELATIONSHIPS: The Medical Cats Program Coordinator reports to the Foster and Adoption Support Program Manager.

The Medical Cats Program Coordinator serves as a liaison between the Medical Cat Program and other APA! teams, especially the Admissions and Intake Team, Placement Team, and the Medical Clinic. The Medical Cats Program Coordinator will also work in conjunction with the Placement Manager, Care Managers, other lifesaving program coordinators, and executive staff.

LOCATION(S):

• APA! Main - Town Lake Animal Center 1156 West Cesar Chavez Austin, TX 78703
• Hwy 290 Medical Clinic - 4942 W Hwy 290 Austin, TX 78735
• May travel to offsite locations as needed
  
  
  

BENEFITS:

Austin Pets Alive! is proud to offer a competitive benefits package for full-time employees, including subsidized employer-sponsored medical coverage, subsidized and voluntary life insurance, voluntary dental, vision and short-term disability options, all effective the first day of employment. We also offer voluntary wellness and emergency sick plans, up to 2% match on 401(K) retirement plan, supplemental benefits, flexible spending accounts and additional life coverage. Full-time employees receive 10 paid holidays and accrue 10 days paid time off during the first year of employment, with an additional 5 days of PTO accrual upon completion of 12 months of employment. Employees will also receive professional development opportunities through APA!’s ongoing mission to advance our animal welfare professionals in our life saving work.

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES AND ACCOMMODATIONS STATEMENT

Austin Pets Alive! is an equal employment opportunity employer and we value having staff who come from communities that are most impacted by the issues we engage on. We especially encourage people of color, LGBTQ people, women, transgender and gender non-conforming people, and people with disabilities to apply.

Austin Pets Alive! does not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. Austin Pets Alive! is committed to creating a dynamic work environment that values diversity and inclusion, respect and integrity, community focus, and innovation.

APA! is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities in the employment application process. To request an accommodation, please contact Talent Acquisition at [e-mail] at least one week in advance of your interview.