Animal Care Manager

Job Description: The Animal Care Manager position will be responsible for management and care of all Lifesaving Center animals.

Expectations of all staff and volunteers:

1. True respect for and love of ALL animals and a strong desire to save lives – OUR MISSION!
2. Positive, can-do, problem-solving attitude
3. Professional with strong leadership and interpersonal skills
4. Ability to handle tough situations and people
5. Honest, highly attentive to detail, and communicative
6. Enthusiastic, collaborative, and dependable team player who takes initiative
7. Mentally and physically strong
8. Customer service oriented - courteous, helpful, tactful, and professional with all volunteers, staff, customers, and donors
9. Energetic, ability to work in a dynamic environment, managing multiple competing tasks/demands
10. Punctual and dependable

Duties include:

1. Work with Lifesaving Center Operations Manager(s)
2. • Build an amazing team and ensure the Lifesaving Center (LC) is a cheerful, welcoming environment in which all pets, volunteers, visitors, and staff are treated with kindness and respect.
   • On-site during all open hours
   • Perform prioritized tasks determined by LC Operations Manager(s)
   • Weekly staff meetings

2. Oversee LC Animal Care. Set up and oversee all daily animal care and enrichment protocols.

• • Help with animal care shifts to ensure volunteers are properly feeding, medicating, cleaning, etc.

In all areas, look for ways to reduce Length of Stay (LOS) for all LC pets (adoption being first priority, foster being second)

• • Oversight of all daily animal care protocols (including enrichment for each animal)
  • Number of LC residents not to exceed agreed upon numbers for cats and dogs
  • Make best mental and physical health decisions for all LC animals
  • Make sure no size or power discrepancies in community dog rooms
  • Oversight of daily enrichment and playgroups
  • Work with LC Move team on decisions about moving animals between LCs
  • Keep inventory of all medicines/dewormers/preventatives/vaccines and acquire what is needed before running out (let Medical team know when half full)
  • Keep detailed records up to date in ShelterLuv (pics, bios, meds, preventions, vaccines, vetting, behaviors, etc.) and makes weekly checks of all LC pets to make sure up to date.
  • Keep all boards up to date daily.
  • Report any unacceptable pet behavior to LC Ops Mgr immediately.
  • Spot check ShelterLuv to make sure all LC pets are up to date.

3. Volunteer/Staff Training and oversight Train all new LC volunteers and staff

• • Reports any unacceptable volunteer or staff behavior to LC Ops Mgr immediately.
  • Works with LC Ops Mgr to correct unwanted behavior

4. Adoption Counseling (when approved) for all LC pets. Reach out same day (preferably within an hour of receipt) to applicants.

5. Oversight of LC animal care schedule Training all new volunteers to use Google Sheets schedule

• • Regular communication with all Animal Care Leads
  • Keep Leads scheduled a month in advance
  • Find substitute Animal Care Leads when someone cannot fulfill their Lead shift
  • Ensure all volunteers put their own names on schedule

6. Foster home coordination Set foster expectations for care, commitment, transport, etc.

• • Move eligible LC pets to foster homes to reduce LOS.
  • Regular communication with foster homes.
  • Have fosters bring pets to LC for all meds or issues.
  • Keep a manageable number of pets in Foster Homes at one time (not more than can easily be communicated with and managed)
  • Keep LC spots open for short-term foster pets
  • Keep foster board up to date with current pets out in foster homes and their upcoming needs (HW prev, vaccines, dewormers, etc.)

7. Regular communication with all animal care staff and volunteers

• • Cat Care Support Lead (trained volunteer)
  • Dog Care Support Lead (trained volunteer)
  • Building Support Lead
  • LC Move Team
  • Shelter Intake Team
  • Transport Team
  • Veterinarians

8. Conduct Volunteer/Foster Orientations and Foster Talks – twice a week

9. Attending weekly meetings

10. Social Media

11. Other duties as assigned

Physical Requirements include:

1. Standing, walking, climbing stairs throughout the day
2. Lifting/moving/loading heavy objects up to 50 lbs such as dog/cat food/litter, crates, etc.
3. Lifting/holding/restraining/bathing cats and dogs
4. Loading and driving large van of dogs and cats to events and appointments
5. Working indoors and outdoors in all types of weather conditions