What Success Looks Like In This Job

The Customer Care Manager provides compassionate leadership and strategic direction for the Customer Care team, ensuring competent, dignified care for both human and animal clients served at the Riverdale Animal Shelter. This position oversees all activities related to customer-facing, front desk operations including adoptions, reclaims, intakes, animal records, referrals, financial transactions, and customer support for animal protection officers. Reporting to the Animal Shelter Executive Director, the Customer Care Manager serves on the shelter’s leadership team actively contributing to continuous efforts to improve and evolve efficiency, cultural competency, safety, and equitable access to shelter services. With a passion for leading and inspiring people, the Customer Care Manager provides direct supervision, training, and support for Customer Care staff, and oversees volunteers and interns assisting with customer care operations.

Examples of Duties for Success

• Oversee processes and ensure effective service delivery for animal adoptions, lost- and-found services, admissions, pet licensing, retail, phone, and email inquiries.
• Identify opportunities for continuous improvement to ensure the public receives highly responsive, competent, and dignified customer service.
• Proactively develop, implement, and update policies, protocols, and procedures that reflect best practices in animal welfare and help advance the shelter’s mission.
• Provide leadership and direct supervision for Customer Care staff to include hiring, training, coaching, skill development, and disciplinary action as required.
• Perform data entry and ensure accuracy of animal and patron records
• Assist with phone and email inquiries as needed and respond in timely manner
• Respond proactively to customer grievances and actively seek positive resolutions
• Maintain customer care-related documents, files, and supply inventories
• Oversee reconciliation of daily monetary receipt balances
• In conjunction with the Volunteer Coordinator, provide training and supervision of volunteers assigned to assist with customer care operations
• Work closely with shelter veterinary, behavior, and animal care teams to align with animal health and behavioral plans, practices, recommendations, and decisions.
• Assist with planning and facilitation of adoption specials and promotional events.
• Serve as a member of the shelter leadership team, including fulfilling manager on duty responsibilities and rotations.
• Assist with community outreach endeavors to include low-cost vaccination clinics, and temporary sheltering of pets for those in crisis.
• Participate in animal welfare meetings, conferences, and committees as required.
• Perform Customer Care Representative duties as needed to maintain optimal functioning of the Customer Care desk operations.
• Prepare reports. Assist with collection and review of related data.
• Aid with preparation and monitoring the shelter's annual budget, as it pertains to the Customer Care division.
• Represent the shelter in a professional and courteous manner at all times.
• Follow safety and security procedures and take immediate action to address any safety concerns.
• Operate within all local, county, and state guidelines and regulations.
• Perform other related duties and responsibilities as required.

Qualifications for Success

• A genuine passion for and enjoyment of working with people from a range of diverse backgrounds, ages, perspectives, and experiences.
• Supervisory experience and the ability to effectively lead, inspire, and direct staff and volunteers.
• Professional experience in a customer service environment and a strong commitment to customer service excellence.
• Demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion
• Working knowledge of animal welfare, sheltering best practices, to include humane animal care and fear-free handling techniques.
• Ability to successfully manage tasks within in a fast-paced environment.
• High degree of empathy and social intelligence. Ability to skillfully mediate and deescalate emotionally charged situations
• Excellent listening, verbal, and written communication skills.
• Ability to prioritize tasks and effectively delegate with a high degree of independence.
• Highly organized, detailed, and process orientated.
• Intermediate to advanced skill and experience with Windows operating systems.
• Strong clerical and administrative skills, including data entry.
• Proficiency in, or ability to learn, Chameleon data base system.
• Ethical decision making with the ability to exercise good judgment and maintain confidential information.
• Ability to establish, maintain, and foster positive and harmonious working relationships with those contacted in the course of work.

More Qualifications for Success

Education and Training:

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Management, Communications, Public Service, or a related field.
• A combination of professional animal welfare experience and people management/supervisory experience may be substituted for the bachelor's degree.

• A minimum of three (3) years of professional experience in a supervisory or management role exercising direct supervision of paid staff required
• A minimum of two (2) years of professional experience a public-facing, customer-service focused position required
• A minimum of two (2) years of experience in animal welfare organization, veterinary clinic, or similar type of humane organization required.
• At least one (1) year professional experience in an open admissions animal shelter providing impound services for animal protection strongly preferred
• Proficiency with animal shelter data base/software systems strongly preferred
• Bilingual in both Spanish and English a plus

• Possession of, or ability to obtain, a valid Colorado driver's license.
• Fear-free animal handling certified or the ability to become certified within 90 days of hire
• Background Check: Must pass a criminal background check.
• Work Environment:
  • Work is performed throughout shelter and internal office settings
  • Exposure to high noise levels, zoonotic diseases, potentially fearful/fractious animals, and/or animal bites/scratches
  • Exposure to cleaning agents
  • Work can be emotionally taxing.
• Physical Requirements:
  • Occasional lifting and carrying of up to 40 pounds.
  • Frequent computer use.
  • Potential for standing, walking, sitting for extended periods of time.
  • Bending, reaching, squatting, kneeling, pulling, pushing, and cleaning.
  • Regular animal handling and restraint; regular handling of microchip scanners, syringes, and needles.