Foster Coordinator presso King County, WA

About the Department

This recruitment is only open to current King County employees

Are you someone who takes great interest in the health and wellbeing of animals and can also work considerately and effectively with their human owners? Are you interested in being a leader in service excellence, committed to building an enduring legacy of continuous improvement and employee engagement? Are you a team player? Regional Animal Services of King County (RASKC) is seeking dynamic and experienced Foster Program Coordinator. 

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 Kirkland, including 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 maintain a high live release rate (above 90%).

Records and Licensing Services' guiding principles and core values govern our roles and responsibilities as employees. We are actively seeking employees whose behavior is in alignment with our division's core values of; Collaboration, Service­ Oriented, Results-Focused, Accountability, Innovation, Fair, Just, and Professional.

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 for this opportunity, you must at a minimum demonstrate skill and ability to: 

• Provide support and maintain a high level of communication with Foster program volunteers. Train volunteers in proper animal care; explain and ensure adherence to program procedures, policies and guidelines.
• Draft and maintain program procedural documentation; provide input on policy development.
• Work closely with management team and staff to coordinate placement of animals into and from foster care to ensure shelter capacity is optimal for the season and available resources.
• Ensure that vaccines, worming and other medical treatments are scheduled and administered as needed prior, during or following fostering as directed by a RASKC Veterinarian.  
• Maintain detailed and accurate files, records and data, especially pertaining to the animal and volunteer database and records; adhere to records retention policies and procedures.
• Answer incoming calls and respond to voicemail and email messages from program volunteers and others promptly and professionally. 
• Submit monthly program activity reports and other data as requested.
• Work with the Volunteer Coordinator in the recruitment of Foster care volunteers to expand the program; provide feedback about program volunteers.  Refer difficult issues with volunteers to Volunteer Coordinator for resolution.
• Assist in training clinic and shelter employees in Foster program policies and procedures.
• Monitor foster program inventory.  Order supplies or notify appropriate individuals as needed to maintain adequate supply level.  
• Attend meetings with work groups as necessary; attend other meetings as requested.
• Assure a clean, orderly working environment.
• Provide basic animal care to foster animals, including cleaning, feeding and watering.
• Work on other assigned programs and projects seasonally, as time allows.

Minimum Qualifications

We are looking for candidates who:

• Possess intermediate knowledge of animal health, behavior and nutrition, as well as animal handling techniques and procedures.
• Work directly with animals in an animal shelter environment and understand associated policies and practices.
• Have worked with volunteers, especially training and mentoring them.
• Possess excellent interpersonal and customer service skills.
• Demonstrate effective prioritization of work duties. 
• Are skilled in organization, planning, scheduling and time management.
• Are empathetic and effective communicators.
• Proficient in using Office Productivity tools in your daily work (King County uses Microsoft Office intensively) and experience with Chameleon (or a similar data management product such as veterinary practice management software).Have worked with a variety of individuals from diverse backgrounds.
• Demonstrate exceptional skills in problem solving and conflict resolution. 

Other Qualifications

WORK LOCATION: Regional Animal Services of King County – 21615 64^th Ave S. Kent WA, 98032

WORK SCHEDULE: The animal shelter operates 7 days a week and the schedule for this position will be Monday-Friday schedule between the hours of 7:30am - 6:30pm. Exact hours will be determined prior to first day. This position is covered by the provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act and is overtime eligible and at times may be mandatory.

UNION REPRESENTATION: This position is represented by ACOG - Animal Control - Department of Executive Services (Records and Licensing Services).

Are you ready to APPLY?

The recruitment for this position is open to current King County employees. 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 career service vacancies for up to six 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.

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