Animal Care Technician

Humane Society for Southwest Washington

The Humane Society for Southwest Washington is currently seeking Animal Care Technicians to join our team. These opportunities may be full‑time or part‑time and are classified as FLSA non‑exempt.

The Animal Care Technicians are the primary caretakers of the animals in the shelter, responsible for daily husbandry, health monitoring, preventive care, patron interactions, and facility cleanliness.

• Provide daily husbandry to all animals in the shelter, including feeding, health monitoring, and cleaning of all animal areas.
• Perform daily cleaning of designated areas, including kennels, crates, supplies, laundry, and associated public areas.
• Follow disease‑control and safety protocols to ensure a safe, healthy environment.
• Take immediate action to address safety concerns or non‑compliance that could risk employees, volunteers, clients, animals, or the organization.
• Stock and maintain cleanliness of kennels and public areas throughout the day.
• Keep supervisor informed of animal behavior or health concerns.
• Perform other duties related to the above tasks.

• Public interaction & customer service, including adoption socials and leading lost‑animal walk‑throughs.
• Assist with preventative medicine as directed by team leadership.
• Assist with moving animals throughout the facility.
• Enter data into shelter‑based software.
• Support and assist Animal Care volunteers.
• Perform closing duties for designated areas.
• Cat Team specific: daily management of cattery areas; support preparation for off‑site cat programs.
• Dog Team specific: participate in dog‑to‑dog socials; support daily walks per outlined protocols.
• Small Animal Team specific: small animal intake and processing; support small animal behavior plans.

• Work on Dog, Cat, and Small Animal teams as needed.
• Independent decision maker within procedures and protocols.
• Perform animal behavioral evaluations or risk assessments.
• Conduct intake examinations, vaccinations, microchipping, and appropriate testing.
• Provide mentorship for new hires, volunteers, and workforce partners.
• Cross‑train in areas related to daily care of animals and clinic services.

• Support advanced population management, making recommendations for complex cases.
• Participate in weekly behavior meetings, sharing observations and collaborating on plans.
• Escalate relevant population or behavior information to leadership.
• Develop and update team training materials in collaboration with leadership.
• Support team leadership with training and mentorship.
• Conduct behavior evaluations, implement individualized behavior plans, and provide behavioral support to animals and adopters.
• Contribute to process improvements related to behavioral programming and population flow.
• Support the behavior population in foster care.

• Follow safety guidelines.
• Use good verbal and written communication skills.
• Be visible to staff, volunteers, and workforce partners; communicate with supervisor and directors on developments.
• Promote positive communication and cooperation among departments.
• Exercise judgment when working with the public, volunteers, and staff.
• Commit to excellence individually and as part of the team.
• Adhere to policies and procedures.
• Act as a positive role model.
• Maintain a positive, respectful attitude.
• Demonstrate flexible, efficient time management and prioritization.
• Report to work on time and prepare to perform duties.
• Meet productivity standards.
• Use objective, positive language related to animal behavior.
• Support positive reinforcement as the sole training method.

Hourly pay ranges from $17.16 to $20.85, depending…