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Animal Caretaker (Animal Specialist I)

Fairfax County Government • Full-time • Fairfax, Virginia, United States • $45.26k - $75.43k / year • 2d ago

Salary

$45,255.39 - $75,424.96 Annually

Location

FAIRFAX (EJ13), VA

Job Type

FT Hourly W BN

Job Number

25-01501

Department

Animal Services

Opening Date

08/09/2025

Closing Date

8/22/2025 11:59 PM Eastern

Pay Grade

S15

Posting Type

Open to General Public

Job Announcement

Are you an enthusiastic individual looking for a career where you can make a difference in the lives of animals and the community? At the Fairfax County Animal Shelter, we are committed to providing the highest quality of care to the animals in our shelter, while also working to tackle the root causes of animal homelessness in our community. We are hiring animal caretakers!

This position will provide you with the opportunity to help more than 4,000 animals each year. You will be responsible for the intake, care, feeding, and handling of shelter animals across our two shelter campuses.

Fairfax County Animal Shelter is the only open-access municipal shelter located in Fairfax and Lorton, Virginia. Our shelter has a live release rate of over 90% and we’re very proud of our excellent volunteer and foster programs, compassionate staff, progressive sheltering policies and practices, and our wonderful animal-loving community. Please visit our website here.

Responsibilities:

Ensures that animals are provided with a safe, clean environment by being responsible for the cleaning, disinfecting, and maintenance of kennels, cages, animal holding areas, and other shelter areas and grounds.
Receives animals from the public or Animal Protection Police and performs preventative care treatments including necessary vaccinations, tests, and general medical assessment on intake, to ensure health of the individual pet as well as herd health for the shelter; performs basic handling assessment on intake and assigns behavior handling category for dogs using the dot system to ensure safe handling for other staff and volunteers.
Ensures all animals are properly fed and medicated and have ample water throughout the day.
Maintains and tracks veterinary prescribed feeding and medication charts.
Refers animals for both emergency and routine veterinary care and transports animals to veterinarian, when necessary.
Drives and assists with the maintenance of vehicles assigned to the animal shelter.
Participates in walking dogs and enrichment of all animals under the shelter's care.
Assists in the training and supervision of volunteers and/or community service workers.
Participates in creating and carrying out behavior modification plans as needed.
Works with the shelter certified professional dog trainers to assess dogs for play groups and other socialization.
Assists in the creation and implementation of socialization plans for challenging or shy dogs.
Assists with and performs basic shelter behavior assessments and records observations using objective, behavioral language.
Understands and uses Fear Free Shelter techniques.
Ensures that all animal records, both electronic and hard copies, are accurate and complete.
Euthanizes animals in a humane manner as determined by the state veterinarian.
Operates and cleans the crematory when necessary.
Conducts visits with pets and potential adopters; makes recommendations on suitability based on observation and pet history.
Ensures that visits are conducted safely; interacts with members of the public using appropriate and polite language and actions.
Provides information to the public as it relates to animal care, shelter policies, and county policies regarding animals.

May perform other related duties to meet the ongoing business needs of the organization.

Flexibility is required, as the role may include working shifts and/or being reassigned to different department facilities as necessary.

This job announcement may be used to fill future full-time Animal Caretaker vacancies in Fairfax and Lorton, Virginia.

Salary: The salary offer will be in the minimum to midpoint ($44,368.06 to $59,156.45) of the advertised compensation range. Promotional rules apply for current Fairfax County Government and Fairfax County Public Schools’ employees.

Schedule: Schedule will vary depending on staffing levels and department needs as Animal Caretakers are considered essential personnel and will be required to report to work during times designated countywide as approved for unscheduled leave regardless of the emergency (i.e., weather, transportation, other disaster). Required to work early mornings, evenings, weekends, and holidays.

Illustrative Duties

(The illustrative duties listed in this specification are representative of the class but are not an all-inclusive list. A complete list of position duties and unique physical requirements can be found in the position description.)

Performs a range of entry level work in multiple animal functions within the agency which may include animal care, animal behavior, animal training, enrichment, exercise, assessments, observations, evaluations, medical treatment and supplies, inoculation, medical and veterinary care referral, transport, specialized care, cleaning, disinfecting, animal disposition, adoption, intervention recommendations, humane euthanasia, documentation, data entry, record management and maintenance, safety, inventory maintenance, technical maintenance, and/or facility maintenance;

Provides counseling, training, support, assistance, and works with agency staff and programs, volunteers, veterinary staff, community members, customers, rescue programs and partners, and/or community service assignees;

May train and/or oversee lower-level agency staff, volunteers, community members, and customers;

May assist with other non-agency programs and partners;

May provided information on the policies and procedures of the agency;

May operate agency vehicles;

Performs related duties as assigned.

Cleans, disinfects, and maintains all facility areas including lobby, animal holding cages, and surrounding area.

Required Knowledge Skills and Abilities

(The knowledge, skills, and abilities listed in this specification are representative of the class but are not an all-inclusive list.)

