Cook County Animal Control Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Under the supervision of the County Administrator/Controller, is responsible for planning and developing animal control operations in accordance with established policies and regulations. Maintain responsibility for enforcement of State regulations and County ordinances governing animals in the County. Supervises reporting of animal bites to the Health Department for rabies control follow up. The Director is accountable for the distribution, sale, and revenue received for dog licenses sold in the County. Has primary responsibility for managing and administering the County's Animal Shelter, which includes adoptions, shelter and kennel operations, euthanasia licenses, marketing and fundraising, medical treatment and veterinary services, disposal of deceased animals, community relations, volunteer recruitment and management, staff supervision, budget preparation, and staff and volunteer training. Performs related tasks as directed by the County Administrator/Controller. ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Plans, directs and coordinates activities of all departmental employees and volunteers in the office, shelter and enforcement activities. Assists employees in performance of duties.
• Prepares and submits budgets, reports, employee time sheets, and accounts payable functions within the department.
• Prepares and maintains written standard operating procedures for the shelter and Animal Control operations.
• Prepares regular work schedules, on-call and emergency duty rosters for all Animal Control personnel including dog census activity.
• Hires, trains and ensures necessary continuing education of employees. Ensures adherence to established safety procedures, monitors work environment, and use of safety equipment. Performs employee evaluations, including counseling sessions and disciplinary action as necessary.
• Presents reports and information to commissioners, citizen groups, and schools; communicates with public on matters concerning Animal Control Department including the policies, procedures and laws governing activities of the department.
• Responds to citizen complaints regarding dogs or other animals; secures cooperation of animal owners to comply with laws; enforces laws regarding care and treatment of animals.
• Represents St. Clair County Animal Control in any court of law dealing with animal control issues with assistance from the Office of the Prosecuting Attorney or Corporate Counsel. May testify in legal proceeding regarding citations for violation of animal control laws and ordinances.
• Works with the County Treasurer in the issuance of dog licenses; receives and record fees; and make bank deposits.
• Serves as the manager of Animal Control's impounding of stray animals, and is assigned responsibility for the operations of the pound areas of the shelter. These operations include transport, in-processing, redemption, adoption, euthanasia, medical care, cleaning, feeding, and watering of animals.
• Serves as the County's animal shelter director and is assigned responsibility for compliance with all laws, rules, regulations, and County policies and procedures applicable to the operation of the shelter.
• Oversees the County's animal adoption and spay/neuter programs.
• Responsible for development and implementation of fundraising efforts, community relations programs, and volunteer recruitment initiatives. Works cooperatively with other agencies to further the mission of St. Clair County Animal Control.
• Develop and maintain working relationship with other governmental, community and other professional agencies and/or individuals that interact with the Animal Control Division.
• Personally handles difficult problems that arise.
• The position is highly responsible, complex and requires confidentiality of all matters not deemed to be public information.
• Meet with contracted service providers as needed to address quality assurance issues and resolve areas of concern.
• Maintain through working knowledge of and comply with applicable county personnel policies and applicable Collective Bargaining Agreements, Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity programs and applicable Federal, State and Local laws.
• Performs additional duties or completes special projects as directed by the County Administrator/Controller.

SUPERVISION RECEIVED: Work is performed under the direction of the Administrator/Controller SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES: Supervises animal control officers, support staff, vet technicians, contracted veterinarians and volunteers of the Animal Control Department and oversees daily tasks and workload.

EXPERIENCE, SKILLS, EDUCATION: Bachelor's Degree in animal control management, law enforcement, business administration or animal care related field required and 3 years experience in animal welfare and/or animal control including 1 year in a supervisory or management capacity. OR an Associate's degree in animal control management, criminal justice, business administration or animal care related field an 5 years of experience in animal control or animal welfareincluding 1 year in a supervisory or management role Ability to obtain a valid license from the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) for a license to perform animal euthanasia and sedation per the Board of Pharmacy --Animal Euthanasia and Sedation Rules, at R 338.3501, et al.

ESSENTIAL ABILITIES FOR ALL ST. CLAIR COUNTY JOB CLASSIFICATIONS: Must possess a compassionate demeanor to handle animals and demonstrate a genuine concern for their welfare. Ability to demonstrate sound ethics and judgment and to use sound judgment to detect unusual, harmful or emergency situations and act accordingly. Ability to demonstrate predictable, reliable, and timely attendance. Ability to read, write & communicate in English; follow written and verbal instruction and understand basic mathematics and figure checking. Ability to interpret and apply procedures, rules, technical information, instructions, manuals to complete tasks accurately and on schedule. Ability to learn from directions, observations, and mistakes; and apply procedures using good judgment. Ability to use discretion and maintain sensitive and confidential information. Ability to work independently or part of a team; ability to interact appropriately with others such as County officials, employees, vendors and the general public. Ability to work under supervision, receiving instructions/feedback, coaching/counseling and/or action/discipline. Adaptability to change in the work environment, managing competing demands and ability to deal with frequent changes, delays or unexpected events. Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services including customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction Proficient skills using Microsoft Office programs including, but not limited to: Word, Excel, Access, and Outlook required. Proficiency may be tested.

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT: Prior to starting employment, the candidate must complete a satisfactory background check. The background check is understood to encompass all forms of pre-employment screening, including but not limited to: drug screen, physical, criminal background, driving record, sex offender registry, education, training and licensing verification, employment history, credit check, and professional and personal references. Must possess a valid State of Michigan operator license and maintain this license throughout employment in this position. Willingness to further credentials by attending additional education, training and workshops.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS AND WORKING CONDITIONS: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job with or without accommodations. Reasonable accommodations will be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to: Speak to others to convey information effectively. Read, interpret and understand procedures, rules, technical information, instructions and manuals. Hear and understand information presented through spoken words and sentences. Specific vision requirement includes close vision, distance vision, color and depth perception. Use hands to operate a computer, handle materials and operate equipment. Push or pull carts, reach with hands and arms forward, above and below shoulder level. Lift, move or carry objects, equipment and supplies weighing up to 75 pounds. Good physical condition which will mean the fitness needed to exert force necessary to control animals who require physical intervention. Sit, bend, stoop, crouch, crawl and kneel in an ergonomically correct manner. Stand and walk, climb stairs. Normal office hours on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday are from 8:00 a.m. through 4:30 p.m. Tuesday office hours are 11:30-7:00 Generally works in a normal and fluid office environment. The noise level in the work environment is moderate with many interruptions.

AN EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER: It is the policy of St. Clair County not to discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, disability that does not prevent performing essential job functions or because he or she is a protected veteran.