Northern Hub Adoption Coordinator Position Available In Mecklenburg, North Carolina

Northern Hub Adoption Coordinator 3.5 3.5 out of 5 stars 10017 Biddick Lane, Huntersville, NC 28078 Adoption Coordinator – Northern Hub 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 Adoption Coordinator – Northern Hub plays a vital role in saving lives by providing hands-on animal care, facilitating adoptions and foster placements, and serving as a key connection between the Austin hub transport team and adopters. Based at the Petco Adoption Center in Huntersville, NC, this role provides hands-on animal care while ensuring a smooth and positive foster and adoption experience. A significant part of this position is working alongside volunteers as a teammate, guiding them in daily care and adoption facilitation to maximize efficiency and lifesaving impact. This role is instrumental in establishing and expanding a Direct to Adopter (D2A) model for Austin Pets Alive! (APA!), increasing the save rate for APA!’s target shelters. The Adoption Coordinator will ensure that all animals at the center receive the highest standard of care while also focusing on building a strong foster and adoption network. By prioritizing open, adopter-friendly placements rooted in lifesaving, this position will help shape a more inclusive and effective future for animal welfare.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

Collaborate with the APA! transport team to market and place dogs most in need, maximizing lives saved. Facilitate communication regarding Texas dogs in need, ensuring all placement options are explored before arrival. Provide excellent customer service by processing adoptions through an inclusive, adopter-friendly approach. Perform hands-on animal care, including feeding, providing fresh water, cleaning kennels, facilitating daily outings, and offering enrichment to support animals’ physical and emotional well-being. Administer vaccinations, oral medications, and medical treatments, while also coordinating veterinary care with external Veterinary clinic partners. Support adopters and fosters with pre and post placement guidance, including behavioral, medical, and transition assistance. Coordinate logistics for animal drop-offs and pick-ups, ensuring smooth transitions for animals entering and leaving the center for adoption. Counsel adopters, answer questions, and strive to ensure that every visitor leaves with a pet. Lead and support volunteers by working alongside them, providing training, and ensuring effective teamwork. Assist in development of foster, volunteer, and adopter network for NC Hub location. Assist in developing standard operating procedures (SOPs), streamlining processes for efficiency, and training new team members. Coordinate and physically pick up dogs and cats from the airport or transport or designated arrival locations as needed. Be available for contact from transport drivers and the Texas hub during all scheduled transports. Ensure the adoption center is clean, organized, and well-maintained at all times. Promote a culture of philanthropy by encouraging fundraising support and engaging others in the organization’s mission. In the event of a natural disaster (e.g., winter storm, hurricane, etc.), this position will be expected to help lead rescue efforts along with APA! and AmPA!. This could include communication with affected shelters, organizing national transport efforts, managing volunteers, coordinating donations, and other duties as assigned. Ensure the APA! Shelter Hub embodies the new model of transport programs, always centering equity, and providing non-judgmental support to adopters, fosters, and all stake-holders. 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 Maintain open and consistent communication with Program Manager or designee, supervisor, and other colleagues 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 Comfortable working autonomously when given goals and deadlines

QUALIFICATIONS, SKILLS, & EXPECTATIONS

Must embody APA!’s core values of innovation, respect, drive, resourcefulness, and inclusion At least 2 years of animal handling (cats and dogs) experience preferred Some veterinary medical experience or knowledge preferred Excellent networking and customer service skills Willing and committed to working well with volunteers and staff in all roles Desire to engage in regular networking and partnership building Solution-oriented, positive attitude when encountering challenges or barriers Interest in growing and expanding a program on a state and national level Must have a valid driver’s license and insurance Commitment to APA!’s customer experience expectations

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 comfortably interact with cats/dogs of various health levels, including zoonotic diseases such as ringworm, scabies, intestinal parasites, etc. Must be able to walk big dogs that pull and jump 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 50 pounds and push and pull up to 50 pounds for situations of moving supplies and setting up for events; repetitively use hands to operate computers; flex the neck upward and downward; twist the neck and the waist. 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 May use own transportation to travel and transport Occasional after-hours or weekend work will be required to support program needs Exposure to unpleasant odors 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, exempt 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

This position reports directly to the Adoption Center Manager – Northern Hub, or another individual designated by APA!.

LOCATION

(S): Petco; 10017 Biddick Ln, Huntersville, NC 28078 May travel to offsite locations as needed Occasional after-hours or weekend work may be required to support program needs

BENEFITS

Austin Pets Alive! is proud to offer a competitive benefits package for full-time employees, including a 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 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 job@austinpetsalive.org at least one week in advance of your interview.