Dog Placement Specialist

CommonSpirit Health•Austin, TX

15h•Onsite

About The Position

The Dog Placement Specialist assists clients in finding the dog best suited to their home. Specialists are representatives for the dogs, especially those often overlooked in the shelter environment. They use knowledge of individual dogs, behavior training, and the rescue field to develop initiatives that help connect dogs with the right people. The primary goal is to reduce the length of stay for all dogs, with a focus on large-breed adult dogs. This is a full-time, nonexempt position reporting to the Dog Placement Manager. The role contributes directly to APA!'s mission to increase the live release rate across Texas by supporting a sustainable, inclusive, and high-impact model for shelter operations and placement coordination. The Dog Placement Specialist is responsible for managing daily responsibilities, maintaining clear priorities, and delivering consistent, high-quality work aligned with APA!'s values and goals. This includes staying organized, using data or feedback to inform decisions, and following through on key tasks with minimal oversight. It is a hands-on, mission-driven role focused on results, reliability, and teamwork. As APA! is a volunteer-powered organization, staff members are expected to work alongside and support volunteers, collaborating closely to complete day-to-day tasks, creating a positive and inclusive environment, and contributing 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, ensuring volunteers are recruited, trained, and feel impactful. 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

Must be open and adaptable to new procedures and ways of working
Must have experience working with dogs, and be able to handle large dogs safely
Customer service experience is required
Leadership experience or comparable is required
Must be proficient with email, word processing, and spreadsheets
Must be available weekends and holidays
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
Must be able to be on your feet for long periods of time and work outdoors in all types of weather
Must be able to routinely lift 40-50 pounds
Must be able to focus in a loud and busy environment despite distractions
Must be able to walk around the shelter as needed - uneven ground, keeping a safe distance from dogs and handlers
Must be able to visually observe people and animals from up to 150 feet away
Ability to hear normal speech at close contact and shouting up to 150 feet away with the ability to hear and discern dog vocalizations both soft and loud

Nice To Haves

Experience in dog behavior training is preferable
Bilingual in English/Spanish preferred

Responsibilities

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
Greet customers to ensure that every client has a welcoming and guided experience.
Maintain active customer service throughout the entire 8-hour shift both in person and via communications over text and phone call
Stays current on dogs both on site and in foster - update appropriate documents
Provide guidance to clients in selecting the right dog for their home
Stay up to date on relevant behavioral and health information and training and introduction plans for all onsite dogs
Be comfortable discussing complex dog behaviors with clients in a vernacular that can be easily understood
Ensure all required paperwork for adopters and fosters is completed accurately
Educates adopters and fosters in order to be as successful as possible bringing home their new dog; this could include lower level behavioral and medical needs also
Maintain an open mindset and continually think of how to remove barriers to dogs leaving the shelter
Update compatibility scores and internal notes for all dogs when new information is available and ensure information is accurate on online profiles
Create personalized kennel cards for all onsite dogs to aid clients in their search
Communicate within the MM department and with other departments to ensure efficiency in assisting clients
Respond to email inquiries from clients interested in onsite dogs or Matchmaking services in a professional and timely manner
Ensure safe and productive interactions when introducing dogs to clients.
Conduct and attend regular hands-on training sessions with onsite dogs
Willingness to learn, and adherence to, APA’s methods of dog behavioral training, under the guidance and training of APA Behavior Team members
Demonstrate confidence in discussing and demonstrating training and behavioral management methods to clients
Develop, implement and maintain MM initiatives to increase the number of placements of adult large breed dogs into adoptive and/or foster homes
Develop and maintain positive working relationships with volunteers to increase volunteer retention on the team
Recruit and train new MM volunteers
Meet with advocates and dog-walking volunteers to discuss notes for marketing dogs
Participate in proactive outreach to potential adopters and fosters
Assist with daily tracking of appointments and initiatives
Job duties may include some or all of the above, and other duties as assigned by manager
Must demonstrate dependability, accountability, time management, use of reasoning, and good judgment skills
Attend and participate in all required training sessions and meetings
Maintain open and consistent communication with Program Manager or designee, supervisor, and other colleagues
Partner with Volunteer Managers to learn about the volunteer programs and support volunteers interested in your department on an ongoing basis
Able to react to change productively and perform other related duties as assigned
Able to work evenings, weekends, and holidays as needed
Able to work in a high-volume, fast-paced, high-stress environment
Comfortable working autonomously when given goals and deadlines