Cat Foster & Adoption Support Coordinator

CommonSpirit Health•Austin, TX

8d•Onsite

About The Position

The Cat Foster and Adoption Support Coordinator plays a key role in advancing the goals of APA!’s Foster and Adoption Support Program, with a focus on foster placement and support. This position contributes directly to APA!’s mission to increase the live release rate across Texas by supporting a sustainable, inclusive, and high-impact model for foster coordination. The Cat Foster and Adoption Support Coordinator is responsible for managing their daily responsibilities, maintaining clear priorities, and delivering consistent, high-quality work that aligns with APA!’s values and goals. This includes staying organized, using data or feedback to inform decisions, and following through on key tasks and responsibilities with minimal oversight. This is a hands-on, mission-driven role focused on results, reliability, and teamwork. APA! is a volunteer-powered organization, so every staff member is expected to work alongside and support volunteers. The Cat Foster and Adoption Support Coordinator collaborates closely with volunteers to complete day-to-day tasks, helps create a positive and inclusive environment, and actively contributes to a culture of shared effort and mutual respect. This position may involve shift flexibility, weekend hours, and responsiveness during times of high need. Every individual at APA! is responsible for working in collaboration with volunteers; making sure volunteers are recruited, trained and feel impactful through their efforts at APA!. A core part of this role is creating a welcoming and empowering experience for volunteers, including assisting with onboarding, training, and volunteer engagement as part of the day-to-day workflow.

Requirements

Committed to embodying APA!’s Core Values: Innovation, Respect, Drive, Resourcefulness, and Inclusion and cultural values: Humble, Hungry, Smart
Commitment to APA!'s customer experience expectations
Passion for working well with staff, volunteers, and customers—helping all individuals feel successful, appreciated, and connected to APA!’s mission
Strong commitment to volunteer engagement and support; dedicated to working well with volunteers across all roles
Comfortable working cross-functionally and serving as a liaison between volunteers, customers, and team members
Effective written and verbal communication skills; able to interpret rules, procedures, and instructional materials
Self-starter with strong time management; able to work independently and collaboratively
Excellent interpersonal skills; maintains a calm and professional presence in all situations
Strong attention to detail and high standards for quality
Adaptable to change and able to perform related duties as needed
Dedicated to delivering an exceptional and inclusive customer experience
Safely handle cats of varying temperaments, prioritizing their well-being.
Maintain punctuality and regular attendance.
Utilize multiple communication channels including email, text messaging, and phone calls for effective correspondence.
Possess basic experience in cat handling and care.
Possess fundamental knowledge of cat behavior.
Show competency in computer skills, with a preference for familiarity with Google Apps.

Nice To Haves

Fluency in English and Spanish desired

Responsibilities

Coordinate and train cat foster caregivers, staff, and volunteers to ensure that they follow all APA! policies, procedures, and protocols and execute all responsibilities
Provide concierge-level service to fosters and adopters of APA! cats seeking pre or post-adoption medical coverage or other support– including responding to medical inquiries, requesting medication for fostered and pre-adopted cats in accordance with medical protocols, scheduling medical services, assisting in finding a new foster placement or with behavioral concerns, and assisting fosters and adopters through any additional needs.
Oversee a caseload of cats through timely and scheduled follow-ups, actively engaging in outreach to foster parents.
Collaborate with onsite cat teams (care, adoptions, placement, intake) to ensure accurate information and medical requirements are provided for all cats and foster parents.
Offer continuous support and exceptional customer service to foster parents throughout their fostering journey. Regularly communicate with current fosters about the medical, behavioral, and other needs of their foster cats.
Ensure the fulfillment of medical and marketing needs for cats in foster care.
Help establish and manage a systematic approach using Airtable for tracking and notifying fosters about essential milestones, such as vaccine schedules, preventatives, and spay/neuter surgeries for their foster cats, as well as timed follow-ups.
Work closely with the Specialty Cat Coordinators (FelV, Ringworm, Major Medical and FIP) and help cover as needed
Help train the Cat Foster + Adoption Support Volunteers and delegate tasks accordingly
Develop and maintain foster caregiver training and resources, as well as post adoption support resources
Work with Foster + Adoption Support Program team members to create toolkits for fosters and adopters.
Work with the education team and APAtec to support the creation of toolkits and resources for other shelters to access to learn programming.
Create and update protocols, spreadsheets and any documentation related to the program
Help support the Events Team, coordinating with fosters to bring cats to events, and working with them to help place cats.
Actively contribute to a volunteer-powered culture by partnering with volunteers during every shift and helping create an inclusive, welcoming environment
Work alongside volunteers to complete daily tasks, ensuring the work is shared and collaborative—not siloed
Support the recruitment and onboarding process by welcoming new volunteers and helping them get oriented to the program
Help retain volunteers by offering encouragement, guidance, and feedback during shared work
Recommend strong volunteers for deeper involvement or specialized roles to your supervisor or volunteer manager
Contribute to a positive culture by recognizing volunteer contributions through appreciation, gratitude, and shoutouts
Help set volunteers up for success by clearly explaining tasks, providing hands-on guidance, and offering in-the-moment support