Animal Care Specialist
Petco · Germantown, MD · 1 wk ago
OTHR$17–$25/hrPart-time
About the role
As a Companion Animal Specialist, you are the primary expert and advocate for the health, welfare, and proper care of companion animals and aquatic life within the Pet Care Center (PCC). You ensure exceptional animal care and habitat maintenance while supporting sales, merchandising, and inventory execution. In close partnership with the sales team, you help deliver outstanding customer experience by combining deep animal-care knowledge with strong operational discipline.Responsibilities
- Pet First – Protect & Empower: Ensure the health, safety, and proper care of all companion animals and aquatic life in accordance with Petco standards, policies, and procedures.
- Complete and verify required animal care tasks, including hourly animal health checks, wellness documentation, maintenance logs, and incident reports.
- Ensure proper handling, documentation, and care of relinquished and adoption animals.
- Serve as the primary resource for animal care education for customers and PCC partners.
- Adhere to and promote all safety, animal welfare, and loss prevention procedures.
- Foster the Fun – Connect & Bond: Deliver knowledgeable, compassionate, and solution-focused service to customers. Actively support customer interactions using Petco’s selling model. Promote a culture of teamwork, inclusion, and collaboration across the PCC. Mentor and educate partners on animal care standards, maintenance routines, and best practices.
- Maintain professional, clean, and well-presented animal habitats and aquatic areas.
- Let’s Go! Own & Commit: Support the achievement of department sales, margin, and shrink goals. Ensure merchandise is stocked, priced, and displayed to Petco standards, with a primary focus on companion animals and aquatics. Efficiently order live animals, supplies, and related merchandise in partnership with the sales team to support inventory integrity and business goals. Analyze inventory data and identify opportunities to improve in-stock levels, shrink, and operational efficiency. Participate in animal and aquatic-related physical inventory counts. Assist with opening and closing procedures as assigned.
Qualifications
- Minimum of 1 year of experience working with or caring for companion animals and aquatic life.
- Strong knowledge of animal care, husbandry, and maintenance practices.
- Demonstrated ability to educate others and communicate effectively.
- Strong customer service mindset with an aptitude for selling behaviors.
- Basic business, math, and inventory management skills.
- Strong organizational, interpersonal, and communication skills.
- High school diploma or GED preferred.
- Completion and ongoing maintenance of the Petco Animal Care Certification Program required.