Kitten Nursery Medical Lead

Kitten Nursery Medical Lead Animal Rescue League Of Iowa - 3.2 Des Moines, IA Job Details Full-time 1 day ago Qualifications Collaborate with healthcare professionals Record keeping Medical documentation Maintaining an organized workspace Animal shelter experience Volunteer management Mid-level Sanitation procedures Preventive health (patient care) Animal disease prevention Task prioritization Data entry Safe environment creation Organizational skills Animal welfare Patient progress monitoring Clean workspace maintenance Training Managing patient records Cross-functional communication

Full Job Description Title:

Kitten Nursery Medical Lead FLSA Status:

Non-Exempt, Full-time Lead Lifesaving Care for the Smallest Patients Do you thrive in a hands-on animal care environment and have a passion for helping vulnerable kittens get the best possible start? As the Kitten Nursery Medical Lead at the Animal Rescue League of Iowa (ARL), you'll take a lead role in supporting the daily operations of the kitten nursery while assisting the medical team in providing specialized care to neonatal and underage kittens. This role is ideal for someone who is organized, proactive, compassionate, and comfortable balancing direct animal care and medical support responsibilities in a fast-paced shelter environment. What You'll Do In this role, you will help oversee the day-to-day functionality of the kitten nursery, ensuring kittens receive consistent, high-quality care in a clean, safe, and supportive environment. You'll assist with specialized kitten care including feeding, cleaning, monitoring health, administering treatments as directed, and recognizing concerns that may require medical attention. You'll play an important role in maintaining sanitation and disease prevention practices throughout the nursery, helping prepare spaces for incoming kittens and ensuring areas remain organized and ready for volunteers, interns, and staff throughout the day. Accurate documentation will also be a key responsibility, including entering and maintaining records in Shelterbuddy and other databases to ensure medical and care information is up to date. Collaboration and communication are central to this role. You'll work closely with medical staff and volunteers to proactively communicate concerns, monitor kitten progress, and support treatment plans. You'll also assist with training, guiding, and working alongside volunteers and interns in the nursery to ensure consistent care standards and a positive experience for everyone involved. Beyond daily care responsibilities, you'll support stress and disease reduction efforts through compassionate animal handling and help maintain adherence to ARL policies, procedures, and safety standards. What You Bring You bring strong attention to detail, excellent organizational skills, and the ability to stay calm and focused in a fast-paced environment. You are comfortable taking initiative, prioritizing tasks, and supporting both animals and people with professionalism and compassion. Experience in animal care, veterinary support, shelter operations, or neonatal kitten care is strongly preferred. You should be comfortable handling animals with varying medical and behavioral needs and communicating effectively with staff, volunteers, and interns. Experience with data entry and shelter software systems is a plus. Most importantly, you have a passion for animal welfare and understand the critical role the kitten nursery plays in giving vulnerable animals a chance to thrive. Working Conditions This role involves frequent standing, walking, bending, lifting, and cleaning throughout the day, including the ability to lift up to 50 pounds. The work environment includes regular exposure to animal odors, dander, waste, cleaning products, noise, and the possibility of scratches or bites, as well as exposure to contagious illnesses. Why Work at ARL At ARL, every role contributes directly to lifesaving work. As the Kitten Nursery Medical Lead, you'll help provide critical care to some of the shelter's most vulnerable animals while supporting a team dedicated to compassion, collaboration, and second chances. The work is fast-paced, meaningful, and deeply rewarding for those passionate about making an impact. Employment in this position is at-will, meaning that either the employee or ARL may terminate the employment relationship at any time. In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and applicable state regulations, ARL provides reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities and encourages applicants to discuss potential accommodations. 40 hours per week