Custodial Technician (Temporary)

APA! BACKGROUND: Austin Pets Alive! (APA!) is one of Austin’s most dynamic and beloved nonprofits. The organization leads 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 its large volunteer workforce and the scrappiness of its grassroots and its non-traditional, community-based animal rescue work.

The organization continues to innovate best practices to save lives and spreads its impact by offering resources and mentorship related to its renowned lifesaving model through American Pets Alive!, APA!’s national division. In 2020, American Pets Alive! began the Human Animal Support Services (HASS) - an innovative initiative aimed at rethinking the traditional model of animal sheltering. It focuses on supporting both people and pets in the community to reduce the number of animals entering shelters and improve outcomes for both. The project encourages collaboration between animal welfare organizations and community-based services, with a goal of providing personalized, proactive support that positions animal welfare as a social service.

BRIEF POSITION SUMMARY/OVERVIEW:

The Custodial Technician ensures animal care at APA! is efficient thanks to their attention to important details in the background. They work together to help the system run smoothly when it comes to essential daily tasks like kennel cleaning, laundry, and dishwashing. In collaboration with other teammates, ensures animal care at APA! is equitable, timely, and integrated for dogs, cats, puppies, and kittens.

The Custodial Technician plays a key role in advancing the goals of APA!’s care program. This position contributes directly to APA!’s mission to increase the live release rate across Texas by supporting a sustainable, inclusive, and high-impact model for shelter operations.

The Custodial Technician is responsible for managing their daily responsibilities, maintaining clear priorities, and delivering consistent, high-quality work that aligns with APA!’s values and goals. This includes staying organized, using data or feedback to inform decisions, and following through on key tasks and responsibilities with minimal oversight. This is a hands-on, mission-driven role focused on results, reliability, and teamwork.

APA! is a volunteer-powered organization, so every staff member is expected to work alongside and support volunteers. The Custodial Technician collaborates closely with volunteers to complete day-to-day tasks, helps create a positive and inclusive environment, and actively contributes to a culture of shared effort and mutual respect.

This position may involve shift flexibility, weekend hours, and responsiveness during times of high need.

Every individual at APA! is responsible for working in collaboration with volunteers; making sure volunteers are recruited, trained and feel impactful through their efforts at APA!. A core part of this role is creating a welcoming and empowering experience for volunteers, including assisting with onboarding, training, and volunteer engagement as part of the day-to-day workflow.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

Treats animals and teammates with the highest level of compassion and consideration
Cleans and sanitizes animal enclosures to ensure high standards of health and wellness
Following daily deep cleans, performs building spot checks and spot-cleans as necessary
Provides animal enclosures with with clean bedding, fresh water, and nutritious food
Maintains an orderly and pleasing environment by performing laundry, dishwashing, supply stocking, litter box cleaning, carrier cleaning, sweeping, and mopping floors
Maintains tidy and organized care stations (laundry and disposal areas, supply stations, feeding stations, mobile care stations, etc.) across the TLAC campus
Physically transports and organizes care inventory supplies, such as pet food deliveries
Performs daily cleanliness rounds to fill up water bowls and pools in play yards, and pick up toys, bowls, and debris from the grounds
Ensures daily performance metrics and time-sensitive instructions issued by supervisor are fulfilled, such as minimum required laundry loads each day and ensuring washers and dryers are continuously running on campus
Assists other care personnel and performs other tasks as necessary
Actively contribute to a volunteer-powered culture by partnering with volunteers during every shift and helping create an inclusive, welcoming environment
Work alongside volunteers to complete daily tasks, ensuring the work is shared and collaborative—not siloed
Support the recruitment and onboarding process by welcoming new volunteers and helping them get oriented to the program
Help retain volunteers by offering encouragement, guidance, and feedback during shared work
Recommend strong volunteers for deeper involvement or specialized roles to your supervisor or volunteer manager
Contribute to a positive culture by recognizing volunteer contributions through appreciation, gratitude, and shoutouts
Help set volunteers up for success by clearly explaining tasks, providing hands-on guidance, and offering in-the-moment support
Job duties may include some or all of the above, and other duties as assigned by manager

OTHER FUNCTIONS:

Must demonstrate dependability, accountability, time management, use of reasoning, and good judgment skills
Attend and participate in all required training sessions and meetings
Maintain open and consistent communication with Program Manager or designee, supervisor, and other colleagues
Partner with Volunteer Managers to learn about the volunteer programs and support volunteers interested in your department on an ongoing basis
Able to react to change productively and perform other related duties as assigned
Able to work evenings, weekends, and holidays as needed
Able to work in a high-volume, fast-paced, high-stress environment
Comfortable working autonomously when given goals and deadlines

QUALIFICATIONS, SKILLS & EXPECTATIONS:

Dedicated to being on time and with a sense of urgency
Strong work ethic with a proven track record of accomplishment
Contribute to the success of the Quality of Care department by adhering to strict standards of care for each and every animal in the shelter
Maintain a positive and enthusiastic attitude
Committed to embodying APA!’s Core Values: Innovation, Respect, Drive, Resourcefulness, and Inclusion and cultural values: Humble, Hungry, Smart
Commitment to APA!'s customer experience expectations
Passion for working well with staff, volunteers, and customers—helping all individuals feel successful, appreciated, and connected to APA!’s mission
Strong commitment to volunteer engagement and support; dedicated to working well with volunteers across all roles
Comfortable working cross-functionally and serving as a liaison between volunteers, customers, and team members
Effective written and verbal communication skills; able to interpret rules, procedures, and instructional materials
Self-starter with strong time management; able to work independently and collaboratively
Excellent interpersonal skills; maintains a calm and professional presence in all situations
Strong attention to detail and high standards for quality
Adaptable to change and able to perform related duties as needed
Dedicated to delivering an exceptional and inclusive customer experience

PHYSICAL JOB REQUIREMENTS:

Must be able to routinely lift 40-50 pounds
Must be able to push/pull a large cart over uneven ground
Must be able to work around animals (including diseased, injured, and/or potentially aggressive animals), loud noises, chlorine or other chemicals, and inclement weather
Be able to bend and use your arms in a repetitive manner
Can be on your feet for an entire 8-hour shift
Must have physical strength to perform cleaning duties quickly and on schedule
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:

Rapid pace with exposure to potential hazards including animal waste, fluids, debris, and chemicals
High levels of noise, such as dogs barking
Potential for animal bites, scratches, and diseases that can be transmitted from animals to people
Occasional after-hours or weekend work may be required to support program needs

TIME COMMITMENT:

This is a temporary part-time, nonexempt position with an average of 20 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

LOCATION(S):

APA! Main - Town Lake Animal Center 1156 West Cesar Chavez Austin, TX 78703
May travel to offsite locations as needed

BENEFITS:

All employees are eligible for access to an Employee Assistance Program, Discounted Perks Programs, fully subsidized Pet Insurance and time off incentives.

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 [email protected] at least one week in advance of your interview.