Dog Placement Specialist; Part Time

Dog Placement Specialist

Dog Placement Specialist

APA! BACKGROUND: Austin Pets Alive! (APA!) is one of Austin’s most dynamic and beloved nonprofits. The organization leads the No Kill movement nationally and is considered a national thought leader in animal welfare. APA! locally rescues, treats, and adopts out 10,000 homeless dogs and cats each year, providing the safety net for Austin’s most at-risk shelter pets, which helps Austin to be a No Kill city, while also assisting other communities in saving homeless animals.

The organization is distinguished by its large volunteer workforce and the scrappiness of its grassroots and its non-traditional, community-based animal rescue work. The organization continues to innovate best practices to save lives and spreads its impact by offering resources and mentorship related to its renowned lifesaving model through American Pets Alive!, APA!’s national division. In 2020, American Pets Alive! began the Human Animal Support Services (HASS) - an innovative initiative aimed at rethinking the traditional model of animal sheltering.

It focuses on supporting both people and pets in the community to reduce the number of animals entering shelters and improve outcomes for both. The project encourages collaboration between animal welfare organizations and community-based services, with a goal of providing personalized, proactive support that positions animal welfare as a social service.

POSITION OVERVIEW: The Dog Placement Specialist assists clients in finding the dog best suited to their home. But moreover, Specialists are representatives for the dogs—especially those often overlooked in the shelter environment. We use our knowledge of the individual dogs, behavior training and the rescue field to develop cutting-edge initiatives that help connect the dogs with the right people. Our primary goal is to reduce the length of stay for all dogs (with a focus on large-breed adult dogs), so we are constantly developing our methods and practices to push that number lower.

This is a full-time, nonexempt position and reports to the Dog Placement Manager.

The Dog Placement Specialist plays a key role in advancing the goals of APA!’s Placement Team. This position contributes directly to APA!’s mission to increase the live release rate across Texas by supporting a sustainable, inclusive, and high-impact model for adoption & foster coordination.

The Dog Placement Specialist is responsible for managing their daily responsibilities, maintaining clear priorities, and delivering consistent, high-quality work that aligns with APA!’s values and goals. This includes staying organized, using data or feedback to inform decisions, and following through on key tasks and responsibilities with minimal oversight. This is a hands-on, mission-driven role focused on results, reliability, and teamwork.

APA! is a volunteer-powered organization, so every staff member is expected to work alongside and support volunteers. The Dog Placement Specialist collaborates closely with volunteers to complete day-to-day tasks, helps create a positive and inclusive environment, and actively contributes to a culture of shared effort and mutual respect.

This position may involve shift flexibility, weekend hours, and responsiveness during times of high needs.

Every individual at APA! is responsible for working in collaboration with volunteers; making sure volunteers are recruited, trained and feel impactful through their efforts at APA!. A core part of this role is creating a welcoming and empowering experience for volunteers, including assisting with onboarding, training, and volunteer engagement as part of the day-to-day workflow.

• A primary responsibility of this role is to leverage volunteers to ensure that adoption goals are met.
• Greet customers to ensure that every client has a welcoming and guided experience.
• Maintain active customer service throughout the entire shift both in person and via communications over text and phone call.
• Stays current on dogs both on site and in foster; update appropriate documents.
• Provide guidance to clients in selecting the right dog for their home.
• Stay up to date…