Kennel Manager

Job Title: Kennel Manager

Job Status: Full-Time, Non-Exempt

Reports to: Executive Director

Location: Falmouth, MA

Company Overview:

Are you passionate about making a positive impact in people's lives and have a soft spot for dogs? Look no further than Dogs for Better Lives (DBL) As a nationally recognized nonprofit organization, DBL is dedicated to professionally training dogs to help people with disabilities and enhance their lives. Our mission is to create a lifelong commitment to all dogs rescued or bred and all people served, which is supported by our nationwide donor base. DBL is nationally recognized by Guidestar, Great Nonprofits, Charity Navigator (9 years with a continuous four-star rating), Best of the Upper Cape 2022, Oregon Business’ 2021 “Oregon Top 100 Best Nonprofits to Work For,” and we are accredited by Assistance Dogs International (ADI). At DBL, we believe in empowering our employees to achieve our goals and serve our clients, dogs, and donors while embracing a work-life balance. As we continue to expand our organization and build upon our past successes, we provide ample opportunities for growth and continued learning. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer, and we welcome employees from diverse backgrounds who share our values. Join us and be part of an employee-driven team that strives to serve more clients while upholding our unwavering commitment to our clients, dogs, and donors.

Benefits:?

The position is full time and non-exempt. We believe in taking good care of our employees and offer an excellent employer-paid benefits package which includes the following: medical, dental, vision, STD/LTD, basic life insurance, generous time off (flex/sick days, vacation, 10 paid holidays) while promoting your mental health with our EAP plan.?

Job Summary:

The Kennel Manager oversees scheduling, training, and oversight of Kennel Technicians and volunteers who work with the dogs, along with assuring kennel facilities are maintained. Additionally, the Kennel Manager ensures the proper feeding and care of dogs in residence at Dogs for Better Lives, including coordinating medical appointments and treatments, while maintaining accurate record of the dogs. The Kennel Manager will ensure that both the Kennel Technicians and volunteers are following policies, procedures and protocols as required by DBL. The Kennel Manager is responsible for the overall cleanliness and operation of the kennel facility.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Participates in and communicates with recruitment, selection, and training of assigned staff.
• Performs Kennel Technician job duties as needed and for coverage, training and follow up.
• Manages scheduling and transportation of veterinary appointments. Keeps all medical records up to date.

Additional Duties:

• Receives, processes, and files all paperwork.
• Keeps records on all dogs that are in training utilizing DBL selected cloud-based software programs.
• Maintains daily kennel tech tasks and kennel operation requirements.
• Maintains medical supply inventory.
• Ensures that the kennel facility is clean and well organized.
• Oversees management of vaccines, microchip information, etc.
• Perform other duties as required by the organization and the Executive Director.

Essential Qualifications:

• High School diploma or GED certificate required.
• Experience as a Kennel Technician at Dogs for Better Lives or similar organization, and/or three years of experience as a vet tech in a veterinarian’s office.
• Dog behavioral training preferred.
• Must pass a criminal background and DMV check.
• For the safety of the employee, other employees, and the dogs, an employee must have hearing within normal limits (for an adult, hearing thresholds no greater than 25 dB HL from 500 Hz through 4000 Hz, for both ears, with or without hearing aids, implants or other devices. Employees must be able to hear the wide variety of sounds at different levels and pitches from a variety of directions and distances that dogs make while interacting with people and each other. This includes:
• Detect barking at all levels and tones.
• Determine direction barking is coming from.
• Detect change in type of bark, tone, volume.
• Detect low growl, direction.
• Hear a dog running behind them.
• Hear talking in a normal range.
• Physically capable of lifting dogs up to 65 pounds, the agility to move quickly, climb stairs, operate office equipment and computers with ease, and the ability to get up and down easily while working and playing with the dogs.

Essential Requirements:

• Enjoys building and maintaining relationships with staff.
• Successfully able to lead self and others through a process and adhere to timelines.
• Shares in the passion for the mission of Dogs for Better Lives.
• Self-starter and independent with limited supervision with the ability to work collaboratively.
• Ability to prioritize and handle multiple tasks.
• Highly skilled in interpersonal and written communication.
• Ability to meet and greet the public in a friendly and courteous manner.
• Comfortable and experienced with public speaking.
• Respects and maintains privileged confidential information.
• Values continuous learning; and seeks ongoing training and development.

Note: This is a job description, not an employment contract. This job description does not state or imply these are the only duties to be performed by the employee occupying this position. Employees will be required to follow any other job-related duties required by management. Dogs for Better Lives is an Equal Opportunity Employer.