Community Support Specialist

Organizational Summary:

It’s an exciting time to join the Cincinnati Animal CARE team! Cincinnati Animal CARE is the new county Humane Society in Hamilton County and with this change in operational leadership comes the opportunity to be part of a new beginning in Greater Cincinnati animal services.

Job Summary:

The goal of this department is to keep pets with their families through support intervention and proactive community-based programming. Our Community Support Specialists partner with our community to achieve the best outcome for the pets and people we serve. Community Support Specialists provide an empathetic and compassionate approach while assisting community members with a surrendered animal, admitting a found animal (often with the assistance of our dog wardens), helping an animal return home to an owner, or problem-solving ways to keep a pet in their home. Community Support Specialists must be organized, appreciate attention to detail and data gathering, be a good listener, be open to challenging implicit bias, converse with people to understand their needs and/or concerns, and display problem-solving skills. Must be able to think on your feet, stay calm under pressure, and have a background in customer services or social services.

Community Support Specialists work extensively with the public to provide services and help to keep pets in their homes by identifying barriers, assessing needs, providing consultation, support, and follow through. We believe people are the answer, not the problem so we are looking for candidates with a passion for people in our community. We are passionate about helping people find or obtain the resources they need with kindness, without judgment, and with a true desire to help people first. This is a fast-paced position that requires a high degree of organization, attention to detail, relationship building skills, and a sense of urgency.

Our Community Support Specialists may occasionally work off-site with the goal of keeping pets with their families through proactive support intervention and community-based programming. Through door-to-door outreach in designated Cincinnati zip codes (primarily Price Hill), we build relationships and extend free pet care resources, services and information to an underserved area with limited access to pet care services. Our goal is to become embedded into the community, become a household name, and building a bridge to and from the Hamilton County Animal Shelter. The ideal candidate will have significant understanding of systemic issues that affect underserved populations and commitment to serve the community. This position is highly collaborative with other departments in our organization so a commitment to teamwork and cooperation are a must.

Responsibilities:

• Phone consultations with the public
• In-person consultations with the public
• Data entry
• Vaccinating animals
• Taking pictures of animals
• Off-site community events
• General cleaning

Qualifications:

• A high school diploma or equivalent and one year of animal husbandry/care experience and/or customer service experience
• Comfortable with all sizes, breeds, and species of animals
• Ability to understand and adhere to policies and procedures
• Possess empathetic communication skills
• Ability to handle sensitive issues
• Ability to work under general supervision
• Ability to maintain accurate records
• Ability to restrain animals
• Ability to exercise judgment, tact, and diplomacy
• Ability to understand and carry out oral and written instructions
• Positions within this classification may require a valid Ohio driver’s licenseh2 data entry skills
• Ability to stand for extended periods
• Ability to lift at least 30lbs

Work Environment: The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

• Exposure to unvetted animals is frequent; basic knowledge of animal behavior and common sense is needed. Cincinnati Animal CARE provides equal employment and advancement opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment, without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, pregnancy, gender, disability, national origin, ethnic background, citizenship, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, and expression or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws.