Animal Care Specialist

Petco Animal Supplies Stores•Franklin, OH

2d•Onsite

About The Position

The Animal Care Specialist is the primary expert and advocate for the health, welfare, and proper care of companion animals and aquatic life in a Pet Care Center. The role ensures exceptional animal care and habitat maintenance while supporting sales, merchandising, and inventory execution. Working closely with the sales team, the specialist combines animal-care knowledge with operational discipline to deliver a strong customer experience, educate customers and coworkers, and contribute to a collaborative team environment. The job is performed in a Pet Care Center retail environment with active engagement on the sales floor. It involves frequent standing and walking, bending, kneeling, reaching, and lifting; safely moving merchandise, supplies, or animals weighing up to 50 pounds; customer assistance and cashiering; and working near animals, animal dander, odors, noises, and cleaning chemicals. Flexible availability is required to support operating hours, including evenings, weekends, and holidays. Reasonable accommodation may be made for qualified individuals with disabilities.

Requirements

At least 1 year of experience working with or caring for companion animals and aquatic life.
Strong knowledge of animal care, husbandry, and maintenance practices.
Ability to educate others and communicate effectively.
Strong customer-service mindset and aptitude for selling behaviors.
Basic business, math, and inventory-management skills.
Strong organizational, interpersonal, and communication skills.
Completion and ongoing maintenance of the Petco Animal Care Certification Program is required.
Ability to safely lift and move merchandise, supplies, or animals weighing up to 50 pounds.
Ability to work flexibly during Pet Care Center operating hours, including evenings, weekends, and holidays.
Ability to work in proximity to animals and exposure to animal dander, odors, noises, and cleaning chemicals.

Nice To Haves

High school diploma or GED preferred.

Responsibilities

Ensure the health, safety, and proper care of companion animals and aquatic life in accordance with Petco standards, policies, and procedures.
Complete and verify animal-care tasks, including hourly health checks, wellness documentation, maintenance logs, and incident reports.
Ensure appropriate handling, documentation, and care of relinquished and adoption animals.
Serve as a resource for animal-care education for customers and Pet Care Center partners.
Follow and promote safety, animal-welfare, and loss-prevention procedures.
Deliver knowledgeable, compassionate, and solution-focused customer service and support customer interactions using Petco’s selling model.
Promote teamwork, inclusion, and collaboration; mentor and educate partners on animal-care standards, maintenance routines, and best practices.
Maintain clean, professional, and well-presented animal habitats and aquatic areas.
Support department sales, margin, and shrink goals.
Stock, price, and display merchandise to Petco standards, focusing on companion animals and aquatics.
Order live animals, supplies, and related merchandise in partnership with the sales team; analyze inventory data to improve in-stock levels, shrink, and operational efficiency.
Participate in animal- and aquatic-related physical inventory counts.
Assist with opening and closing procedures as assigned and perform additional duties and projects as needed.
Verify scheduled animal-care and maintenance tasks are completed; perform housekeeping such as cleaning habitats and tanks, sweeping and mopping, dusting, and facing merchandise.
Ensure compliance with regulatory, operational, and safety standards.
Process register transactions accurately and efficiently; evaluate customer needs and escalate concerns to the Leader on Duty when appropriate.
Support omnichannel and in-store initiatives through consistent execution and customer engagement.