Lead Animal Resource Center Assosciate

Description

Lead ARC Associate provides leadership and support to the front desk team of the Animal Resource Center at the Santa Fe Animal Shelter.  This individual brings a wealth of compassionate customer service skills and organizational strengths together to foster a positive team environment combined with high-level support services to the community of Santa Fe.

Key Elements:

•  Initial and ongoing training of new ARC team members. 
• Provide encouragement and motivation each day to the team to keep a positive atmosphere within the team and organization
• Provide Animal Resource Associates and Specialists with the necessary tools to empathetically support, guide and provide community resource referrals for end of life processes (euthanasia), ensure respectful handling of deceased pets while maintaining adherence to the Compassion Services protocols to ensure proper chain of custody, and handling of deceased pets performing all responsibilities related to end of life services in a manner that preserves the SFAS reputation in the community and honoring the human-animal bond.
• Anticipate customer care and animal intake issues before they become a problem; coordinate with colleagues and other departments to determine a plan of action for ameliorating these challenges; support Animal Resource Associates through difficult customer exchanges employing approved de-escalation techniques. 
• Provide oversight to clerical tasks completed by the Animal Welfare Associates ensuring both accuracy and adherence to current SFAS protocols, including ensuring that all Cash Box Closing errors are noted and dealt with in a timely manner.
• Provide a first line supervisory response to difficult pet guardians while helping Animal Resource Associates and Specialists develop their skills in this area. 
• Provide oversight to clerical tasks completed by the Animal Welfare Associates ensuring both accuracy and adherence to current SFAS protocols, including ensuring that all Cash Box Closing errors are noted and dealt with in a timely manner. 
• Ensure a safe working environment and actively participate in Santa Fe Animal Shelter’s safety programs.

Requirements

• Highschool Diploma or GED 
• Prior supervisory skills preferred
• Ability to use but not limited to Google Suits, Excel, Word, Canva
• Knowledge of shelter policies, procedures and programs.  
• Competence in Chameleon kennel management software (training provided).
• Customer service skills as required to deal with more complicated customers. Defusing difficult situations in a professional manner is required. 
• Ability to delegate duties according to ARC staff’s abilities and interests in a way that ensures all functions of the adoption desk are completed in a timely manner.
• Ability to make independent judgments but also know when to seek supervisory approval.
• Work schedule flexibility and reliability.
• Must be detail oriented. 
• Consistently required to transition from seated to standing; moving, and kneeling or crouching. 
• Constantly required to speak and hear. 
• Required to lift and/or carry an animate or stationary object of up to 70 pounds.
• The work environment exposes the employee to a noise level that is moderate to loud. The employee must be able to handle exposure to working conditions such as poor ventilation, heat, cold, sudden temperature changes, wet quarters, noise, medical and  surgical odors as well as animal odors and dander. 
• An understanding that SFAS is a managed admissionsfacility and the euthanasia and  cremation of animals are regular functions of the Shelter. 
• Potential for exposure to zoonotic diseases, dangerous and fractious animals,  hazardous chemicals, anesthetics, and sharp objects. 
• The employee should be comfortable interacting with animals of various size, breed,  and temperament. 
• Must be able to be around and handle many species of animals including but not limited to cats, dogs and rabbits.
• A valid New Mexico Driver’s license is required.