Shelter Population Coordinator

Shelter Population Coordinator

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.

POSITION SUMMARY/OVERVIEW:

The Shelter Population Coordinator will help ensure efficient movement of cats and dogs through the shelter and into a foster or adoption placement. Their overall goal is to reduce the length of stay in the shelter for most animals by identifying challenges to movement and working with team managers to provide and implement solutions. As APA! shifts to a foster-centric model, the Population Coordinator will play a critical role in ensuring that all shelter animals in need are moving quickly to the most appropriate placement.

The ideal candidate for this role is detail-oriented with strong critical thinking, communication, and interpersonal skills. They should be able to maintain organization in fast-paced environments, with a desire to solve problems quickly and collaboratively. They will have a thorough understanding of what ideal movement through the shelter looks like and what information, data, and processes can best facilitate rapid home placements. Comparative experience in other industries may include project/program management, client relations, database management, or other related roles.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

• Oversee process for and completion of daily shelter population and kennel inventory rounds, including escalation of concerns to appropriate managers
• Work closely with various team managers to ensure timely and thorough data entry and updates in the shelter records system at every stage
• Oversee Care Pathways program, including maintaining processes for identifying animals needing additional support and managing CP volunteers
• Help identify opportunities for improvement in processes or policies that can aid in faster placement of animals into appropriate foster or adopter homes
• Review notes for animals returning to shelter and offer considerations for future placements
• Facilitate ongoing data reporting to identify and implement goals, procedures, and systems needed to improve efficacy and efficiency of lifesaving
• Develop mastery of ShelterLuv software to support goals
• Support a culture of urgency and excellent team work
• Other work and projects will be assigned by the Admissions Manager as needed

OTHER FUNCTIONS:

• Attend and participate in all required training sessions and meetings
• Maintain open and consistent communication with all program managers, supervisor, and other colleagues
• Partner with Volunteer Managers to learn about the volunteer programs and manage volunteers interested in your department on an ongoing basis
• Able to react to change productively and perform other related duties as assigned
• Able to work evenings, weekends, and holidays as needed
• Able to work in a high volume, fast-paced, high-stress environment

QUALIFICATIONS, SKILLS, & EXPECTATIONS:

• At least one (1) year of experience working in an animal shelter, rescue, medical clinic, or other related agency; with an understanding of high-volume population movement and management
• Demonstrated ability to work cooperatively in a fast-paced, high-stress environment
• Demonstrated persistence with key stakeholders to ensure tasks are completed in a timely manner
• Demonstrated ability to proactively identify areas of opportunity, develop and implement solutions, and improve processes
• Demonstrated ability to collect, sort, and analyze data to aid in decision-making
• Strong computer literacy, including internet-based applications and Google Workspace applications; experience with ShelterLuv software a plus
• Working knowledge of dog and cat handling and behavior, including pets with challenging temperaments and with severe health conditions
• Ability to quickly learn and communicate APA! policies, protocols, and procedures regarding intake, medical care, and placement
• Ability to work effectively and respectfully with others in high stress situations
• Ability to quickly adapt to unexpected changes in plans and circumstances
• 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

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 in inclement weather
• Must be able to comfortably interact with cats/dogs of various health levels, including those who may carry zoonotic diseases such as ringworm, scabies, intestinal parasites, etc.
• Must be able to walk big dogs that pull and jump, and complete all required dog and cat handling training
• Able to be on your feet for multiple hours of the day
• 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 with the ability to hear and discern dog vocalizations both soft and loud
• Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer
• Must be able to focus in a loud and busy environment despite distractions
• Must be able to walk around shelter as needed - uneven ground, keeping a safe distance from dogs and handlers
• Will sit, stand, walk, talk, hear, stoop, bend, stretch, squat, kneel, grasp, grip, put fingers together firmly and reach above and below shoulder level, lift and/or carry up to 40 pounds and push and pull up to 50 pounds for situations of moving supplies or animals; repetitively use hands to operate computers; flex the neck upward and downward; twist the neck and the waist.

WORK ENVIRONMENT:

• Standard shared office environment, with exposure to environmental conditions that include working with and near animals
• Work is often performed inside, but some outside work is required
• Weekend and occasional after-hours work may be required to support program needs
• Exposure to unpleasant odors and noises
• Potential exposure to bites, scratches, and contagious or zoonotic diseases
• Rapid pace with exposure to potential hazards including animal waste, disinfectants, and high levels of noise

WORKING RELATIONSHIPS:

This position reports directly to the Admissions Manager. They will supervise a team of volunteers who work primarily remotely.

This position also works closely with team managers across several departments, including dog, cat, neonatal, foster, clinic, and more.

LOCATION(S):

• APA! Main - Town Lake Animal Center 1156 West Cesar Chavez Austin, TX 78703
• APA! Tarrytown, Windsor Road, Austin, TX
• May travel to offsite APA! locations or partner locations as needed

TIME COMMITMENT:

This is a full-time, exempt position with an average of 40 hours per week. Typical schedule is five 8-hour days, including one weekend day.

SALARY AND BENEFITS:

This is a Grade 2, Level 1 position with a starting annual salary of $40,000.

Austin Pets Alive! is proud to offer a competitive benefits package for full-time employees, including up to 95% subsidy on 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, subsidized pet insurance, 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 a third week 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.