General Nature of Work
The Animal Shelter Coordinator will be responsible for assisting the Gilmer County Animal Shelter in rescuing abandoned animals and implementing proactive strategies to improve the lives of both citizens and pets. The Animal Shelter Coordinator will also be responsible for building and maintaining relationships with our rescue and shelter partners with a focus on networking to send animals from our overcrowded shelter to receiving shelters and rescue organizations.
JOB RESPONSIBILITIES
- Assist with rescue pathway plans for animals upon intake with a goal of placement in less than 72 hours.
- Be able to keep up with emails, phone calls, social media, spreadsheets, and any other communication in a timely manner.
- Be able to communicate with internal departments and transfer partners when networking and scheduling transport.
- Can handle animals while being loaded and unloaded from a vehicle.
- Maintain an organized, accessible list of transfer partners, their preferred placements, and contact information for all partners.
- Can maintain composure and conduct oneself in a professional, confident, and courteous manner even when stressed and/or focused on individual tasks.
- Can deal intelligibly, pleasantly, and efficiently with visitors, often doing several things at one time.
- Maintains positive, cooperative relationships with other staff members.
- Work independent of supervision and still be high performing.
- Coordinate the transport and transfer of animals from Gilmer County Animal Shelter to rescue/shelter partners, may drive transports as needed.
- Attend meetings, training, off-site events, and networking opportunities with existing transport/rescue partners, community resources, and potential partners including but not limited to online learning, retreats, seminars, community events, and conferences as approved by management.
- Work with staff to obtain necessary photos and videos to send with pleas.
- With approval, write pleas for animals identified for rescue placement and send them to rescue partners.
- Maintain records for each candidate, including those that have not been selected for transport, which should include all relevant information: medical history, behavior notes, vaccines, medical procedures, health certificates, and basic animal information.
- Communicate medical or behavior needs for animals prior to transport.
- Ensure that health certificates and other transport requirements are obtained in a timely manner.
- Ensure that all available certificates and tags that are needed to travel with the animals are provided to the staff member driving them or are available to the rescue partner at the time of transfer.
- Communicate consistently with representatives from transport partners and Gilmer County Animal Shelter management staff regarding the status of animals. Respond in a timely manner to all requests for information.
- Ensure that all outcome paperwork is properly entered into Gilmer County Animal Shelter system in accordance with our policies and in compliance with the agreements entered which each rescue partner.
- Work with management to develop protocols to streamline the transport and transfer processes.
- Cleans and maintains the shelter: cleans and disinfects all animal areas and related equipment in accordance with the shelter’s standard operating procedures; makes minor repairs to equipment and facility and reports any problems to the Shelter Operations Manager or Animal Control Director.
- Interacts and communicates comfortably with various groups and individuals such as Shelter Operations Manager, Animal Control Director, and the general public; coordinates work activities with other team members to ensure smooth operation of the facility.
- Operates vehicle, and a variety of equipment such as washer, dryer, computer, printer, scanner, laminator, fax machine, etc.; uses specialized tools such as squeegee, scrub brushes, microchip scanner, scooper, syringes, needles, catch pole, leashes, etc.; utilizes variety of supplies such as paper, stainless steel food pans, stainless steel buckets, cleaning chemicals, pet food, general office supplies, etc.
- Ensure pictures of shelter animals are uploaded to county website/ Petfinder/Facebook/etc. in a timely manner.
ADDITIONAL FUNCTIONS
- Must be able to work weekends.
- Performs other related duties as required.
PERFORMANCE APTITUDES
- Specific Knowledge, Skills, or Abilities: Rabies testing procedures; Quarantine principles; Kennel procedures and principles. Ability to interact with impounded dogs, cats and other animals including vicious, stray, sick or injured animals. Ability to handle seeing and dealing with animals that have been abused, neglected or treated cruelly. Ability to learn/perform a variety of animal care related work activities.
- Human Interaction: Requires the ability to exchange information for the purpose of clarifying details within well-established policies, procedures and standards.
- Equipment, Machinery, Tools, and Materials Utilization: Requires the ability to operate, maneuver and/or control the actions of equipment, machinery, tools, and/or materials used in performing essential functions.
- Verbal Aptitude: Requires the ability to utilize a wide variety of reference, descriptive, advisory and/or design data and information.
- Mathematical Aptitude: Requires the ability to perform addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.
- Functional Reasoning: Requires the ability to carry out detailed but routine written or oral instructions. Involves routine work according to clearly prescribed standard practices, with some latitude for independent judgment.
- Situational Reasoning: Requires the ability to exercise judgment in situations characterized by repetitive or short cycle operations covered by well-established procedures or sequences.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
- 1-2 years previous experience working with animals in a veterinary hospital, animal shelter, kennel or similar environment is preferred; or any combination of education and experience which provides the skills and abilities for this job.
- High School Diploma or GED.
- Must possess and maintain a valid Georgia driver’s license along with a clean MVR check.
ADA Requirements: Individuals applying for the posted position must be able to perform the essential functions of the position with or without reasonable accommodation.
Physical Requirements: Tasks require the regular and, at times, sustained performance of moderately physically demanding work, typically involving some combination of climbing and balancing, stooping, kneeling, crouching, and crawling, and that may involve the lifting, carrying, pushing, and/or pulling of moderately heavy objects and materials (50-100 pounds).
Work Environment: Performance of essential functions may require exposure to adverse environmental conditions, such as dirt, dust, pollen, odors, wetness, temperature and noise extremes, or traffic hazards, pathogens and bio-hazards.
Gilmer County is an Equal Opportunity Employer. In compliance with the American Disabilities Act, the County will provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities and encourages both prospective and current employees to discuss potential accommodations with the employer
Company Description:Gilmer County was one of the fastest growing (by percentage) counties in the nation in the 1990s. Today, our growth is at a much slower pace like the rest of the nation. However, infrastructure and capital improvement projects have proceeded in order to create a more responsible future for Gilmer County. This includes many road widening and paving projects, a new parking lot at the courthouse, and fire stations.
We are proud to offer more service than most counties in our region do. Our Fire-Rescue service is a combination of a very highly rated Fire Department and an Advanced Life Support ambulance service. The Gilmer County Sheriff’s Department is one of the few fully-trained and certified agencies in Georgia. Disposal of household trash is offered at various compactor sites. We are also proud to have a very successful campus of Dalton State College located in Downtown Ellijay.