Adoption Coordinator

Adoptions operations

• Coordinate day-to-day operations of the adoption program for all species, with primary focus on dogs and cats.
• Develop and maintain the adoption program’s processes and systems.
• Provide matchmaking and adoption counseling services to potential adopters, directly or by connecting them with volunteers.
• Promote thoughtful, fair, and low-barrier adoption practices that balance the needs of animals and adopters while supporting successful placements and reducing barriers to adoption.
• Provide support in more challenging adoption situations by interacting directly with the potential adopter to resolve any concerns, and escalating to the appropriate manager (e.g. adoption manager) when appropriate.
• Develop and provide training and support to all volunteers (e.g. shelter volunteers, event volunteers, fosters, etc.) who are involved in the adoption process.
• Ensure adequate volunteer support for the adoption program and support strategies to increase adoption volunteer engagement and capacity, working collaboratively with the volunteer coordinator or other relevant team members as needed.
• Regularly communicate and engage with volunteers about adoption program updates (e.g. on the volunteer community board).
• Ensure adopters are provided post-adoption advice and support as appropriate.
• Assist with marketing and promotion of adoptable animals, especially harder-to-place animals and foster animals.
• Identify, evaluate, and coordinate off-site adoption events, determining which events best support adoption goals and ensuring event planning, logistics, communications, and other coordination needs are completed either directly or through volunteers.

• Assist with assessment of the overall adoption program to identify pain points and bottlenecks, and develop systems to overcome these.
• Assist with identifying opportunities for improving access for people most likely to experience barriers to adoption (e.g. non-English speakers), and develop systems to improve adoption program accessibility.
• Improve systems to collect and consolidate information about each adoptable animal from various sources (e.g. previous owner, staff, volunteers, medical and behavior notes, etc.) and ensure that information is available to staff and volunteers involved in the adoption process
• Ensure adopters receive accurate and known information about each animal, including known history, behavior, medical needs, etc.
• Create and/or maintain a tracking system of potential adopters so that information learned about them (e.g at a matchmaking conversation) is retained for future follow-up even if an adoption does not occur during that visit.
• Assist the adoption manager in providing regular reports to shelter management and the FOAS board regarding program status, successes, and challenges.
• Other duties as assigned.

• Associates degree or equivalent from an accredited college or technical school.
• One year of experience working or volunteering with an animal care, rescue, or shelter organization required; at least two years preferred.
• Experience with implementing and maintaining processes and systems.
• Experience with coordinating teams of volunteers and/or staff.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective and cooperative working relations with the public, other employees, and volunteers.
• Strong interpersonal skills, with the ability to remain calm and objective in urgent or complex situations.
• Demonstrated ability to safely handle animals using appropriate and humane handling techniques, including facilitating safe animal interactions with people, transporting animals, putting on collars/harnesses, etc.
• Experience working with/handling large…