Demonstrated interest in and compassion for animals;

Knowledge of characteristics of different types of animals;

Knowledge of animal behavior indicators;

Knowledge of safe animal handling techniques;

Knowledge of customer service techniques;

Knowledge of safe driving principles and practices;

Ability to learn medical administration and/or euthanasia techniques as required by the position;

Ability to learn coaching, and counseling techniques as required per the position;

Ability to assist, coach, counsel, supervise, train, and evaluate others to include safety, policies, procedures, and practices;

Ability to make assessments and recommendations based on observations;

Ability to follow and provide written and oral instructions;

Ability to prioritize tasks and provide guidance;

Ability to be flexible and adjust work plans to meet immediate needs when necessary;

Ability to learn procedures, occupational hazards, and safe work practices;

Ability to follow precise instructions for dispensing medication;

Ability to handle animals in a humane manner and without personal injury;

Ability to move quickly to respond to conditions and situations involving animals;

Ability to handle, restrain, and move heavy, immobilized, or resistant animals;

Ability to lift, carry, and move up to 50 pounds;

Ability to maintain a high level of ethical standards;

Ability to demonstrate a high level of integrity and to be truthful at all times;

Ability to read animal behavior and maintain a safe environment;

Ability to document animal behavior in clear language based on observable behavior;

Ability to learn and teach animal training techniques using a positive reinforcement approach;

Ability to work collaboratively with others, avoid negative interpersonal altercations, and maintain good working relationships;

Ability to learn job related information;

Ability to communicate orally and in writing to others, including presentations;

Ability to contribute to a stress-free environment for both animals and people;

Ability to safely operate equipment and software necessary to perform position requirements;

Ability to work outdoors as well as indoors and be subject to variable weather conditions and exposure to potentially infectious diseases or allergies, as well as wetness and moisture;

Ability to bend, stand, stoop, kneel, reach, crawl, walk, and sit;

Ability to hear, speak, touch, feel, and smell;

Ability to see with close vision, depth perception, color vision, and the ability to adjust focus;

Ability to be frequently exposed to loud noises above 95 decibels such as barking of dogs and other animal noises;

Ability to firmly grasp and have wrist extension and rotation on a frequent basis.

Employment Standards

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
Any combination of education, experience, and training equivalent to high school graduation or a G.E.D. issued by a state department of education and one year of experience working in an animal shelter, kennel, vet clinic, boarding facility, animal training capacity, or other animal related organization with animal care and handling responsibility; (Graduation from an accredited Veterinary Technician Program may be substituted for one year of the required experience).

CERTIFICATES AND LICENSES REQUIRED:

Valid driver's license (Required at the time of application)
Euthanasia Certification (Required within 6 months)
Fear Free Shelter Certification (Required within 3 months)

NECESSARY SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS:

This position is considered Emergency Service Personnel to ensure the continuity of essential operations, and will be required to report to work during times designated countywide as approved for unscheduled leave regardless of the emergency situation (i.e., weather, transportation, other disaster).
The appointee to the position will be required to complete the following to the satisfaction of the employer:

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

General interest in working in an animal shelter environment.
Veterinary assistant, veterinary technician, or kennel experience.
Experience working with animals in a shelter environment or vet clinic.
Knowledge of animal behavior and animal breeds.
Experience with Fear Free Shelter techniques.
Computer literate.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:

Ability to converse with volunteers, visitors, staff, and others.
Ability to operate equipment necessary to complete work tasks.
Ability to work a varied schedule, including early mornings, evenings, holidays, and weekends.
Must be able to bend, stand, stoop, crawl, walk, sit, talk, see, and hear.
Must be able to maneuver safely in kennels, dog play yards, cat rooms, small animal room, off-site events, etc.
Must have the ability to move heavy, immobilized, or resistant animals. Must have the ability to lift, carry, and move up to 50 pounds. Uses hands to grasp, handle, or feel.
Must not have allergies to animals or animal supplies (ex: hay, peanut butter, etc.) that will impede working in an animal environment.
Pre-exposure rabies vaccination (Required within 3 months)
Visual acuity is required to read standard text and data on a computer monitor. Ability to operate keyboard-driven equipment.
All duties performed with or without reasonable accommodations.

SELECTION PROCEDURE:
Panel interview and may include a practical exercise.

The population of Fairfax County is very diverse where 38.7% of residents speak a language other than English at home (Spanish, Asian/Pacific Islander, Indo-European, and others) and we encourage candidates bilingual in English and a foreign language to apply to this opportunity.

Fairfax County Government prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, age, marital status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetics, political affiliation, or military status in the recruitment, selection, and hiring of its workforce.

Reasonable accommodations are available to persons with disabilities during application and/or interview processes per the Americans with Disabilities Act. TTY 703-222-7314. DHREmployment@fairfaxcounty.gov EEO/AA/TTY.

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Requisition 25-01501