Job Description

About Us

Here for the animals since 1868, the San Francisco SPCA is able to reach our goals through the dedicated effort of our amazing teams. At the heart of our organization, our Animal Care Associates (ACAs) work directly with shelter animals to provide daily care embedded in a fear-free approach. ACAs maintain sanitary, safe, and pleasant surroundings for hospital patients, staff, and the public. They are crucial to the success of the organization at large.

The SF SPCA saves the lives of homeless dogs and cats through our shelter medicine and adoption programs. Our innovative programs and services serve as models for humane organizations across the country and around the world.

As a community supported nonprofit, not affiliated with any national organization, our values of being Generous, Fearless, and Connected guide our talented and dedicated professionals to deliver on our promises each and every day.

Our Animal Care Associates are the foundation of providing excellent animal welfare care for our shelter dogs and cats. Associates work closely with all internal Shelter departments to actively reduce individual and overall animal shelter length-of-stay, and actively supports and engages with our shelter volunteers. An ideal candidate will have a passion for animals and animal care, takes initiative, is detail-oriented and communicative, and can be a team player in dynamic, often high-energy environments.

Core Responsibilities

• Provide adequate food, water, and enrichment to shelter animals daily
• Monitor animals and immediately report health or behavior abnormalities to supervisor
• Participate in stress and disease reduction efforts through purposeful and compassionate handling and placement of animals in the shelter environment
• Assist with animal intake, evaluation, and treatment
• Create and maintain necessary animal records, perform data entry
• Work closely with other internal departments to actively decrease shelter animals' length-of-stay
• Follow established disease control protocols to daily clean, disinfect, and maintain shelter apartments, kennels, cages, and general areas
• Cultivate positive client, volunteer and coworker relations through professional, courteous, and educational interactions

Requirements

Physical Requirements and Work Environment

• Work is performed in a kennel/shelter setting and also with exposure to various weather conditions while outdoors
• Frequent bending, reaching, kneeling, climbing stairs, walking, and standing on feet 8-10 hours per day while performing job functions
• Exposure to disinfectant solutions when cleaning
• Subject to animal bites and scratches while handling animals of questionable temperament
• Consistently exposed to animals and animal allergens under conditions with limited alterations available
• Tetanus and rabies (pre-exposure) inoculations are required or must be waived
• Occasional lifting of up to 50 pounds with reasonable accommodations

Qualifications

• High school diploma or equivalent
• Customer service experience
• Available to work weekends and holiday shifts as needed
• Highly motivated, outgoing, respectful, and professional
• Team player capable of multi-tasking in a fast-paced environment
• Knowledge of animal breeds, animal behavior, and previous experience with animal handling preferred but not required
• Computer skills in a Windows environment
• Commitment to the mission, values, goals, and success of The San Francisco SPCA

Salary & Benefits

The starting hourly range for this opportunity is $25.00/hour. Through wonderful leadership and an organization that encourages growth for its people, exemplary employees working in this position commonly find career development and long-term opportunities across departments within the organization.

Part-time under 20 hours a week, On-Call, Temporary, and Seasonal positions are eligible for only those benefits provided by law. All positions are eligible for discounts on veterinary care at our SF SPCA Veterinary Hospital and Spay/Neuter Clinic at Mission Campus.

The SF SPCA is an Equal Opportunity Employer. This job description reflects the assignment of essential functions and does not prescribe or restrict the tasks that may be assigned. The San Francisco SPCA is an at-will employer and may conduct pre-employment background checks and drug screening depending on the role.