Animal Control Officer

About the role

Regional Animal Services of King County (RASKC) is seeking a dedicated and compassionate Animal Control Officer to join our dynamic team. You'll be part of a mission-driven crew that rescues pets, reunites families, and helps animals find their forever homes.

Responsibilities

• Respond to complaints of animal nuisance and vicious or abused animals and determine course of action, write reports and issue written warnings or citations.
• Rescue domestic owned or stray animals, livestock, and wildlife, including injured and deceased animals.
• Safely handle aggressive, sick, injured, or diseased animals; effectively communicate and use deescalating techniques when dealing with confrontational individuals.
• Safely drive a County vehicle obeying all laws and operate other required equipment in a safe and lawful manner; transport animals to other shelter and/or veterinary facilities, adoption events.
• Enforce animal control ordinances.
• Prepare court cases and testify in court.
• Educate and counsel the public on pet care and laws and regulations covering pet ownership.

Requirements

• Ability to handle animals in a humane manner under a variety of conditions and are willing to vaccinate and euthanize animals as directed.
• Experience in animal handling and behavior assessment techniques, proper methods for the care and feeding of animals, cleaning of cages, kennels, and other areas.
• An interest in working directly with our diverse community, providing quality customer service by responding to complaints, inquiries, and problems using effective listening and clear communication.
• Can maintain composure under difficult and stressful situations.
• Skilled in engaging and building relationships with colleagues, staff and community members.
• Customer-focused, culturally aware, and comfortable talking about equity and social justice.
• Passionate about teamwork.

Qualifications

• Pass a pre-employment physical including the ability to perform moderate to difficult strenuous manual tasks including lifting animals weighing up to sixty (60) pounds on a frequent basis.
• Complete the Animal Control Academy within 6 months of hire.
• Have or be able to obtain a Euthanasia Drug Certification within one year of hire.
• Have or are able to obtain a valid Washington State Driver’s License at the time of hire.
• Work mandatory overtime, after hours, weekends, and holidays including on-call availability.

Skills

• The ability to handle animals in a humane manner under a variety of conditions and are willing to vaccinate and euthanize animals as directed.
• Experience in animal handling and behavior assessment techniques, proper methods for the care and feeding of animals, cleaning of cages, kennels, and other areas.
• An interest in working directly with our diverse community, providing quality customer service by responding to complaints, inquiries, and problems using effective listening and clear communication.
• Can maintain composure under difficult and stressful situations.
• Skilled in engaging and building relationships with colleagues, staff and community members.
• Customer-focused, culturally aware, and comfortable talking about equity and social justice.
• Passionate about teamwork.

Benefits

King County offers a highly-competitive compensation and benefits package designed to meet the diverse needs of our employees and support their health and well-being. Eligible positions receive excellent medical, dental, and vision coverage options, life and disability insurance, retirement, and more.

Pay

Details on pay will be provided during the interview process.

Schedule

Details on schedule will be provided during the interview process.

Supplemental Information

• Tentative Interview Schedule: Phone interviews are scheduled for the week of August 3rd- 7th, final interviews are scheduled for the week of August 10th - 14th.
• To complete the Animal Control Academy candidates must be able to pass a background check.
• To complete the Animal Control Academy candidates must have or be able to obtain a Euthanasia Drug Certification within one year of hire.
• To complete the Animal Control Academy candidates must have or are able to obtain a valid Washington State Driver’s License at the time of hire.
• The successful candidate must be able to work mandatory overtime, after hours, weekends, and holidays including on-call availability.
• This position is represented by the Animal Control Officers Guild.

Application Instructions

A completed King County Application is required. We highly recommend that you also provide a cover letter and resume, however cover letters and/or resumes are not accepted in lieu of a completed application. Applications and/or Supplemental Questionnaires that state "see my resume" or "see my personnel file" are considered incomplete and will not be accepted. If you have any questions, please contact Karina Cordova, Human Resource Analyst, by e-mail at kcordova@kingcounty.gov or by phone at 206-848-0395.