Part-Time, Customer Care Representative, Salem

Founded in 1868, Oregon Humane is the Northwest's oldest and largest animal welfare organization with one of the highest adoption rates in the nation. We are working toward our vision of a world where all animals are treated with compassion, kindness and respect. With campuses in Portland and Salem, Oregon Humane is an Oregon-based nonprofit that relies on donor support for its adoption, education, medical and humane law enforcement programs.

About the role

The Customer Care Representative is a vital member of the Oregon Humane Shelter Operations team responsible for providing education about the animals in residence at the Oregon Humane to interested adopters and facilitating interactions between the animals and clients. This role focuses on the transition of animals from the shelter to adopters' homes, as well as supporting resources throughout the pets' lives.

Responsibilities

• Act as a vital member of the Shelter Operations team by interacting with the public, showing animals to potential adopters, providing education about a variety of animals, and processing adoption paperwork.
• Navigate complex conversations with diverse clientele in person and over the phone, providing education on different animal behaviors as well as discussing medical needs and diagnoses.
• Handle animals with a variety of behaviors and facilitate introductions of client dogs to shelter dogs.
• Manage a high-traffic reception desk, answering in-person questions, providing resources as needed, and using various software platforms to set up client meet-and-greets.
• Use a POS system to ring up purchases for clients in the retail store while providing information about products and food nutrition.
• Educate clients and collaborate with them to create long-term in-home management plans and demonstrate positive training methods.
• Collaborate and communicate effectively, providing excellent customer service both internally and externally.
• Reliably and accurately complete work by following up on requests, checking work for errors, completing requests on or before deadlines, and assuming responsibility for successes or errors.
• Assist in training new staff and volunteers.
• Perform any other duty as requested by management.

Personal Leadership

• Consistently strive to exceed expectations; demonstrate flexibility, resilience, and the ability to maintain positive relationships and composure, even under difficult circumstances.
• Maintain high ethical standards, including exhibiting behaviors and actions that embrace and align with our organization and customer service values, while treating all people with respect and dignity.
• Demonstrate an awareness of individual personal strengths and development needs, modeling non-defensive behavior and openness to feedback; build a culture of feedback and learning.

Learning

• Contribute to regular dialogue and accountability with the leadership team and across the organization to review progress and course correct if necessary.
• Utilize data and insights to identify, understand, and articulate the key inputs and metrics that tell the story of the organization/team strategy and its progress.
• Build appropriate feedback loops to measure if key milestones are being met and if the planned impact is being felt across the organization.

Influence & Representation

• Communicate effectively to executive and other stakeholder groups to ensure they are informed and able to actively engage.
• Liaise with and maintain productive relationships with all stakeholders, including other departments and donors; build mutually rewarding professional relationships inside Oregon Humane at all levels.
• Leverage best practices externally and grow Oregon Humane’s reputation as a leader in the animal welfare space.

Requirements

• 1 year of related work experience in customer service, retail, food service, animal care/handling, and/or a high-pressure, high-volume work environment.
• Able to solve problems in a constructive and positive manner.
• Able to exercise sound judgment and maintain a professional demeanor during all interactions with the public, partner agencies, donors, staff, and volunteers.
• Proficiency using the Microsoft Office Suite, including Outlook, Word, and Excel.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills – able to communicate with a diverse population in a consistently informative, respectful, and professional manner.

Work Environment & Physical Requirements

This position interacts and collaborates with all levels of the organization, including Oregon Humane staff, executive team members, donors, the general public, external vendors, volunteers, and supporters. Contact and communication are carried out through face-to-face, telephone, and digital interactions. Excellent customer service skills are essential to success.

Working Conditions

• Work is performed in an office and medical center/animal shelter environment.
• Travel between the two campuses may be required; working at both campuses may be required.
• Occasional weekend and evening work may be required.
• Animal contact and related injuries may occur.
• Noise exposure varies and sometimes includes uncontrolled barking and other animal vocalizations.
• Pace of work is active and demanding, requiring a high degree of multitasking and ability to adapt to changing priorities while managing concurrent projects/tasks to completion.
• Contact with angry or emotional people may occur.

Physical Requirements

• Occasional lifting and moving of inanimate objects weighing up to 50 lbs.
• Occasional pushing and pulling of carted items weighing up to 100 lbs.
• Occasional moving of items above shoulder level.
• Occasional use of hands and arms at or above shoulder level.
• Prolonged standing, sitting, and/or stooping may occur.
• Occasional climbing and bending.
• Must be able to lift, move, restrain, guide, or manage an animal weighing up to 150 lbs. on a leash on an occasional basis.
• Must be able to remain in a stationary position for prolonged periods.
• Ability to respond and perform life-saving techniques in an emergency.

Benefits

• Paid Time Off + Sick time
• 401(k) with employer match
• Professional Development Opportunities
• One free Oregon Humane adoption per year
• Perks & Discounts at select vendors