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Job Description
Job Description Help for Job Description. Opens a new window. Veterans Preference
JOB SUMMARY
Responsible for the safe and humane handling and care of all animals at Marion County Animal Services. Daily tasks include training employees, providing exceptional customer service and adoption counseling, as well as feeding, cleaning, medicating, exercising, and enriching animals.
ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS
Trains employees at Marion County Animal Services, which requires department specific specialized knowledge and skills. May act on behalf of the Animal Care Tech Supervisor in their absence, which includes providing guidance to others and assisting with assignment and scheduling responsibilities. Cleans and disinfects kennels, cages, and other animal housing areas, including dishes and laundry, as per established SOPs and in alignment with best practices. Prepares and provides food, water, and medication to animals. Performs routine observation of animals and their cages to monitor food consumption, behavior, symptoms of disease, and condition of animals. Administers medications, vaccinations, and preventative medicine; implants microchips. Performs venipuncture to conduct heartworm and other diagnostic testing; prepares and interprets fecal tests. Assists with incoming animals. Required to handle scared, fearful, fractious and potentially dangerous animals in a safely, humanely, and with compassion, in accordance with Fear Free standards. Provides daily enrichment; maintains current notes on observed and interactive behaviors of animals. Responsible for identifying changes in health and behavior, and bringing to the attention of the appropriate team members for action. May occasionally assist with pre-operative and post-operative care of animals. Maintainsrecords,reports, and drug logs. Ensures competency and documentation of all tasks, including fiscal and revenue accountability and controlled substance (euthanasia drugs). May perform or assist with the preparation and shipment of animal specimens for rabies laboratory testing. Stocks, maintains, and inventories all equipment and supplies; notifies appropriate employee(s) when replacement is needed. Coordinates and supervises volunteers and community service workers in general caretaking duties. Provides customer service to members of the general public, volunteers, fosters, partners and other County employees. Personal contact occurs with other employees of the unit, employees of other departments in the County, citizens, and customers of the department. Service is provided in person, online, written, or by phone contact. Provides public education to individuals or groups; attends events as a representative of MCAS. Attends trainings, conferences, events, seminars, meetings, hearings, and other continuing education opportunities. Conducts adoption counseling and responsible pet ownership education, in an empathetic and non-judgmental manner. Assists members of the public searching for lost animals and provides additional information and support if their pet is not found at the shelter. Performs minor repair and routine maintenance of kennels and cages. Transports, unloads and stores food, supplies, disinfectants, and equipment. Trained and expected to drive trucks and trailers for the safe transport of animals, equipment, supplies, and other items. May assist the front desk area, to provide support during peak periods; performing clerical duties, answering phones, and routine transactions, to include cash handling. Performs routine filing and record keeping tasks; must have superior data entry skills and the ability to clearly communicate via written word. Communicates over two-way radio channels while initiating and responding to radio communications. Attends off-site events, conferences, trainings, and may be asked to assist field operations, if needed. Responsible for performing humane euthanasia in a safe and compassionate manner, in compliance with currently recognized gold standard best practices, for animals that have been identified as a threat to public safety and/or suffering physically or mentally. May serve as relief driver on the mobile spay neuter clinic, if candidate holds a CDL B license; this is not required. Required to work a rotating schedule to include weekends and holidays. Required to report to work as scheduled, and to work the entire assigned schedule. Required to report to work to provide support, coordination, and completion of duties as detailed by the Florida Division of Emergency Management ESF17 in the event of a disaster, severe weather threat, or other declared emergency; including but not limited to disaster response at the shelter or pet-friendly shelter locations around the County. May assist in the care of livestock and/or all other species of animals. Performs basic care of county vehicles. Implements the organizations guiding principles and core values. Performs other related job duties as assigned.
SUPERVISION
This position occasionally functions as a lead worker for a small group of employees (one to five) in the absence of a designated lead position. May review the work product of others. Provides guidance, advice, and assistance to others on work assignments. Provides work direction.
QUALIFICATIONS
Education and Experience :
High school diploma or equivalent; two (2) years experience in a kennel, veterinary clinic, and/or animal shelter preferred; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
Licenses or Certifications:
Possession of a valid, State of Florida drivers license to operate a motor vehicle for required travel. Requirement exists at the time of hire and as a condition of continued employment. Successful completion of Florida State approved sixteen (16) hour euthanasia technician certification course within twelve (12) months of appointment. Rabies preventative immunization required upon appointment.
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES
Ability to read and interpret documents such as safety rules, operating and maintenance instructions, and procedure manuals. Ability to write and type routine reports with accurate grammar, punctuation, and spelling. Ability to communicate with members of the public, customers and employees of the organization. Ability to calculate figures and amounts such as proportions, percentages, area, and volume. Ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals. Problem solving skills. Ability to explain records and procedures to others as a lead worker. Ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out instructions furnished in written, oral, or diagram form. Ability to deal with problems involving several concrete variables in standardized situations. Ability to exercise judgment regarding the use of equipment, tools, or materials. Knowledge of drug use regulations, euthanasia and disposal techniques, and bio-hazardous waste disposal. Knowledge of Animal Services policies, procedures, and operations. Knowledge of Emergency Management policies and procedures pertaining to animals. Knowledge of Marion County Animal Control and Enforcement Ordinance and Florida State Laws Relating to Animals. Knowledge of humane restraint and handling techniques. Knowledge of responsible pet ownership, standard vaccine and preventative medicine scheduling, benefits of sterilization, and common shelter pet challenges in the home, along with the skill to effectively convey this knowledge to the public. Knowledge of animal types, species, and breed. Knowledge of communicable zoonotic disease symptoms. Skilled in conflict resolution. Ability to identify animals by breed, breed traits, assess behavior, and recognize common health conditions and symptoms of disease. Ability to make decisions and prioritize job assignments. Ability to work in a fast paced environment and to remain calm in stressful situations involving people and animals. Ability to work as part of a team, to take a teamwork approach to the job by cooperating with others, offering to help others when needed, and considering larger organization or team goals rather than individual concerns. Ability to build a constructive team spirit where team members are committed to the goals and objectives of the team.
PHYSICAL DEMANDS
The work is heavy work which requires exerting up to 100 pounds of force occasionally, and/or up to 50 pounds of force frequently, and/or up to 20 pounds of force constantly to move objects. While performing the duties of this job, the employee will occasionally be required to climb, balance, and run; will regularly be required to talk or hear; and will frequently be required to stand, walk, use hands to finger, handle or feel, reach with hands or arms, stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl, and smell. When working with live animals, agile physical reflexes are necessary to ensure the safety of animals, employees, and volunteers.
WORK ENVIRONMENT
Work is performed in various indoor and outdoor environments. While performing the duties of this job, the employee will frequently be exposed to outdoor weather conditions, wet or humid conditions, animal waste and/or blood, and cleaning chemicals. May experience high levels of occupational noise exposure while working in the kennels or in the field. Marion County has the right to revise this job description at any time. This description does not represent in any way a contract of employment
WORK SCHEDULE
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Full Time SALARY:
$16.08 to $18.49 hourly. DOE. For instructions to apply, click the green "Apply" button.
