POSITION DESCRIPTION

TITLE:  Veterinary & Foster Care Manager    FLSA STATUS: Exempt

EFFECTIVE DATE: until filled    DEPARTMENT: Animal Care

JOB SUMMARY:  Under the direction of the Director of Veterinary and Foster Care, the Veterinary and Foster Care Manager will be expected to coordinate the physical intake exams and day-to-day medical management of all animals in the care of the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria (AWLA). The Manager will be expected to supervise the administering of medications and treatments prescribed by the Shelter Veterinarian, coordinate the collection of blood/urine/fecal samples, become certified to perform euthanasia, assist with training, and occasionally provide transport to off-site veterinary appointments, as needed. The Manager will ensure all hard copy and digital medical documents are filed and entered appropriately in each animals' record.

Additionally the Manager is responsible for the continued success of the Foster Care program by seeking to recruit and retain foster volunteers. By managing and directing the work of two Veterinary and Foster Care Coordinators, the Manager is responsible for ensuring animals (including neonates, injured/sick animals and animals with behavior issues) who are unlikely to be successful in a shelter environment find foster placement, and will prioritize which animals will be placed into foster care. The Manager will successfully develop and implement all aspects of the foster program and document the progression of the program; strategically plan; compiling statistics; writing monthly and annual reports on foster activities; managing the transfer of animals from the AWLA to foster volunteer situations, and providing ongoing support to foster volunteers.

ORGANIZATIONAL RELATIONSHIPS:

This position is supervised by:  Director of Veterinary and Foster Care

The following position identified report to this position: Veterinary & Foster Coordinators (x2), Foster Volunteers 

 ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS OF THE JOB INCLUDE:Foster Program:

• Establish and implement an effective and efficient foster volunteer recruitment, orientation training, support process, and retention which synchronize with the AWLA’s general volunteer processes.
• Working with the Coordinators, actively recruit new foster volunteers, develop new contacts and increase the diversity of the program and its participants;
• Conduct wide community outreach to grow the foster program, including the use of social media, neighborhood meetings, and community listservs;
• Ensure the Coordinators return calls and respond to inquiries, messages and emails from existing and prospective foster volunteers in a timely manner, in addition to inquiries and messages regarding the foster program
• Document and handle any issues with fosters immediately and sensitively. Communicate with the Director of Veterinary & Foster Care if a foster should receive special appreciation/recognition and before a foster may need to be removed from the program. If it is decided that a foster should be removed from the program,  the Director of Veterinary and Foster Care and the Chief Executive Officer should be notified.
• Coordinate with various shelter departments to design and implement basic and advanced foster volunteer training and support;
• Coordinate with various shelter departments to develop and maintain foster volunteer reference materials;
• Integrate foster training with other shelter departments, coordinate or provide ongoing training for staff and foster volunteers ;
• Coordinate with shelter staff, veterinary team and behavior / training experts to identify animals for placement in foster homes;
• Ensure the Coordinators contact potential foster caregivers in a timely manner and coordinate pickup of animals from the AWLA;
• Support the Coordinators in the administration of vaccines, medication dispensing and the provision of other medical care to foster and shelter animals as needed;
• Regularly update and improve forms/agreements/processes to improve the foster program;

Veterinary Care:

• Perform a walk-through each day to check on all animals in the shelter and follow up on any medical concerns identified during walk through and/or by staff/volunteers;
• Working with the Veterinary and Foster Care coordinators, identify animals that need laboratory work and ensure blood work is collected, submitted and reviewed by a veterinarian as quickly as possible.  Ensure results are entered into database and act on medical orders of veterinarian;
• Working with the Veterinary and Foster Care coordinators, ensure animals are medicated as prescribed by the shelter veterinarian and start medications when appropriate using in-shelter drug protocol;
• Ensure animals are medically appropriate to move to adoption;
• Ensure all medical paperwork is filed in each  animals’ records and ensure medical notes are entered into the computer system;
• Work with Director of Veterinary and Foster Care and Shelter Veterinarian to become certified to perform euthanasia;
• Coordinate contacting veterinary clinics for medical records of surrendered animals. Review and determine any items for follow up; coordinate the entering of this information into database;
• Ensure all animals (as appropriate) are vaccinated against rabies;
• Work with the Chief Operating Officer and the Director of Veterinary and Foster Care to improve animal care protocols as it relates to veterinary care;
• Other tasks as assigned by the Director of Veterinary and Foster Care.

