Adoptions Lead

Maryland SPCA•Baltimore, MD

1d•$19 - $20•Onsite

About The Position

The Adoption Team Lead’s primary role is to assist with day-to-day operational support and oversight of the Adoptions department. The Team Lead will perform the duties of an Adoption Counselor, represent Adoptions in cross-departmental meetings, and assist with the training and mentoring of new and existing Adoption staff. The Adoption Lead reports directly to the Adoption Manager. This is a full-time position, which works five, 8-hour shifts weekly. The Adoptions department is staffed Monday through Friday 11am to 7:30pm and Saturday 9:00am to 5:30 pm. While the weekday schedule is flexible, Saturday coverage and closing hours are required.

Requirements

High school diploma or equivalent required.
Experience and comfortability with using database systems required
Experience leading a team in a front-facing customer service position strongly preferred.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to engage the public in a consistently positive and professional manner, including in large-group settings.
Proven ability to work respectfully and collaboratively within a diverse and inclusive environment.
Strong interpersonal skills, with the ability to communicate tactfully, de-escalate tense situations, and manage conflict effectively.
Ability to assess situations accurately and exercise sound judgment, including under emotional stress and with limited direct supervision.
Proficiency with Microsoft 365 applications, including Outlook, Word, Excel, Teams, and PowerPoint.
Strong organizational skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and balance competing demands.
High level of accuracy and attention to detail, particularly with data entry and recordkeeping.
Ability to multitask, remain calm under pressure, and adapt to changing priorities.
Knowledge of pet behavior, basic animal health, and safe animal care and handling practices.
Commitment to and enthusiasm for the mission, programs, and services of the Maryland SPCA.

Responsibilities

Responsible for prioritizing and communicating daily tasks to assist the team in meeting goals.
Learn and perform all duties of an Adoption Counselor thoroughly and exceptionally.
Cultivate relationships with staff by providing mentorship and guidance.
Assist manager in overseeing the training of new staff in current procedures for adoption, as well as shelter-wide training such as animal handling.
Provide customer service excellence in all areas of adoption by supporting staff through their decision-making process and taking over customer concerns when escalated in the absence of the manager.
Ability to de-escalate emotionally heightened situations, actively listen, collect information, create a plan, communicate effectively to all parties, and document the interaction.
Make decisions concerning customer flow, prioritization, adoption holds and cut off time for adoptions at the end of the day when necessary.
Support Adoption volunteers by providing training, daily guidance, and direction.
Supervise interdepartmental tasks and communication, representing and reporting back to the adoptions department with the goal being excellent customer service and decreasing length of stay for pets.
Participate in weekly meetings and represent the Adoptions team in department-based discussions.
Assist with slow track pets to decrease their length of stay by adding to their adoption summary, checking pictures, and other strategies to reduce length of stay and increase marketing.
Assist in updating locations in shelter software (Shelter Luv).
Prioritizing harder to adopt pets by coordinating the Forget–Me–Not program and updating rounds.
Terrice Walk the facility as well as communicate with the medical and behavior team to identify pets ready to be added to the move list, in preparation to be made available for adoption.
Send rescue requests as well as assist with coordinating and managing pick-ups for rescue pets.
Act as a backup counselor and provide support in the foster adoption processes.
Provide excellent customer service and stewardship towards volunteers and foster parents.
Coordinate and conduct both virtual and in-person meet and greets, provide follow-up and timely holds for customers and foster volunteers, and send home pets in a compassionate and celebratory manner for all involved.
Collaborate with Foster department regarding a need for training or correcting a foster volunteer with adoption processes and procedures.
Open and close registers daily, including reconciling daily receipts and creating a deposit.
Open and close the facility as needed, in accordance with all standard operating procedures.
Review animal holds daily to ensure timely movement through the process; conduct morning rounds with the team to check in and brief staff on cases for the day.
Review application manager daily, help structure the day to increase the number of shelter and foster adoptions.
Review daily contracts to ensure licensing, medications, rabies tag numbers, and all opt-in fields are accurately entered.
Merge and maintain accurate client accounts.
Monitor inventory tasks and ordering to ensure weekly orders are placed and received in a timely manner.
Maintain a clean and organized adoption lobby and workspace, ensuring adherence to departmental standards.