Dog Foster Coordinator

Friends of Oakland Animal Services

Job Description

The Dog Foster Coordinator is responsible, as part of the foster team, for developing and administering the dog foster program at Oakland Animal Services (OAS). The coordinator plays an important role in getting dogs out of the shelter into foster homes, and supporting the volunteers who foster them. In addition to running the day-to-day operations of the program, the coordinator also helps to identify operational barriers and implement new ideas to improve foster program processes, outcomes, and capacity.

Job Duties and Responsibilities

Coordinate day-to-day program activities and operations for the dog foster program.
Coordinate movement of shelter dogs into and out of foster care.
Match dogs needing foster with appropriate foster homes, by having a good understanding of each dog’s needs (e.g. behavior and medical needs) and capabilities of foster homes.
Recruit and train foster caregivers.
Provide ongoing support to foster caregivers, including answering questions, offering guidance, providing supplies, addressing medical and behavior needs, and other foster-related needs.
Maintain regular communication with foster caregivers to monitor animal progress, and to ensure that fostering is a positive, manageable experience.
Cultivate a supportive, engaged community of foster caregivers and volunteers.
Participate in all aspects of daily foster program operations and perform hands-on tasks as needed (e.g. restocking and organizing supplies, cleaning, direct animal care).
Coordinate veterinary care for foster dogs, and assist with such care as needed.
Ensure foster dogs are up to date on all appropriate vaccinations and flea treatment.
Collaborate and coordinate with other staff to support foster dogs’ care, placement, and overall outcome.
Develop and maintain systems to support effective day-to-day program operations, program coordination, information sharing, and recordkeeping.
Identify and address challenges in day-to-day program operations, including inefficiencies in processes and workflows, and contribute to developing and implementing improvements.
Support initiatives to help grow the foster program’s capacity, improve program operations, and meet the evolving needs of OAS.
Develop meaningful volunteer roles to support the foster program and support the recruitment and training of these volunteers.
Build capacity of foster caregivers to assist with marketing, promotion, and adoption of available foster animals.
Create and update foster program resources such as procedures and training materials.
Maintain accurate records related to foster dogs and program activities (e.g. animal status, location, care received), ensuring to keep relevant records in the shelter database software up-to-date.
Collect, review, and maintain foster documentation (e.g. foster contracts, behavior bios, field trip forms).
Support external communication by sharing images, videos, and stories highlighting foster program successes.
Assist manager in providing regular reports to OAS and FOAS leadership regarding program status, successes and challenges.
Other duties as assigned.

Job Classification: Full-time, Non-exempt, 40 hours per week

Compensation: $27- $30 per hour

Please visit friendsofoas.org/jobs for the complete job description and to apply.

This is a full time job