Animal Care Attendant

Animal Care AttendantThe Montgomery County Animal Services & Adoption Center (MCASAC) provides high-quality sheltering and care for homeless, abused, and neglected animals in our community and ensures the safety and welfare of County residents. It's the County's only open-admission municipal shelter.The Office of Animal Services (OAS) is seeking Animal Care Attendants who are passionate about helping both animals and people by providing high-quality care for the animals we serve. The ideal candidate can follow verbal and written instructions, communicate effectively, and perform assigned duties with minimal supervision. Daily interactions include co-workers, citizens, supervisors, veterinarians, volunteers, and others, primarily for routine information exchange about animal care and adoption processes. Strong situational awareness is essential for ensuring personal safety when handling sick, aggressive, or otherwise challenging animals. The role involves lifting materials or animals, typically ranging from twenty (20) to one hundred (100) pounds, with some animals potentially weighing more, and driving is required. Candidates may also be required to complete a physical fitness assessment as part of the hiring process.An Animal Care Attendant is responsible for maintaining a safe and sanitary environment for both animals and people and for providing humane handling and care for all shelter animals. ACA ensures that all animals' nutrition, housing, and basic medical needs are met daily. Additionally, ACA assists the public with animal admissions and adoptions and promotes responsible pet ownership through conversations with customers.Handle animals of all sizes and temperaments, including those who may be ill or dangerous/aggressive.Maintain and thoroughly clean kennels, cages, and other common areas. Examples include, but are not limited to, removing animal waste, power-washing kennels, mopping and scrubbing, and disinfecting areas where animals are kept, fed, watered, and generally cared for.Prepare food, feed, and provide water for shelter animals.Wash and sanitize litter and feeding equipment.Assist customers who are seeking lost pets and those interested in adopting.Respond to questions about specific animals and adoption processes.Monitor sick, quarantined, and injured animals, observing them for unusual physical and behavioral conditions. Congregate and isolate animals as necessary.Administer medications to animals as dispensed by a veterinarian and maintain accurate health and medication logs.Perform initial health assessment of animals arriving at the facility and administer routine vaccinations.Participate in the euthanasia process as needed or required.Gather, launder, and replace soiled pet bedding.Socializes and exercises shelter animals daily.Operate power cleaning equipment.Maintain and thoroughly clean kennels, cages, and other common areas.Wash, sanitize, and disinfect areas and equipment with the proper use of chemicals and cleaning products.Perform other job-related duties as assigned.A background investigation will be conducted on the selected candidate prior to appointment and will be a significant factor in the hiring decision.A medical exam and drug screen will be required for the selected candidate.Experience: None.Education: Graduation from high school or completion of a High School Certificate recognized in the State of Maryland.License: Possession and maintenance at all times of a valid Class "C" (or equivalent) driver's license from the applicant's state of residence.Medical & Background: The selected candidate will be required to complete medical clearance before a successful appointment. A background check will be conducted on the selected candidate before appointment, and it will be a significant factor in the hiring decision.Interview selection will be based on the following interview preference criteria:Professional experience working with animalsExperience with handling and restraining animalsFamiliarity with common animal diseases and signs of illnessAbility to work weekends, days, nights, and holidaysComfortable working with scared, fractious, vicious, and or dangerous animalsExperience with various species of animals FelineCaninePoultryLivestockEquineWildlifeExoticReptilesBirdsOtherMontgomery County Government(MCG) is an equal opportunity employer, committed to workforce diversity. Accordingly, as it relates to employment opportunities, the County will provide reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities, in accordance with the law. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process should email OHR at View email address on click.appcast.io . Individual determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made in accordance with all applicable laws.MCG also provides hiring preference to certain categories of veterans and veterans/persons with a disability. For more information and to claim employment preference, refer to the Careers webpage on Hiring Preference.All applicants will respond to a series of questions related to their education, relevant experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities required to minimally perform the job. The applicant's responses in conjunction with their resume and all other information provided in the employment application process will be evaluated to determine the minimum qualifications and preferred criteria or interview preference status. Based on the results, the highest qualified applicants will be placed on an Eligible List and may be considered for an interview.This will establish an Eligible List that may be used to fill both current and future vacancies.If selected for consideration for this position, you may be required to provide evidence that you possess the knowledge, skills, and abilities indicated on your resume.Montgomery County Ethics Law: Except as provided by law or regulation, the County's "Public Employees" (which does not include employees of the Sheriff's office) are subject to the County's ethics law including the requirements to obtain advanced approval of any outside employment and the prohibitions on certain outside employment. The outside employment requirements of the ethics law can be found at 19A-12 of the County Code. Additional information about outside employment can be obtained from the Ethics Commission website.Our generous leave package starts with non-MLS permanent and term employees earning 15 days of sick leave and 15 days of annual leave in their first year, as well as up to three additional personal days each calendar year. Positions in MLS earn 35 days of paid time off each year. In addition, we offer all employees 10 paid holidays. Our leave policies adhere to the Family Medical Leave Act of 1993, and we provide six weeks of paid parental leave for new parents.All permanent and term positions are eligible for robust retirement plans. Public safety positions are eligible for a defined benefit pension plan in which they are vested after only five years. Employees in non-public safety positions can participate in retirement plans that contribute up to 12 percent of their annual salary. All employees can also participate in a supplemental retirement plan, the 457 Deferred Compensation Plan, to contribute even more to their retirement goals.Montgomery County employees are eligible to participate in the Federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program. Participants who meet all requirements may qualify for forgiveness on the remaining balance on their Direct Loans after making 120 qualifying monthly payments under a qualifying repayment plan while working full-time in a qualifying public service position. To learn more about PSLF, please visit the Student Loan Repayment Benefits page. Our tuition assistance program allows you to receive up to $2,130 annually in tuition assistance to help you achieve a degree that supports your career path.County employees are entitled to use the RideOn Bus service for free with a valid County-employee ID. This benefit can be used any time of the day or evening, including weekends. We also offer a pre-tax flexible spending account to reduce the cost of other mass-transit options such as MARC trains and Metro.Working for Montgomery County also entitles permanent and term employees to participate in healthcare and childcare Flexible Spending Accounts. These plans allow eligible employees to save on a pretax basis for healthcare and dependent care costs incurred during the plan year.We deeply care about your holistic wellness. Our award-winning wellness program, LiveWell, will support you in improving and maintaining your physical, mental, financial, social, and intellectual well-being. Learn more about our wonderful benefits available to you once you join our team.