Animal Control Officer at King County, WA

About the Department

Are you passionate about animal welfare and ready to make a meaningful impact in your community? Regional Animal Services of King County (RASKC) is seeking a dedicated and compassionate Animal Control Officer to join our dynamic team. If you're someone who cares deeply about animal welfare, enjoys working with people from all walks of life, and thrives in a fast-paced, team-oriented environment -this might be the perfect fit. At RASKC, you'll be part of a mission-driven crew that rescues pets, reunites families, and helps animals find their forever homes. Plus, you’ll be working with a nationally recognized shelter that’s setting the standard for humane outcomes.

ABOUT REGIONAL ANIMAL SERVICES OF KING COUNTY (RASKC)

RASKC provides animal services to 24 cities and unincorporated King County, this includes: rescuing stray, injured, neglected or abused pets; reuniting orphaned pets with families and/or helping them find forever homes through RASKC's pet adoption centers in Kent and several other partner locations; providing pet licensing services; a wide array of volunteering opportunities and much more. King County is a national leader in improving animal outcomes as a municipal shelter, using data and model practices to achieve above a 90% live release rate.

ABOUT RECORDS & LICENSING SERVICES (RALS)

The Records and Licensing Services Division (RALS) is a division of the Department of Executive Services.

RALS operates within a statutory framework that is prescribed by state law and county code. Many of the services administered by the division are mandated by state law, and are provided in King County on a regional basis across jurisdictional boundaries. RALS also provides certain local services to unincorporated King County and by contract with many local municipalities throughout King County. In addition, RALS is responsible for providing internal services that are necessary for purposes of business efficiency and meeting various legal responsibilities.

RALS is responsible for:

• Recording documents related to real property sales and other transactions and making them accessible for members of the public, businesses, and other government agencies
• Collecting and dispersing real estate excise tax payments on the conveyance of real property in King County
• Providing licensing and information services and promoting public safety by administering and enforcing vehicle and vessel licensing and taxi and transportation network company (TNC) regulations
• Providing internal mail services and physical and electronic records management services to all county agencies
• Providing animal care and control services for the protection of property, human health, and safety and promoting responsible pet ownership and animal welfare through education and licensing programs via public and private sector partnerships

RALS is committed to service excellence and building an enduring legacy through continuous improvement.  RALS uses Lean practices to improve our operations, programs, public and internal services, and employee safety. We accomplish this through an equity lens, creating a learning environment, and employee engagement. 

To learn more about RALS, please visit our website at: https://kingcounty.gov/depts/records-licensing.aspx.

Position Duties

SCOPE OF JOB DUTIES – To be considered minimally qualified, applicants must demonstrate a background that provides the knowledge, skill, and ability to: 

• Respond to complaints of animal nuisance and vicious or abused animals and determine course of action, write reports and issue written warnings or citations;
• Rescue domestic owned or stray animals livestock and wildlife, including injured and deceased animals;
• Safely handle aggressive, sick, injured or diseased animals; 
• Effectively communicate and use deescalating techniques when dealing with confrontational individuals; 
• Safely drive a County vehicle obeying all laws and operate other required equipment in a safe and lawful manner; transport animals to other shelter and/or veterinary facilities, adoption events;
• Enforce animal control ordinances;
• Prepare court cases and testify in court;
• Educate and counsel the public on pet care and laws and regulations covering pet ownership.

Minimum Qualifications

WE ARE LOOKING FOR CANIDATES WHO: 

• Have the ability to handle animals in a humane manner under a variety of conditions and are willing to vaccinate and euthanize animals as directed;
• Are experienced in animal handling and behavior assessment techniques, proper methods for the care and feeding of animals, cleaning of cages, kennels, and other areas;
• Have an interest in working directly with our diverse community, providing quality customer service by responding to complaints, inquiries, and problems using effective listening and clear communication;
• Can maintain composure under difficult and stressful situations;
• Are skilled in engaging and building relationships with colleagues, staff and community members;
• Are customer-focused, culturally aware, and comfortable talking about equity and social justice;
• Are passionate about teamwork.

Other Qualifications

• The successful candidate must pass a pre-employment physical including the ability to perform moderate to difficult strenuous manual tasks including lifting animals weighing up to sixty (60) pounds on a frequent basis.
• Successful candidate will need to complete the Animal Control Academy within 6 months of hire. To complete the Animal Control Academy candidates must be able to pass a background check.
• Have or be able to obtain a Euthanasia Drug Certification within one year of hire. 
• Have or are able to obtain a valid Washington State Driver’s License at the time of hire.
• Our successful candidate must be able to work mandatory overtime, after hours, weekends, and holidays including on-call availability.
• This position is represented by the Animal Control Officers Guild.

ARE YOU READY TO APPLY?

The recruitment for this position is open to all qualified applicants. A completed King County Application is required. We highly recommend that you also provide a cover letter and resume, however cover letters and/or resumes are not accepted in lieu of a completed application. Applications and/or Supplemental Questionnaires that state "see my resume" or "see my personnel file" are considered incomplete and will not be accepted.

If you have any questions, please contact Karina Cordova, Human Resource Analyst, by e-mail at [email protected] or by phone at 206-848-0395. This recruitment may be used to fill additional Term-Limited Temporary (TLT) and Career Service (CS) positions vacancies that occur within the next 6 months.

Forbes named King County as one of Washington State's best employers.

Together, with leadership and our employees, we're changing the way government delivers service and winning national recognition as a model of excellence. Are you ready to make a difference? Come join the team dedicated to serving one of the nation's best places to live, work and play.

Guided by our "True North", we are making King County a welcoming community where every person can thrive. We value diversity, inclusion and belonging in our workplace and workforce. To reach this goal we are committed to workforce equity. Equitable recruiting, support, and retention is how we will obtain the highest quality workforce in our region; a workforce that shares and will help advance our guiding principles - we are one team; we solve problems; we focus on the customer; we drive for results; we are racially just; we respect all people; we lead the way; and we are responsible stewards. We encourage people of all backgrounds and identities to apply, including Native American and people of color, immigrants, refugees, women, LGBTQ+, people living with disabilities, and veterans.

King County is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Employer

No person is unlawfully excluded from employment opportunities based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation and pregnancy), age, genetic information, disability, veteran status, or other protected class. Our EEO policy applies to all employment actions, including but not limited to recruitment, hiring, selection for training, promotion, transfer, demotion, layoff, termination, rates of pay or other forms of compensation.

To Apply

If you are interested in pursuing this position, please follow the application instructions carefully. If you need this announcement in an alternate language or format, would like to request accommodation or assistance in the application or assessment process or if you have questions please contact the recruiter listed on this job announcement.

Apply Now