Do you love animals? Do you love digging into details? Are you motivated by knowing the work you do saves lives? You might be an ideal Foster Coordinator!
Founded in 2009, Lucky Dog Animal Rescue (LDAR) is a volunteer-powered, foster based 501(c)(3) that has saved more than 28,000 homeless and abandoned animals since its founding. The new Foster Coordinator is essential to our lifesaving work, as nearly every animal we save spends time in a foster home.
Position Overview
The Foster Coordinator will work closely with the Lucky Dog team to ensure our fosters both feel – and are – supported. They will effectively communicate with staff to animals are assigned fosters and that fosters have everything they need to succeed. This role includes not only interacting with fosters, adoption coordinators, and staff, but also working with the LDAR database and data management system.
The ideal candidate for this job is resourceful, detail oriented, organized and has animal rescue and/or veterinary work background. Lucky Dog is powered by the volunteers, requiring high levels of customer focus, engaging communication and responsiveness to both the volunteers, fosters, the Lucky Dog Staff and potential and past adopters.
This position requires a flexible, non-regular work week. WEEKENDS ARE REQUIRED as that is when our adoption events and transports are scheduled.
This position balances working from home, the office, and on site at transports and adoption events. The Foster Coordinator would provide their own computer and cell phone and have access to a car. The position would start as soon as possible.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES include the following:
Foster & Transport Support
Animals in Foster Care
- Work with staff to ensure all animals have foster placement
- Respond to and help report any updates from weekly foster check in emails, knowing when to escalate behavioral or foster concerns to Program Managers
- Mediate communication around how to manage common behavioral concerns of animals in foster
- Potential travel to fosters homes for foster support & behavioral evaluations
- Locate proper foster placements for animals with behavioral challenges or animals being returned to Lucky Dog’s care
- Responsible for tracking Mom & Puppies/Kittens that are in Lucky Dog’s care to ensure proper timeline for care is being followed
- Help create resource documents for fosters and adopters to review when experiencing behavioral challenges
- Comfortable brainstorming and working with staff to evaluate and create training plans for animals with behavioral challenges
Transport Oversight & Support
- Responsible for tracking fosters assignments for animals arriving on weekly transports
- Be onsite at every transport to help execution of unloading the animals and sending to foster homes
- Comfortable handling a variety of sizes and temperaments for both dogs & cats
- Help create and manage Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)
Vetting & Medical Record Review
Animals in Foster Care
- Field basic medical concerns from fosters, ask for elaborations on medical issues, and mediate communication and tips to manage common ailments in coordination with the Program Manager of Vetting
- Escalate medical concerns to the PM of Vetting and CEO when appropriate and communicate vetting action plans to fosters
- Be comfortable administering medications, assisting in giving vaccinations or microchips if necessary.
Database & Administrative
- Complete weekly and monthly database and internal tracking audits to ensure accuracy
- Assist staff in maintaining LDAR’s internal dog and cat lists, transport documents, with behavioral updates as needed
Key Experience
LDAR is looking to hire a Foster Coordinator who has the following experience and skills, at a minimum:
- Animal Rescue experience (volunteer or staff) preferred
- Veterinary technician experience, Veterinary assistance experience, or knowledge and understanding of animal rescue / shelter medicine preferred
- An ability to learn database systems to track fosters, transports, and medications
- Proficiency with G Suite, including Gmail, google team drives, google sheets and documents & Microsoft Suite
- Strong attention to detail and follow-through.
- Self-starter with little need for close supervision.
- Ability to work effectively on a small team and across functional organizational lines.
- Ability to work flexible hours, including evenings and weekends
- Ability to work in cohesion with a primarily volunteer-powered organization.
Responsibilities may be added or changed as the organization continues to grow.
Job Type: Full-time
Pay: From $40,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- Dental insurance
- Health insurance
- Paid time off
- Vision insurance
Schedule:
Experience:
- animal welfare: 1 year (Required)
- Veterinary assistant: 1 year (Preferred)
License/Certification:
- Driver's License (Required)
Ability to Relocate:
- Arlington, VA 22207: Relocate before starting work (Required)
Work Location: In person