Adoptions Specialist

Humane Society of Huron Valley•Ann Arbor, MI

10h•Onsite

About The Position

The Adoption Specialist provides client service and animal adoption counseling at the Humane Society of Huron Valley (HSHV), including at the Tiny Lions Cat Cafe. This role requires a highly motivated, outgoing, polite individual with a professional manner. The environment can be emotionally challenging, high-stress, and rapidly changing, requiring emotional regulation, resilience, and adaptability. The specialist will represent HSHV professionally, facilitate client/animal interactions, inform clients about adoption processes, discuss animal history, provide educational materials, promote positive reinforcement training, and recommend HSHV resources and services. They will also develop customer relationships and provide excellent customer service. Additionally, the role involves client service and reception duties, including answering phones, processing paperwork and transactions, updating databases, managing holds, preparing adopter materials, and maintaining a clean workspace. Retail duties include assisting clients in the Paws to Shop Retail Store and Tiny Lions Cat Café Retail Shop. Animal care duties involve treating animals humanely, completing daily care tasks, following disease prevention standards, and working with volunteers. Shelter operations include managing laundry and distributing donations. Cat Café duties involve providing excellent care to cats, facilitating adoptions, running the front desk, processing payments, tracking visitors, and maintaining the cleanliness of the café space. Other duties include supporting HSHV goals, attending training and meetings, reading and responding to email, maintaining awareness of SOPs, and following safety guidelines.

Requirements

Basic computer skills in a Windows environment.
Sincere interest in animal welfare and the mission of the Humane Society of Huron Valley.
A high degree of emotional regulation and resilience.
The ability to tolerate and manage stress.
Adaptability to change.
Empathy for both animals and people.
An overall positive outlook.
Ability to lift and move animals, materials and equipment weighing 40 lbs or more.
Use written and oral communication skills.
Observe and interpret situations.
Analyze and solve problems.
Learn and apply new information and skills.
Perform repetitive work on multiple, concurrent tasks.
Interact with staff, the public, volunteers and others encountered in the course of work.
Must be able to handle occasional volatile situations.

Nice To Haves

Knowledge of animal breeds and behavior helpful.

Responsibilities

Represents HSHV in a professional and courteous manner at all times.
Facilitates client/animal interactions to ensure a safe and pleasant experience.
Informs clients of adoption processes and animal availability.
Discusses animal medical and behavioral history.
Supplies potential adopters with educational materials, including information on behavior modification (if applicable), and any accurate and useful information consistent with HSHV policies regarding responsible pet ownership.
Fits pets for collars and Easy Walk/Freedom harnesses.
Promotes positive reinforcement training techniques.
Identifies and recommends HSHV resources and services including Dog Training Classes, Humane Education Programs, and Veterinary Clinic.
Actively promotes HSHV’s mission, services, programs, and events.
Develops relationships with customers and provides a positive experience for our clients by practicing HSHV’s Ten Principles of Great Customer Service.
Welcomes and directs visiting clients.
Answers and directs incoming phones calls and emails.
Accurately and efficiently processes adoption paperwork, monetary transactions, and receipts.
Performs cash handling tasks and duties.
Performs key administrative steps in the move-to-adoptions process, including updating databases and entering memos for public-facing animal information.
Review and manage holds, including cage signage, database system updates and accuracy reviews, and follow-up calls/communication and scheduling with potential adopters.
Prepare, organize, and supply adopter materials, including paperwork, informational materials, and supplies.
Review and respond to survey responses in Maddie’s Pet Assistant.
Daily social media posts on several social media sites.
Maintains a clean, organized, and well-stocked workspace.
Administrative duties as assigned.
Complete monetary transactions.
Assists clients in Paws to Shop Retail Store and Tiny Lions Cat Café Retail Shop by providing product information.
Treats animals humanely and with respect, following the highest standards for animal care and handling.
Completes some daily care tasks for animals as needed, including walking dogs, changing cat litter pans, feeding cats, etc.
Follows the highest standards for preventing the spread of contagious disease.
Work with volunteers to coordinate daily care of animals (including dog walking, enrichment, cleaning, feeding, etc.).
Operates laundry machines and organizes laundry used in shelter as needed; distributes bedding throughout shelter.
Distributes HSHV in-kind donations for shelter use.
Provides excellent care to cats at the café in accordance with same animal care standards at the shelter, with the additional considerations of the café space.
Helping new cats acclimate to the café environment.
Ensure all cats are comfortable and content in the café setting.
Ensure cats are properly cared for and report any concerning behavior or sign of illness to the café café coordinator and/or appropriate communication channels, including entering information in shelter software.
Facilitates adoptions of cats at the Café, using similar processes and standards as the main shelter.
Maintains a thorough knowledge of cats available for adoption.
Schedules adoptions meetings, with intention to maintain cat levels at the café for special events, while also seeking to keep length of stay for cats minimal.
Runs the front desk of the café, including: Providing excellent customer service, while upholding rules and standards of the café.
Greeting all visitors warmly, welcoming them to the café and providing information about their visit.
Processing payments for visitors, adoptions, and retail purchases.
Accept monetary and in-kind donations.
Track reservations and the number of visitors in the café, ensuring the café remains at or below capacity.
Answer phones and direct calls.
Providing information about special activities and events, and other HSHV resources.
Keeps Cat Café space clean and well organized by working with volunteers and following checklists and cleaning standards for public and staff/volunteer only spaces, including cleaning up after cats (scooping litter boxes, clean food/water dishes, etc.).
Actively supports the advancement of HSHV goals and mission.
Attends and participates in HSHV training programs as assigned.
Attend agency staff meetings.
Read email on a daily basis and respond as appropriate.
Maintain awareness of SOPs and policies established in other shelter departments and how they pertain to/affect the FOH staff and animals.
Follows all safety guidelines to ensure a safe work environment and take immediate action to address any safety concerns.
Other duties as assigned.