JOB/POSITION TITLE: Foster Care Coordinator
STATUS: Exempt
PRIMARY PURPOSE: Assist in coordinating and evaluating Hawaiian Humane's Society's foster care program, facilitating engagement and support for foster care providers and ensuring animals in care have a variety of options for positive outcomes.
Reports To: Foster Care Manager
Supervises: Program volunteers and in-home foster care volunteers
ESSENTIAL DUTIES/FUNCTIONS:

• People Care. Ensuring internal and external patrons (employees, volunteers, Hawaiian Humane partners and community members) and their needs are a primary focus. Communication and contact must be clear, understandable, cooperative, professional and respectful in all circumstances and will occur through face to face, telephone, and electronic mail. Employees are expected to actively support a positive team environment, directly address conflict with the goal of problem solving and appropriately express concerns. This position interacts with and collaborates with employees and volunteers at all levels of the organization.
• Customer Care. Deliver high-level customer service to Hawaiian Humane community members via Foster Care Programs including recruitment, training, follow up support, and needs related to department assigned volunteers. Communicate with a diverse group of people in a consistently compassionate, informative, respectful and professional manner. Manage emotionally difficult situations with strong communication skills and empathy.
• Foster Care Program Development & Growth. Support the expansion and integration of the Foster Care program across the organization, finding strategies to work collaboratively and proactively, creating new opportunities for increased lifesaving through foster care. Support the development and fulfillment of departmental objectives and plans to expand programming to support sick, injured, and young animals prior to adoptions placement and expand other foster programs to assist the community in emergency situations. Support the development and execution of strategies to grow the foster volunteer team by identifying, recruiting, training and retaining foster caregivers through speaking engagements or community events. Support the design, develop and implementation of program standards, SOPs, systems and procedures for accomplishing work, ensuring these are updated, followed, and communicated with team members and volunteers.
• Training & Education . Work with the foster care manager to assess and monitor programmatic efficacy and impact by benchmarking and examining retention, engagement, and foster volunteer contributions. Maintain educational and support collateral online and hard copy foster care materials for internal and external use. Support the creation of the monthly volunteer newsletter with foster care stories or needs. Create and maintain digital orientation and digital training classes, while also working with team members and partners on in-person training class opportunities.
• Volunteer Management & Retention. Work with the foster care manager to build and nurture a team of dedicated foster caregivers and program volunteers. Maintain day-to-day relations and communication with fosters. Provide top-notch customer service to fosters caregivers, including helping them address concerns or responding to their questions. Organize engagement opportunities with foster caregivers throughout the year, while supporting other community events as needed for recruitment.
• Daily Foster Program Activities. Coordinate temporary in-home care for sick, injured, or young animals that need more attention or socialization before placement in adoptions. Work proactively with veterinary services, transfer, adoptions and behavior to meet the organization's foster placement needs ensuring best outcomes for animals. Assist in the gathering of supplies and resources when fosters are scheduled to pick-up. Conduct all pre-pickup interviews for foster parents to ensure they are a good fit for the animal in need and are aware of the time commitments, details, etc. Coordinates placement and related resources for Emergency foster program.
• Interdepartmental Communications. Participates in meetings with other members of the department and shares ideas and suggestions designed to improve the foster care programs and the organization as a whole.

OTHER DUTIES/FUNCTIONS:

• Operations Support. Works with other departments within the organization to resolve issues of mutual concern and improve operations.
• Other Duties as Assigned. May include organization-wide support as needed, including but not limited to participation in events, serving as spokesperson, fundraising, covering other operational departments, and Hawaiian Humane's role as a first responder to disasters.

JOB CONDITIONS:

• Work Environment: Indoors and outdoors as needed.
• Equipment Use: Computer, database, and telephone systems. Use of all sheltering related animal equipment including tools for containing animals humanely, safely, and securely. Shelter related medical equipment and tools for administering vaccines humanely and safely. Use of Hawaiian Humane Vehicles.
• Hours: Based on operational requirements. Shift times are scheduled to support organizational needs and may include evenings, weekends and holidays.

MENTAL, PHYSICAL AND COMMUNICATION DEMANDS:

• Must be able to handle and restrain animals of various sizes, weights, and temperaments in a caring, safe, and respectful manner. Subject to animal bites or scratches.
• Work performed in high noise level areas. Exposure to cleaning solutions, fumes, dust, animal dander and bodily fluids.
• Physical efforts require constant bending, stooping, standing, climbing stairs, and walking. Frequent lifting of animals and objects with or without reasonable accommodation.
• Must be able to maintain professionalism, composure, and compassion in emotionally charged situations and able to resolve conflicts effectively.
• Must be detail-oriented with excellent organizational and analytical skills.
• Perform euthanasia and related tasks.

QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS:

• Skills/Knowledge: Computer expertise and knowledge of programs such as Microsoft Office. Ability to use data base style computer programs, understand data reporting and analyzing data.
• Education/Training: High school diploma or equivalent required.
• Experience : Minimum one year of customer service experience in a professional setting required. Experience working with animals in a veterinary or shelter setting preferred. Supervisory experience with employees or volunteers preferred.

As a condition of employment, an applicant selected for hire is required to verify COVID-19 fully vaccinated status with HR prior to starting work. To be exempt from this requirement, an applicant must submit supporting documentation of exemption due to a medical reason, or because of a sincerely held religious belief to HR.
The above information on this job description has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by an employee in this classification. It is not to be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory, or all duties, responsibilities, and qualifications of employees assigned to this job. Management has the right to add to, revise, or delete information in this description. Reasonable accommodations will be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this position.