What are the responsibilities and job description for the Full-Time Neonatal Kitten Veterinary Assistant position at Austin Pets Alive!?
Neonatal Kitten Veterinary Assistant
APA! BACKGROUND: Austin Pets Alive! (APA!) is one of Austin’s most dynamic and best-loved nonprofits. The organization is the leader in 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 the scrappiness of its grassroots, non-traditional community-based animal rescue work.
The organization continues to innovate best practices to save lives and teaches its renowned lifesaving model through American Pets Alive!, APA!’s national division. In 2020, AmPA! began the Human Animal Support Services (HASS) project, a collaborative movement of more than 10,000 animal welfare professionals working in nearly 1,900 organizations. HASS is the first-of-its-kind collective of shelters and animal welfare professionals coming together to build community-focused animal services that better meet the needs of people and pets by keeping human-animal families together and keeping pets unnecessarily out of shelters.
BRIEF POSITION SUMMARY/OVERVIEW:
APA!’s Neonatal Kitten Nursery is one of the first of its kind, providing round-the-clock care and support for the most vulnerable of kitten populations. With over 2500 cats and kittens cared for every year, it is a key lifesaving program at APA! and an important piece of the equation that keeps Austin a No-Kill city. The Neonatal Kitten Medical Technician provides feeding and medical treatment to the cats and kittens in APA!’s Neonatal Program.
To ensure continuity in high-quality care year-round, this role includes seasonal flexibility to work at APA!'s Medical Clinic during the neonatal off-season, supporting clinic operations and broader veterinary technician needs.
RESPONSIBILITIES: All Neonatal Kitten Nursery employees and volunteers must follow established policies and procedures at all times and must be able to work calmly and efficiently even when the nursery is at full capacity.
- Perform intake exams on kittens and nursing/pregnant cats that come into the nursery, including blood draws for FeLV tests
- Administer oral, topical, and subcutaneous medications and vaccines, as well as nebulizer treatments
- Recognize symptoms of illness and prescribe proper medications according to established protocols, fill medications, and complete corresponding medical charts and paperwork
- Communicate clearly via email and in person with fosters, volunteers, and other staff members
- Track nursery kittens' weights daily to ensure they are gaining weight and thriving
- Administer Fading Kitten Protocol
- Spot treat nursery kittens with ringworm using lime dip
- Restock medical supplies
- Decontaminate rooms, crates, carriers, and other supplies
- Assist in feeding nursery kittens, including tube feeding when needed
- Help keep the nursery clean and running efficiently, which includes, but is not limited to, doing laundry, washing dishes, and taking trash and recycling out
- Set up crates for incoming cats
- Complete and submit daily and weekly checklists and reports, including EOD report, COVID sanitation checklist, and team handoff checklist
- Perform other duties as assigned
- Duties may differ slightly from this Job Description; all duties are outlined by the Neonatal Manager or another individual designated by APA!
In addition to the existing responsibilities:
- Flexibly transition to APA!'s Medical Clinic during the neonatal kitten off-season to perform duties typical of clinic veterinary technicians, as assigned.
- Adapt to changing work locations based on organizational needs, including providing support for the APA! Medical Clinic and other program areas.
OTHER FUNCTIONS:
- Attend and participate in all required training sessions and meetings
- Maintain open and consistent communication with Program Manager or designee, supervisor, and other colleagues
- Able to work in a high-volume, fast-paced, high-stress environment
- Participate in cross-training opportunities to support seamless transitions between neonatal nursery and clinic roles.
- Demonstrate adaptability to changing priorities and responsibilities in response to organizational needs during the off-season.
QUALIFICATIONS & SKILLS:
- High school diploma or equivalent required
- Basic math skills required
- Basic knowledge of common cat illnesses, injuries, conditions, and restraint techniques preferred
- Experience volunteering with cats or working with cats in a medical setting preferred
- Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail
- Ability to function well in a high-paced and at times stressful environment
- Ability to effectively communicate and collaborate with staff, volunteers, and fosters
- Willingness and ability to acquire and apply new skills to support APA!’s Medical Clinic operations, including treatment and care of non-neonatal animals.
- Strong adaptability and flexibility to work in diverse roles across different settings.
PHYSICAL JOB REQUIREMENTS:
- Must be able to work around animals (including diseased, injured, and/or potentially aggressive animals), loud noises, chlorine bleach and other chemicals, and inclement weather
- Must be able to comfortably interact with cats of unknown health and behavior status and that may carry zoonotic diseases such as ringworm, scabies, intestinal parasites, etc.
- Must be able to move up to 40 pounds
- Must be able to position self to tend to kittens in crates at varying heights from floor to ceiling
- If reasonable accommodations are requested, reasonable accommodations will be made to enable employees with disabilities to perform the essential functions of their job absent undue hardship to the organization.
WORK ENVIRONMENT:
- Exposure to environmental conditions that include working with and near animals
- Uses own transportation for travel and transport
- While onsite may be exposed to unpleasant odors and noises, bites, scratches and animal waste
- This role requires the ability to work at multiple locations, including the APA! Neonatal Nursery and APA! Medical Clinic, as needed.
EXPECTATIONS:
- Must embody APA!'s core values of innovation, respect, drive, resourcefulness, and inclusion
- Commitment to APA!'s customer experience expectations
- Willing and committed to working well with volunteers and staff in all roles
- All staff must follow established policies and procedures at all times and must be able to work calmly and efficiently when the nursery is at full capacity
- Commitment to the values and mission of APA! including sustaining a no-kill Austin and treating animals in APA! custody with compassion, kindness, and quality care
- Follow the established chain of command to solve problems if/when they arise
- Commitment to supporting APA!’s mission through flexible work arrangements, including the ability to rotate between roles based on organizational needs.
TIME COMMITMENT:
- This is a full-time, nonexempt position of 40 hours per week, based on business need
- Shift and schedule flexibility is required, as weekly schedule is subject to change
- Able to work evenings, weekends, and holidays as needed
WORKING RELATIONSHIPS: This position reports directly to the Nursery Senior Program Manager or another individual designated by APA!.
LOCATION:
- APA! Neonatal Nursery 3102 Windsor Rd, Suite D Austin, TX 78703
- APA! Main - Town Lake Animal Center 1156 West Cesar Chavez Austin, TX 78703
- May travel to offsite locations as needed
EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES AND ACCOMMODATIONS STATEMENT
Austin Pets Alive! is an equal employment opportunity employer and we value having staff who come from communities that are most impacted by the issues we engage on. We especially encourage people of color, LGBTQ people, women, transgender and gender non-conforming people, and people with disabilities to apply.
Austin Pets Alive! does not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. Austin Pets Alive! is committed to creating a dynamic work environment that values diversity and inclusion, respect and integrity, community focus, and innovation.
APA! is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities in the employment application process. To request an accommodation, please contact Talent Acquisition at job@austinpetsalive.org at least one week in advance of your interview.
