Professional On Call, Animal Behaviorist

Orange County Animal Services is proud to be the municipal shelter serving Florida’s fifth most populous county. Orange County, Florida is home to approximately 1.5 million people and includes “The City Beautiful,” Orlando. Orange County Animal Services is a large and evolving animal welfare organization, with approximately 100 full-time employees and is aided by support networks of 450 volunteers, 400 foster parents and more than 80 local rescue groups. The mission of Animal Services is to protect both the people and pets of Orange County.

The shelter receives approximately 15,000 homeless pets annually and strives to find as many as possible appropriate placement. Animal Services staff comprises four distinct teams – an enforcement operations team responsible for upholding local law in regards to animal welfare, a kennel team that handles the intakes and day-to-day care for the hundreds of shelter guests, a clinic team that handles the medical care and spay/neuter surgeries for the shelter animals and a communications team, which facilitate reclaims, adoptions, rescue placements and foster arrangements. Position may require weekend work

THIS IS AN ON CALL TEMPORARY POSITON NOT ELIGIBLE FOR EMPLOYEE BENEFITS

This position will be key in helping our shelter assess dogs and make recommendations for the appropriate paths forward. This position will also help to implement enrichment opportunities for the shelter pets as well as overseeing and organizing playgroups, with the assistance of volunteers and staff. This position will also be called upon to assist with special adoption interactions, assist with post-adoption guidance as needed and help train volunteers and incoming staff on best animal handling practices in the shelter setting.

Work is performed under the general supervision of the Program Manager or other supervisory personnel. Work is reviewed for the achievement of desired results through conferences and reports. Position may require weekend work.

The following are representative duties, it is not the intent to capture all duties performed by this classification:

Performs assessments of dogs in the shelter, potentially with behavior issues, and others that have completed quarantine following a bite to a person.

Makes recommendations to management based on the results of the assessment.

Conducts playgroups, where multiple dogs are given the opportunity to play together in an outside yard at the shelter.

Assesses and documents behavior of dogs participating in playgroups.

Develops and operates an enrichment program, aimed at mitigating stress in the shelter environment.

Will conduct regular trainings with staff and volunteers on identifying animal behavior.

Will occasionally facilitate interactions between dogs with special behavior concerns and interested adopters.

Will attempt to work with adopters that have taken dogs home and are experiencing behavior issues in the new environment offering guidance and suggestions on how to mitigate issues so as to prevent the dog from being returned to the shelter.

Perform other duties as required.

Bachelor’s degree in Animal Behavior Studies, Zoology, Animal Science, or a closely related field. Two (2) years of experience working as a certified behaviorist in a shelter setting or closely related experience and one (1) of the following certifications as listed below. Equivalent combination of education or experience may be substituted. Experience can offset education on a year-to-year basis.

Certification

Certification from one of the following: Certified Professional Dog Trainer Knowledge Assessed (CPDTKA), Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner (KPACTP), Canine Training Center (CTC), Academy of Veterinary Behavior Technicians (AVBT), American College of Veterinary Behaviorists (ACVB) Animal Behavior Society: Associate, Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist (ACAAB), Animal Behavior Society: Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist (CAAB), Certification Council for Professional Dog Training (CCPDT), or International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (IAABC).

Please complete each section of the application in detail as only information provided by the applicant regarding their work experience and education on the application will be used to determine the applicant's qualifications for the position.

Applications that show no employment history, no employment dates, leave number of hours worked per week blank, show duties left blank, or state "see attached resume" will be disqualified, considered incomplete, and will not be reviewed.

Applicants selected for hire in Orange County must successfully complete a background check, physical and drug screening prior to start of employment.

Please ensure that the phone number and email address on your application is accurate. Should we need to communicate with you, we will only use the email listed on the application. Please check your spam/junk email folders as well your inbox.

Posting Open: August 3, 2023

Posting Close: August 17, 2023

Subject to close without notice

$30.00/Hour. On Call temporary position. Not eligible for employee benefits. May include weekend work.

If you are claiming Veterans' Preference, you are responsible for providing the required eligibility documentation by the close date of the posting. Please submit a cover letter and copies of documents, not originals, to Orange County Human Resources Division, PO Box 1393, Orlando, FL 32801-1393 or fax to (407) 836-0098 (only Veterans' Preference documentation will be accepted by fax). Your cover letter should include the position posting number you are applying for, the title of the position and the last 4 digits of your social security number.

If your education was obtained in the United States, the County recognizes degrees or diplomas which are accredited by an agency recognized by the United States Department of Education (USDE) or the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). If you have obtained education from a country other than the United States, your degree or diploma must be evaluated to determine the United States equivalency by a member of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Service (NACES) or the Association of International Credentials Evaluations (AICE) at your expense.

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