Coordinator, Lifesaving and Care

Best Friends Animal Society•Bentonville, AR

9d•$20 - $21•Onsite

About The Position

Lifesaving & Care Coordinators manage daily functions and support the growth of lifesaving programs, including adoption, while providing basic animal care and enrichment at Best Friends program locations. They help create a welcoming experience for visitors and guests, build connections to the organization’s mission, and act with urgency to advance Best Friends Animal Society’s no-kill mission. Coordinators may receive intensive assignments in a particular program based on organizational needs. The position includes regional travel of up to 25%. The schedule is 4x10s, with holidays, evenings, and weekends potentially included; daily hours and days may vary according to departmental needs. The role promotes and coordinates animal placements by matching animals with adopters, supporting foster and transfer partners, arranging introductions, providing information about animal histories and needs, and coordinating adoption events and offsite adoption opportunities. It also provides and coordinates basic care, volunteer support, enrichment, training, and safe handling for animals. The coordinator helps maintain clean and safe animal housing and workspaces, supports supply inventory, and contributes to accurate communications, data entry, and recordkeeping. Coordinators deliver customer-centered service to adopters, visitors, fosters, volunteers, and transfer partners, and work collaboratively across operations, marketing, and other teams. They may create or oversee social media content, support media relations when requested, and represent Best Friends’ voice in communications. Team members are expected to model kindness, inclusion, respect, authenticity, and safe work practices.

Requirements

Strong communication skills.
Customer-centric, non-judgmental approach to engaging with adopters, partners, visitors, volunteers, and colleagues; familiarity and comfort with a conversational adoption process.
Ability to work with, leash, kennel, walk, and handle cats and dogs, including animals with health or behavioral conditions or concerns.
Basic ability to identify and discuss medical and behavioral characteristics of dogs and cats.
Strong interpersonal skills; ability to work as a team player, be personable and professional, get along with people from different backgrounds, and handle sensitive and confidential situations.
Ability to work in a fast-paced environment and use well-developed organizational skills to manage competing tasks and demands.
Resourcefulness, initiative, problem-solving ability, flexibility, and persistence in pursuing goals.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office products.
Routinely lift 40 pounds and perform strenuous activities including lifting, carrying, reaching, stooping, squatting, cleaning, and bending.
Ability to perform repetitive tasks for extended periods, including typing, sitting, walking, and arm and hand motion.
Ability to work indoors and outdoors in varied weather, including extreme heat and cold, and to handle dogs and cats of all sizes, temperaments, and medical statuses.
Valid driver’s license held for at least 3 years, ability to qualify for inclusion on Best Friends’ insurance, and ability to travel and drive on behalf of Best Friends, including overnight stays when needed.

Nice To Haves

Experience leading teams and implementing programs is preferred but not required.
Bilingual or multilingual skills are preferred but not required.
Familiarity with shelter or animal-management software, or willingness to learn.

Responsibilities

Model kindness, inclusion, respect, authenticity, and compassion in interactions with colleagues, visitors, volunteers, and animals.
Promote, coordinate, and facilitate animal placements, including matching potential adopters with animals and providing customer service, counseling, and medical and behavioral information to support successful adoptions.
Coordinate adoption opportunities through events and offsite adoption meets, identify pet-retention opportunities, and use volunteers when able.
Develop knowledge of animals in Best Friends’ care; assist adopters, fosters, and transfer partners by gathering information, matching them with animals, arranging introductions and pet-to-pet meets, obtaining or providing medical records and health certificates when necessary, and conducting follow-ups as needed.
Create a welcoming and engaging visitor environment, provide customer service, and use interactions to support constituent engagement and organizational goals.
Provide and coordinate volunteer support for feeding, cleaning, walking, and medicating animals in Best Friends’ vehicles, buildings, or facilities, following applicable policies and local procedures.
Coordinate and provide daily enrichment and training to improve animals’ emotional well-being and reduce length of stay; use low-stress housing, cleaning, and handling practices.
Work with volunteers to provide cats with daily interactions and appropriate opportunities to stretch and exercise while meeting individual needs and minimizing stress.
Oversee and execute dog playgroups using safe handling practices and knowledge of dog behavior; work with volunteers on playgroups and enrichment.
Maintain clean workspaces and animal housing areas, stock supplies, and support maintenance of the master supply inventory.
Develop detailed knowledge of Best Friends’ programs to help match animals and clients’ needs and provide superior customer service.
Assist with or oversee the creation and editing of written, video, and photo content for social media.
Collaborate with departments and marketing teams to identify social media and public relations engagement opportunities that support lifesaving outcomes and program needs.
Represent Best Friends in media relations when requested and maintain the organization’s voice across communications.
Collaborate with team members across operations to develop, improve, and implement efficient processes; follow policies, procedures, and task lists, and complete communications, work, data entry, and recordkeeping accurately and on time.
Maintain a safe workplace, model safe practices, follow organizational safety rules, and communicate unsafe practices or conditions.
Travel regionally up to 25%, including driving on behalf of Best Friends and overnight stays when needed.