PAWS Adoption-Foster Coordinators facilitate foster and adoptive placement for the homeless pets in PAWS’ care. This role will primarily be based out of our Old City Adoption Center location and will focus on cats, kittens, and small animals. PAWS places thousands of pets into foster and adoptive homes every year. Adoption-Foster Team (AFT) staff members interact with the public on a regular basis in a fast-paced, high-volume environment and must strive to provide a positive experience for these individuals at all times. Because our team is collaborative and our animal population can have complex medical and behavioral needs, excellent written and verbal communication skills, organizational skills, and the ability to prioritize and take initiative are crucial for this role.

 

Duties include but are not limited to:

Engaging with potential foster parents and adopters to ensure smooth and timely placements. This includes:

— Communicating with all applicants in a non-judgmental manner;

— Screening applications thoroughly;

— Employing compassion, curiosity, patience, and attention to detail during conversations with applicants;

— Sharing resources and information relevant to each home and experience level;

— Making appropriate matches between applicants and the population of available pets.

Meeting with potential foster parents and adopters with an eye towards sustainable and successful placement, including:

— Thoroughly reviewing the pet’s history;

— Managing interactions between family/household members and for dogs, resident dogs meeting shelter dogs;

— Preparing and dispensing medications to be sent home;

— Preparing and dispensing basic supplies and enrichment items to go home;

— Completing the post-placement communication process after the pet moves into a home.

Supporting animal care and operations at our facilities. This includes:

— Training, supervising, and building relationships with volunteers to support retention;

— Administering medication to shelter pets;

— Providing enrichment to shelter pets;

— Ensuring animals have clean cages, and fresh food, water, and litter.

Providing information, guidance, and support for foster parents as they navigate foster procedures, get their foster pets ready for adoption, resolve or manage medical issues, and work through behavior concerns. This includes:

— Communicating with consideration to the foster’s experience level and emotional investment and honoring their feedback;

— Asking questions of foster parents and adopters to get objective information and sharing relevant resources and information;

— Reviewing animal medical records and seeking out guidance from the medical team or management to ensure a pet’s medical history and medical plan are clear;

— Supporting foster parents through emotional decisions and events in their foster pets’ care including unexpected illness, death, or euthanasia.

— Communicating relevant updates and surfacing questions and concerns for follow-up succinctly, thoroughly, and effectively with other AFT members and other departments as needed.

Creatively promoting PAWS pets to both foster parents and potential adoptive homes, including:

— Spending time with the pet to get a sense of their personality in a shelter;

— Taking high-quality photos and videos of pets available for foster or adoption;

— Writing engaging, positive, and informative promotional bios to attract fosters or adopters, including important details from their known history;

— Posting on PAWS’ social media channels.

Pathway planning for the pets in care to determine the best next steps, including:

— Identifying pets needing foster care, cats onsite who are ready for adoption center transport, and cats in foster care who are candidates for adoption centers; 

— Helping to monitor pets both onsite and in foster care who need follow-up care due to medical or behavior issues;

— Coordinating volunteer transport for cats and supplies needing to go to or from adoption centers as well as leading or assisting with preparing cats and supplies for transport.

Administrative support, including:

— Responding to phone calls, voicemails, and emails with an eye towards triaging and prioritizing time-sensitive needs;

— Hard copy and digital file organization for signed contracts, signed waivers, and resources; 

— Thorough record-keeping and data entry for person and animal files;

— Scheduling phone and in-person appointments in shared calendars;

— Speaking with applicants over the phone or in person to review their application

— Inbox hygiene with attention to existing procedures and best practices so information is easily accessible by staff who need it.

Organization and cleaning support, including:

— Processing and filing foster and adoption contracts

— Compiling and storing supplies for fosters and adopters

— Keeping all work and storage spaces clean and organized

— Sorting and storing donated items

— Leading with compassion in each interaction with clients and members of the public, including visitors to adoption centers, potential foster parents or adopters, recent adopters, and donors as well as clinic clients, people inquiring about our services, and surrendering owners.

— Working cooperatively with staff and volunteers to create a welcoming and supportive team and work environment.

— Promoting a humane and caring attitude towards pets and treating all animals with compassion at all times, including those who are sick, injured, stressed, or reactive.

— Other duties as assigned.

 

Education and experience required:

— A high school diploma or equivalent is required. Bachelor’s Degree or some college preferred.

— Professional experience working with animals with behavioral and/or medical needs is preferred.

— Experience working or volunteering in an animal rescue, shelter, or veterinary practice is preferred.

— Customer service experience is preferred.

— Professional writing experience is preferred.

 

Physical Requirements:

— Ability to walk and/or stand on your feet throughout a normal workday and tolerate loud noises.

— Ability to lift and move objects and animals weighing up to 50 pounds for short distances and to humanely restrain an animal when necessary.

— Allergic conditions that would be aggravated when handling animals may be a disqualification.

 

Required Skills and Qualities:

— Ability to read, write, and understand English (other language proficiency a plus).

— Strong sense of initiative, identifying tasks that need to be accomplished and prioritizing appropriately, working independently with minimal supervision and direction.

— Allergic conditions that would be aggravated when handling animals may be a disqualification.

— Computer proficiency in Microsoft Office and Google/G-Suite products, and proficiency or comfort with learning the internet-based software used by the organization (ShelterLuv, Airtable, Mailchimp).

— Working knowledge of basic animal health and behavior.

— Excellent customer service skills.

— Flexibility, maturity, and ability to manage multiple tasks and accommodate varied work assignments and schedules.

— Ability to communicate effectively with a culturally diverse staff, volunteers, and community in a professional, pleasant, respectful, courteous, and tactful manner at all times.

— The ability to remain pleasant and calm even in stressful situations, and to turn people down, firmly when necessary, without becoming aggressive or unpleasant.

 

Direct Supervisor: Senior Adoption and Foster Program Manager

 

Hours/Location: PAWS is open seven days a week. A minimum of 6 hours per day, 24 hours per week, is required. Preferably available both Saturday and Sunday, but must be available at least one weekend day per week. This position will primarily be based out of our Old City location but may require occasional shifts at our Grays Ferry location. Includes some holiday work. The daily schedule may vary according to the needs of the organization and may include weekend, night, and holiday work.

 

Compensation: Starting salary is $16 but is commensurate with experience.

 

About the Philadelphia Animal Welfare Society (PAWS):
PAWS is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to saving Philadelphia’s homeless and at-risk pets and serving pet owners in need. PAWS is the city’s largest rescue partner and provider of affordable veterinary care for pet owners and rescue organizations that cannot otherwise access it. Each year, PAWS finds loving homes for thousands of animals in need and enables thousands more families to keep their cherished pets. Through rescue efforts, community support, and surrender prevention, PAWS is working to make Philadelphia a place where every savable pet is guaranteed a home.

 

To apply, please email your resume and cover letter to tammy@phillypaws.org.