Administrative Duties:

• Serve as Manager on Duty when assigned;
• Regularly attend department and staff meetings to share ideas and suggestions for improving animal care and the quality of the organization as a whole;
• The Manager will successfully develop and implement all aspects of the foster program and document the progression of the program; strategically plan; compiling statistics; writing monthly and annual reports on foster activities;
• Strong data entry skills and the ability to manage the maintenance of accurate records in Chameleon
• Attend and initiate training, and maintain certifications
• Develop a basic working knowledge of the AWLA’s procedures, guidelines, and protocols for the safe handling of animals 
  • Legal and statistical reporting procedures, and veterinary protocols
  • Federal and Commonwealth of Virginia substance regulations, and Commonwealth of Virginia and municipal animal regulations
  • Regularly review shelter medicine materials such as the UC Davis website, webinars or materials provided by the Shelter Veterinarian
  • Understand and comprehend AWLA’s Animal Care SOPs
  • Under guidance from the Director of Veterinary and Foster care, supervise and mentor subordinates and track performance

POSITION SPECIFICATIONS:

Required:

• High school degree
• At least three years of professional experience working with animals
• Training and experience giving vaccines, drawing blood, giving medications, and handling fractious / difficult to handle animals
• Ability to become euthanasia certified within 1 year of employment
• Ability to receive Rabies, Tetanus, and Hepatitis B prophylaxis if needed
• Strong customer service skills and the ability to maintain a professional appearance and demeanor at all times
• A friendly, welcoming and engaging personality
• Proven ability to interact effectively with a wide range of individuals
• Ability to prepare detailed, accurate, effective written work
• Strong attention to detail
• Proven ability to multitask, develop, and adhere to critical paths
• Independent judgment and discretion
• Proficient in Windows applications, specifically Word and Excel
• Must have compassion and concern for both animals and people and be able to be approachable to staff members
• Public speaking experience
• Knowledge of veterinary and/or shelter medicine
• Experience communicating with veterinarians about difficult medical issues

Desired:

• Experience working in animal sheltering at the operational level
• Experience as a foster or volunteer
• Management/supervisory experience
• Experience caring for neonates
• Bachelor’s degree

WORKING CONDITIONS:

• Indoors in air-conditioned/heated office, outdoors at shelter or on-location for various activities and foster home site visits
• Equipment Use:
• Includes use of PC, laser printer, copy machine, fax machine, telephone
• Work Hours:
• Schedule will be determined based on need, a minimum of eight hours per day – five days a week, but will need to be available on an “on call” basis
• Regular exposure to animals.
• Regular work days will be Tuesday thru Saturday. Availability on other weekend days and holidays may be required based on need.

MENTAL, PHYSICAL AND COMMUNICATION DEMANDS:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. Ability to:

• Work alone or with minimal supervision. Must be self-motivated
• Work around pet dander, dust and other allergens without issue
• Accurately enter information into a computer database
• Lift and/or move up to 50 pounds; 100 pounds with assistance
• Handle strong and powerful dogs and other animals
• Have patience and tact when working with difficult, emotional or angry people
• Speak and write effectively and clearly in a professional manner: in person, to a group, over the telephone and intercom systems to internal or external individuals
• Treat people with a pleasant, courteous and professional manner
• Work in a team environment and to provide team leadership
• Receive Rabies vaccine and/or titers test upon request

This position description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties to be performed by the employee occupying this position. Employees will be required to follow any other job related duties required by their supervisor. This document does not create an employment contract implied or otherwise, other than an “at-will” relationship.

Compensation: The animal Welfare League of Alexandria offers an excellent benefits package and competitive compensation. The AWLA provides health care, dental, and vision coverage, a retirement plan, and additional employee benefits. Pay will be commensurate with experience.