Pet Support Counselor (Full-Time)

Richmond SPCA • Richmond, VA

8d • Onsite

About The Position

The Richmond SPCA is a nonprofit animal-welfare organization in Richmond, Virginia, committed to saving, protecting, and enriching animal lives and helping sustain a no-kill community. Pet Support Counselors provide pet-retention counseling and services to the community and help manage the intake of dogs and cats into the organization’s care. The role reports to the Manager of Pet Support Services.

Counselors assist people considering pet surrender or seeking assistance, helping them identify solutions suited to their circumstances. They provide timely guidance by phone, email, and in person; coordinate owner surrenders and transfers from partner agencies; collect detailed animal histories; and provide basic medical procedures such as vaccinations, blood draws, and deworming. The position also involves documenting information, communicating medical or behavioral observations to appropriate teams, supporting volunteers, maintaining supplies and workspaces, and assisting colleagues and department operations.

This role requires daily animal handling and restraint, comfort working in a busy and sometimes stressful setting, and availability on weekdays and weekends. The physical and environmental demands include lifting, prolonged standing, repetitive movement, cleaning, exposure to animal waste and chemicals, loud noise, and potential animal bites, scratches, or zoonotic diseases. The position includes driving or riding for transfers that may take several hours.

Requirements

• Align with the Richmond SPCA’s mission to achieve and sustain a no-kill community, including promoting adoption and spaying/neutering.
• Demonstrate an uncompromising commitment to the wellbeing of every pet in the organization’s care.
• Provide effective, professional, empathetic customer service and communicate well in writing and verbally with the public, volunteers, and employees.
• Be able to multitask, follow written and verbal directions, adapt, and accommodate changing demands productively.
• Have computer skills and the ability to learn new systems.
• Be able to work in a high-volume, fast-paced environment.
• Demonstrate a strong work ethic, reliability, punctuality, and excellent attention to detail.
• Have customer-service experience and the ability to resolve customer-service issues satisfactorily.
• Be able to provide productive feedback to management, work independently in a mature and professional manner, and work effectively as part of a team, including asking for help when needed.
• Have strong time-management and prioritization skills.
• Be comfortable handling dogs and cats daily, including petting, leash-walking, some lifting and carrying, restraint, drawing blood, administering vaccines, and placing animals in cages or carriers.
• Be able to work with needles or willing to learn procedures involving needles, including blood draws and vaccinations.
• Have a high degree of emotional intelligence.
• Have daytime weekday and weekend availability.
• Be able to work in a high-volume, fast-paced, high-stress environment.
• Be able to travel several hours for transfers, either driving or as a passenger.
• Have a valid driver’s license and reliable transportation, including in inclement weather.
• Be at least 18 years old.
• Routinely lift 40–50 pounds.
• Be able to work around animals, including sick or injured animals and animals with behavioral challenges, as well as loud noises, cat litter, animal waste, and various chemicals.
• Be able to bend and use arms repetitively, kneel, stoop, use stairs, and remain on your feet for an entire eight-hour shift.
• Be willing to work in all weather conditions and have the physical strength to perform medical restraint, animal handling, and cleaning duties effectively.

Nice To Haves

• Bilingual ability in English and Spanish, speaking and writing; preferred but not required.
• Experience in the animal-welfare or veterinary field; preferred but not required.
• Knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite, PetPoint, and DaySmart Vet.

Responsibilities

• Assist people inquiring about surrendering or seeking assistance for their pets with empathy and compassion, and work with them to find suitable solutions.
• Provide timely pet-retention counseling by phone, email, and in person.
• Facilitate intake for owner surrenders and transfers from partner agencies.
• Drive company vehicles to transfer pets from partner agencies across Virginia and neighboring states.
• Collect detailed behavioral and background information from people surrendering animals.
• Administer vaccines, draw blood, and give dewormer to dogs and cats of varying sizes, temperaments, and medical histories.
• Enter information accurately into the PetPoint database and each pet’s physical file.
• Report medical concerns or observations to Internal Veterinary Services and behavioral concerns or observations to the Behavior and Training team.
• Work with volunteers and respond to their questions professionally.
• Notify appropriate personnel when pet support supplies are running low.
• Clean, restock, and maintain the workspace, including sweeping, dusting, mopping, taking out trash, and restocking files and supplies.
• Maintain regular communication with the Manager and Assistant Manager of Pet Support Services and the Senior Director of Shelter Operations.
• Assist department colleagues as needed and complete special cleaning projects, side duties, and other assigned job-related duties.
• Attend and participate in required trainings and meetings.

Benefits

• Eligible employees may become clients of the low-cost, full-service Susan M. Markel Veterinary Hospital and have access to an Employee Assistance Program.
• Employees averaging 15 or more hours per week are eligible for voluntary, employee-paid accident insurance, hospital indemnity insurance, and critical illness insurance.
• Employees averaging 20 or more hours per week may participate in the 401(k) retirement plan and have access to paid wellness leave.
• Full-time employees are eligible for medical, dental, and vision insurance; life insurance; short-term and long-term disability insurance; and paid personal leave.
• The Richmond SPCA is a qualified employer for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Education Level: No Education Listed