Supervisor, Foster and Adoptions Team - Bentonville, AR
Best Friends Animal Society

Location: Bentonville, AR (onsite)

Hiring Range: This position's hiring range is anticipated to be $52,000 to $58,000 annually, depending on experience, plus great benefits!

Schedule: The current schedule is tentatively Tuesday - Saturday (9:30 am - 6:30 pm), but flexibility is required in addition to weekend availability.

Interviews will occur weekly until the position is filled.

Are you a dynamic motivator that has the ability to easily connect with people and navigate emotional conversations? Do you have a background in animal sheltering that's as strong as your love for all creatures great and small? Are you passionate about saving animals through adoption and fostering? If your heart beats for making a difference and your energy is contagious, you might be the perfect fit for our team!

Position Summary: Foster and Adoptions Supervisors are responsible for conducting and overseeing the daily functions, and growth of lifesaving programs including adoption, foster care, transfer/transport at the direction of their managers. Supervisors act with urgency to accomplish important tasks and play a direct role in achieving Best Friends Animal Society's no-kill mission and organizational success. Supervisors may receive intensive assignments in a particular program, based on organizational needs.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Treat people around you as our most valuable resource by leading with Kindness and Compassion in all your actions, build trust by demonstrating authenticity and following through on your commitments, encourage self-care and work-life balance through your own example, and work to build strong relationships with your team by creating communication loops to share and receive honest feedback. You are responsible and accountable for the culture of your team.
  
• Work alongside team members and volunteers to oversee, coordinate and conduct daily lifesaving outcome programs with the goal of utilizing volunteers to the greatest extent possible to expand Best Friends lifesaving capacity; support basic care and cleaning for animals temporarily housed or transported within Best Friends' vehicles, or facilities.
  
• Develop a detailed knowledge of Best Friends' programs to speak knowledgably about and best match both the animal and client's (adopters, fosters, transfer partners) needs; lead by example in providing superior customer service.
  
• Provide support, training, and performance feedback; participate in performance conversations; support hiring and onboarding; ensure teams meet expectations for Best Friends' program requirements and procedures; support teams so that each person achieves their fullest potential as contributors to Best Friends' mission and goals.
  
• Work collaboratively with and assist Best Friends' team members in all areas of operations to develop, evolve, and implement efficient processes to achieve lifesaving goals; participate in the development of operating procedures; follow policies, procedures, and task lists, including accurate and timely communications, work completion, data entry, and recordkeeping.
  
• Maintain a safe workplace, value, and model safe work practices, adhering to organizational safety practices and rules, and addressing or communicating to leadership about unsafe practices and conditions.
  

Skills and Experience:

• A minimum of 1 year of experience managing or supervising a team in a customer-oriented setting is required.
  
• Prior experience working in a public facing role with a strong emphasis on providing a high level of customer service is required.
  
• Minimum of 1 year of work or volunteer experience in an animal welfare/shelter setting is strongly preferred.
  
• The ability to work with, leash, kennel, walk, and handle cats and dogs, including those with health and/or behavior conditions/concerns; basic ability to identify and speak to medical and behavioral characteristics of dogs and cats. A willingness to learn in areas where experience is needed.
  
• Experience and comfortability performing adoptions utilizing the conversational adoption philosophy is required.
  
• Customer-centric, non-judgmental approach to engaging with adopters, partners, visitors, volunteers, and colleagues.
  
• Resourceful, get-it-done attitude; initiative to assist in any area or process; problem solving, seeking answers independently and enthusiastically; flexibility to persist until goals are achieved.
  
• Strong interpersonal skills, a team player, personable, professional, and able to get along with people from different backgrounds, as well as the ability to handle sensitive and confidential situations, including conflict resolution.
  
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office products; familiarity with shelter software/animal management software, or desire to learn.
  
• Strong communications skills: presentation experience with the ability to speak before a group of audience.
  
• Bilingual or multi-lingual skills preferred but not required.
  
• Abilityto work in a fast-paced environment withwell-developedorganization skillsto juggle multiple competing tasks and demands.
  

Physical Requirements:

• Must be able to:
  
  • Routinely lift 40 pounds and perform daily strenuous activity including, but not limited to lifting, carrying, reaching, stooping, squatting, cleaning, and bending.
    
  • Perform repetitive tasks for extended periods of time including typing, sitting, walking, arm, and hand motion.
    
  • Work indoors and outdoors in a variety of weather conditions including extreme heat and cold.
    
• Exposure to dogs, cats and other animals of all sizes, temperaments, and medical status.
  
• Valid driver's license, meeting Best Friends Animal Society's driver qualification standards; ability to travel, including overnight stays, when needed.
  
• Daily hours and days of the week may vary according to the needs of the department schedule; position includes weekends, nights, and holiday work
  

Thank you for your interest in pursuing a career at Best Friends Animal Society. Best Friends Animal Society is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to their race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, disability, marital status, or domestic partner status.

Applicants for employment in the US must have valid work authorization that does not now and/or will not in the future require sponsorship of a visa for employment authorization in the US by Best Friends Animal Society.

Culture Statement and Responsibility

We value attitude over aptitude, and we treat Kindness as a discipline because it is paramount in our culture along with our other Guiding Principles. Culture is how we talk to and treat ourselves and one another, it's how we generate and respond to change, it's how we plan and make decisions, it's how we do what we do.

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