ANIMAL CARE TECHNICIAN - COUNTY WIDE CONTINOUS RECRUITMENT - County of Riverside - Thousand Palms, CA

In the County of Riverside, the future is bright. With a variety of job opportunities with the County, there are as many places to take your career as there are stars in our sky. But there’s more than a great vocation to draw you here: with affordable housing, a thriving, diverse, and progressive community, excellent higher education, and the hidden gem of the Joshua Tree National Park, the opportunities for your life here are equally exciting. Come work in the heart of inland California, and see how great the view is when opportunity is on the horizon.

The County of Riverside Department of Animal Services (DAS) has a vision for the County to be a place where the need for euthanasia is no longer, and one that is educated and prepared to assure a safe, healthy and caring environment for its people and animals. They believe that the character of their organization is best reflected in the strong dedication of each one of their employees who strive to meet the highest standards of performance and compassion on behalf of the animals and people that they serve. As stewards of those who cannot speak for themselves, they recognize that they are entrusted with a great responsibility and strive to serve the community with transparency, honor, empathy and compassion. DAS operates four shelters located Blythe, Jurupa Valley, San Jacinto and Thousand Palms.

**The current vacancy is located in Thousand Palms; however, this recruitment may be utilized to fill position in other shelter locations including San Jacinto, Jurupa Valley & Blythe.**

**Positions require employees to work weekends, holidays, evenings on a rotating basis according to business need. The incumbents will be responsible for occasional driving to special events as needed. This assignment will have exposure to animals which may include animal noise, smells, and dander.**

The Animal Care Technician position will feed and care for animals, clean and sanitize all areas, assist with unloading and impounding incoming animals, assist the public over the counter with animals for redemption and or adoption and enter animal information into Chameleon database. The incumbent will assist with euthanasia for the purpose of animal control or medical reasons in a humane manner.

Go to www.rc-hr.com for a detailed description.

Daily cleaning and disinfecting of kennels, equipment and work areas to prevent spread of zoonotic diseases.

Feed and water animals daily.

Assist with humane euthanasia and disposal of animals.

Utilize computer to enter and update animal records in Chameleon Database.

Daily review of animal inventory; may move animals as needed within the shelter.

Unload and impound incoming animals received from Animal Control Officers and the public.

Counsel owners who are relinquishing their pets by providing them information on adoptability of their animal or information regarding alternative options.

Provide customer service to all shelter visitors and staff.

Educate the public on age, breed, characteristics, and care/treatment of shelter animals; may respond to inquiries from the public regarding retention and disposal of animals.

May be specifically assigned and act as point of contact for rescue groups (adoption partners), coordinating the adoption of shelter animals to adoption partners and developing/maintaining relationships with adoption partners, and other related activities as assigned.

May be required to assist in maintaining records/reports of inventories for food, supplies and equipment.

Operate County vehicles to transport supplies, equipment, or deceased/live animals; perform minor repair and maintenance of facilities and surrounding areas.

May assist trained personnel in performing minor repairs and maintenance of facilities and surrounding areas.

May assist with training new staff and/or volunteers.

Participate in adoption events on and off-site, in and outside of County jurisdiction.

Understand and support department policies, local city and county municipal codes/ordinances, and state laws related to animal welfare.

Receive, load, and unload supplies, materials and equipment from vendor trucks; operate forklift to move pallets; inspect for damage and quantity received against requisitions, invoices, or freight bills.

May be assigned to the care and treatment of equine, livestock, and/or exotic animals.

May assist in office by answering telephones, collecting fees, and issuing receipts; may write incident reports.

Animal Care Technician: $27,704 – $45,842

Education: A high school diploma, G.E.D. equivalency, or high school proficiency certificate.

Ability to: Read, understand, and follow oral and written instructions in English; utilize computer to enter clear, concise and accurate information into Chameleon database; maintain records; make basic mathematical calculations using addition and subtraction; work courteously and effectively to maintain effective working relationships with staff, rescue groups and the public; carry out routine and repetitive duties without immediate supervision; learn cleaning and disinfecting methods; learn care and feeding of animals; learn breeds and behaviors of animals; learn safe and proper handling of animals; learn, understand, interpret, and apply basic laws, ordinances, rules, and regulations governing the impounding, release, and disposal of animals.

Physical Requirements: Lift, carry, push and pull heavy objects that may weigh more than 50 pounds.

HIGHLY COMPETITIVE CANDIDATES WILL POSSESS:
Experience feeding and caring for sheltered animals, excellent customer service skills and knowledge of county ordinances, city municipal codes and California State laws that govern animal control.

Resume and application contents must validate the answers to screening questions.

If volunteer or internship experience is reflected in your resume, please indicate if part-time or full-time or number of hours per week.

Required Skills:
Skills Test: All candidates will be required to take a basic skills test prior to being considered for any Animal Care Technician position.

License: Possession of a valid California Driver’s License may be required of some positions.

For specific questions regarding this position, contact the recruiter listed in this posting.

All employment offers are contingent upon successful completion of a pre-employment physical exam, including a drug/alcohol test, and a criminal background investigation, including fingerprinting. (A felony or misdemeanor conviction related to the position may disqualify the applicant from County employment).

Required Probationary Period – As an Approved Local Merit System, the County of Riverside requires all new regular or seasonal employees to serve an initial probationary period, the duration of which is indicated in the applicable Memorandum of Understanding, County Resolution, or Salary Ordinance. Temporary and Per Diem employees serve at the pleasure of the agency/department head.

The County of Riverside is an Equal Opportunity Employer. It is the policy of the County of Riverside to provide employment opportunity for all qualified persons. All applicants will be considered without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, ancestry, medical condition (cancer and genetic characteristics), genetic information, or denial of medical and family care leave, or any other non job-related factor.

REASONABLE ACCOMMODATIONS: The County of Riverside is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to applicants as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA). Qualified individuals with disabilities who need a reasonable accommodation during the application or selection process should contact the recruiter listed on the job posting. For additional information and/or to obtain the appropriate form for requesting a reasonable accommodation, please visit the Disability Access Office web page located at: http://dao.rc-hr.com/.

****CURRENT COUNTY EMPLOYEES MUST USE THEIR EMPLOYEE SELF SERVICE ACCOUNT TO APPLY.****

Submit a copy of your Member-4 Form DD-214, indicating dates of service, and a copy of your letter of disability (if applicable) to the Human Resources Department at recruiting@rc-hr.com. For privacy reasons, it is recommended that you remove your social security information from the document(s). A Human Resources Representative will review the materials and determine if you qualify for Veteran’s preference. If taking a special test, (online, written exam or other), inform the recruiter of your veteran status.

Your Member-4 Form DD-214 should be submitted to recruiting@rc-hr.com before this job posting expires. Please remember that you will need to resubmit your Member-4 Form DD-214 even if you have submitted one in the past to the County of Riverside.

This position is located in Thousand Palms and will require employees to work weekends, holidays, evenings on a rotating basis as required by the position. The incumbents will be responsible for occasional driving to special events as needed.

Visit the Job Descriptions page at http://rc-hr.com/Careers/JobDescriptions.aspx for benefits information. Detailed job descriptions and benefits information are provided for all of the County of Riverside’s job classifications.

If you have any questions regarding this position, please contact Rosa Ayala at rayala@rc-hr.com.