Location: SPCA Pet Adoption Center (200 Petfinder Lane, Raleigh, NC)

Overview: The Adoption Specialist at the SPCA of Wake County is responsible for sending home all the pets. Ok, maybe not all the pets, but Adoption Specialists are responsible for matching prospective adopters with available pets. Adoption specialists get to know adopters in a casual, conversational manner, learning about an adopter’s preferences and expectations for a new pet and allowing staff to make recommendations about suitable matches.

A Day in the Life: Adoption Specialists do a little bit of everything. One hour you’ll be photographing pets and writing their profiles for the website and the next you’ll be helping someone pick out the best supplies for their high-energy puppy. After lunch you might answer several phone calls about everything from where to look for a lost pet to explaining the benefits of crate training. Then you’ll meet a family who has picked out a rambunctious puppy. You’ll have a conversation about all the training this puppy still needs and they’ll decide an adult dog is more their speed.

You Might Be A Born Adoption Specialist If:

• You’ve been told you’d talk about pets to a tree if you thought it was listening.
• You’ve given pet care advice to the mailman, your pharmacist, and your hairdresser.
• Your friends won’t go with you to Petsmart anymore because you talk them into spending more than they planned (But they know you’re right and they really did need everything you recommended.).
• Your friends beg you to come to family gatherings because you remain calm in stressful situations and can defuse a situation with ease.

The Nitty Gritty:

• High school diploma and completion of college courses required; college degree preferred or equivalent work experience
• Full-time (40 hours/week)
• Hours include: Mondays 11:30-8:30PM; Tuesday–Friday 9:30-6:30PM; Saturdays 10:00-6:30PM and Sundays 12:00-6:30PM. Counselors are off two days per week which may vary, with rotating weekends off as staffing allows
• Hourly pay rate is $11.00 + great benefits
• Candidates must be able to work weekends (non-negotiable). Some holidays required.

Interested? Please send resume, cover letter and SPCA employment application to Kim Flowers at kflowers@spcawake.org. Only the most qualified candidates will be contacted for interviews; no phone calls please (we’ll have our people call your people).