Rescue Field Officer

Position Title: Rescue Field Officer

Hours: Full-time, Days, Evenings and/or weekends and holidays

Supervisor: Manager of Cruelty & Rescue

Classification: Non-exempt, Hourly

We are looking for a Rescue Field Officer to help facilitate our animal rescue work. This person is responsible for responding to reports of wild and domestic animals in distress, in a wide variety of situations, using safe animal handling and transport techniques, safe driving practices, while providing good customer service, along with the ability to communicate in both written and oral forms.

**MUST RESIDE IN WASHTENAW COUNTY**

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Responds promptly and courteously to phone calls regarding injured or sick domestic animals and humane wildlife removal. Drive a vehicle to support the safe and reliable transport of animals on a timely schedule, responds swiftly to emergency calls. Transport sick or injured animals to HSHV. Administer first aid and/or humane euthanasia depending on the severity of the injuries if approved by the HSHV
  veterinarian on call.
• Ensure that animals are provided with a comfortable, safe transport from the field back to the shelter; or to the rehabber.
• Ensure compliance with related wildlife laws. Responsible for the transport vehicle and equipment used on a particular day or shift including keeping it clean inside and out, well stocked and ready for use and reporting accidents and the need for repairs to your supervisor immediately.
• Complete administrative procedures for all animals including; required paperwork, check for identification such as tags or microchip, enter information into database, kennel animal, etc.
• Use database system daily to submit animal information for accurate statistical reports.
• Keep accurate records of all calls.
• Must be willing to be trained in certain aspects of animal shelter and rescue operations. This could include but is not limited to kennel cleaning, enrichment, humane animal handling and capture techniques and Trap-Neuter-Return
• Must be willing to learn to handle a wide variety of animals effectively and in a humane manner.
• Must be willing and able to drive a variety of transport vehicles and livestock trailer.
• Cultivate positive client, volunteer, and coworker relations through professional, respectful and courteous interactions.
• Practice and encourage a culture of kindness and understanding.
• Provide quality customer service to clients, volunteers, and staff while actively promoting our mission, services, programs and events.

Days: Our rescue department operates 24 hours a day, 365-days a year, but we each work a 4 to 5-day week. We rotate days off, so week-ends and holidays will be required.

Hours: This is an hourly position working 40 hours per week year-round. The summer season may include mandatory overtime which is paid as time and a half. You might work 50+ hours per week in the summer and closer to 40 hours per week in the winter.

Experience:

Prior experience and comfort working with injured animals is required; animal handling experience is preferred. The type of experiences and aptitudes that we are looking for are intelligence, good conversation skills, physical fitness (this job is physically rigorous), an excellent driving record, honesty, dependability, and a friendly disposition.

The Rescue Field Officer meets the needs of animals and the community by:

• Using excellent time-management, prioritizing and responding to all calls coming into the Rescue phone.
• Handling various species of animals using low stress handling techniques, including; injured domestic animals, native wildlife, exotic pets, and occasional farm animals.
• Delivering compassionate and professional customer service in emotional and stressful situations;

Our ideal candidate is a go-getter, always on the move, never content to take it easy. With so many requests for services throughout Washtenaw County, must have the ability to prioritize and jump from one task to another. Operating in the field, among the general population, means there’s almost always an audience and HSHV knows that ensuring our clients, observers, and passersby are pleased with our service is just as important as ensuring the safety of all animals, wild and domestic. They are patient and attentive, but also brave and confident, ensuring their interactions with all animals are safe and responsive to each animals individual needs. They possess the ability to
excel in a fast-paced, often high stress environment. They meet challenges with a smile and have a flexible schedule, able to change even at the last minute.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS
While performing this job, you will be required to continually walk, stand, squat, twist, and kneel, reach and grab with your hands and arms, in addition to being able to lift and move yourself, animals, materials and equipment weighing 75 lbs or more. You will be exposed to kennel/shelter setting, the indoors and outdoors. You will be exposed to various weather conditions when working outdoors. You will be consistently exposed to animals and animal allergens, including animal hair, dander, saliva, fecal matter, urine, zoonotic diseases, fleas and other mites or bugs. You will also be subject to potential danger including parasites and infectious diseases, animal bites and scratches. Tetanus and rabies (pre-exposure) inoculations are required or must be waived.

MENTAL DEMANDS

While performing this job, you will be regularly required to use written and oral communication skills; observe and interpret situations; analyze and solve problems; learn and apply new information and skills; perform repetitive work on multiple, concurrent tasks; fulfill intensive deadlines; and interact with staff, the public, volunteers and others encountered in the course of work. You will be exposed to others’pain and suffering, and must be able to handle occasional volatile situations.

Please note:
This job description reflects the assignment of essential functions; it does not prescribe or restrict the tasks that may be assigned. Reasonable
accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

The Humane Society of Huron Valley is an at-will employer.