Customer Service Specialist

What You'll Be Doing Turn your love of animals into a rewarding career with the Wake County Animal Center! The Animal Services Customer Experience Representatives are the "face" of the Animal Center; members of this team are often the first person that customers interact with whether in person or on the phone. This team is responsible for providing empathetic and understanding customer service to the citizens of Wake County, as well as to volunteers, fosters, and rescue groups. The Wake County Animal Center exists to provide intake, care, and adoption services for stray and homeless pets within Wake County. This includes assisting people who are surrendering their pets for rehoming or humane euthanasia, helping the finders of stray animals, facilitating the reclaim of pets from various intake sources, etc. In this position, you will be required to maintain a positive and helpful attitude towards all customers regardless of why they are seeking services from the Animal Center. In this position, staff are also expected to perform general animal handling and should feel comfortable around various animals with varying degrees of friendliness. Essential Functions Of a Customer Experience Representative Greet visitors who enter the Animal Center, determine the nature and purpose of the visit, and direct or escort them to specific destinations Respond to requests for general information regarding regularly performed County activities Complete routine office forms and records including recording intake information and entering customer data into Shelter Buddy, recording payments, canceling or updating accounts, maintaining records of customer interactions or transactions, and record details of customer inquiries Respond to requests for services and inquiries from customers both internally and externally, schedule appointments, provide general information or direct requests to the appropriate service area, open and route Animal Center mail, perform routine word processing, scanning, copying, compiling, sorting, and/or filing of information Handle incoming and outgoing animals, this may include leashing pets, placing pets in carriers, removing pets from traps, and transporting pets to intake kennels and from the kennels About Our Team The Wake County Animal Center is an open-admission animal shelter operated by Wake County Government and on average takes in between 7,000 – 9,000 animals each year. We receive all stray, abandoned and surrendered pets in Wake County. The Center works in partnership with fosters, volunteers and local rescues, to treat and rehome thousands of homeless animals every year. Required The Basics (Required Education and Experience) High school diploma or GED Six months of job-related experience Equivalent education and experience are accepted Please include ALL prior work experience on your application and resume. Beyond the Basics (Preferred Education and Experience) Cash handling experience Customer service experience High-stress animal-related or animal-adjacent experience (such as emergency veterinary, municipal shelter) Multilingual - Spanish How Will We Know You're 'The One'? Demonstrates strong ability to prioritize tasks, organize workload, and manage time effectively to meet deadlines and fulfill both individual assignments and shared team responsibilities Demonstrates the ability to consistently identify opportunities to assist others by proactively observing needs and taking initiative to provide support in a timely and effective manner Strong interpersonal skills - outgoing, patient, professional, and able to get along well with a variety of people Demonstrates skill in and familiarity with the care and humane handling of shelter animals, such as dogs, cats and little critters Basic computer skills and knowledge, including Microsoft Word and Excel Demonstrates the ability to analyze basic problems by considering a full range of possible solutions, evaluating options, and making sound decisions to effectively resolve situations About This Position Location: Wake County Animal Control Raleigh, NC 27610 Employment Type: Regular Work Schedule: Varying shifts 8:00 am - 7 pm. 40 hours Sunday through Saturday, no holidays. Hiring Range: 24.98 - 27.17 Market Range: 24.98 - 29.36 Please include ALL prior work experience on your application and resume. Posting Closing Date: 7:00 pm on 8/22/2026 What Makes Wake Great Consistently ranked high among the best places to live and work in America, Wake County is the proud home to NC State University, Research Triangle Park, and the two-time Stanley Cup Champion Carolina Hurricanes, winners in 2006 and 2026. In addition to being Wake County's seat of government, Raleigh is also the center of state government, with the Capitol Building, legislature and many state government offices located in Raleigh. With an estimated population of just over 1.2 million residents, Wake County is North Carolina's most populous county. Entertainment, recreation, and art and culture abound with the North Carolina Museum of Art, JC Raulston Arboretum, and the Neuse River Trail all in the heart of Wake County. Wake County uses the Council/Manager form of government. Currently, the seven members of the Board of Commissioners are elected by district on a partisan basis and serve four-year terms. Starting in fall 2026, the Wake County Board will have seven commissioners elected by voters in their districts and two at-large commissioners elected by the whole County. The County is regarded as a fiscally responsible and well-managed government, enjoying a AAA bond rating. The County's FY2027 General Fund budget is approximately $2.28 billion, and the County has more than 5,000 full time employees. Wake County Government came in at #2 on the Healthiest Employers list for 2024. This year, US News & World Report ranked Raleigh #5 on its list of Best Places to Live, and the Milken Institute ranked Raleigh #1 on its 2025 list of Best-Performing Cities. Equal Opportunity Statement Wake County provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or genetics. Background Check Statement Position may require a background check that may include: criminal, credit, motor vehicle, education, and sexual offender registry or others based on job requirements. Unless required by state law, a record of conviction will not automatically exclude you from consideration for employment. Wake County Government is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Emergency Service Worker Statement In the event of an emergency, as determined by the County Manager or designee, participation in preparedness and response operations should be expected. Employee may be required to fill a temporary assignment in a role different from standard duties, work hours and/or work location in preparation for, during and after the emergency. Employee may also be required to participate in relevant exercises and regular preparedness training. #J-18808-Ljbffr