Animal Control Officer, Supervising

Full Job Description

SALARY
$38.61 - $46.33 Hourly
$80,300.48 - $96,368.48 Annually

The Animal Services division of the County of Santa Barbara Health department is currently accepting applications to fill one (1) Shelter Services Supervisor vacancy in Santa Maria. The County classification title is Animal Control Officer, Supervising.

We are also accepting applications to establish one employment list for future Full-Time, Part-time, Extra Help and 1414* vacancies for the Animal Control Officer, Supervising job classification in Santa Barbara, Santa Maria, and Lompoc.

*Civil Service Rule 1414. Appointment to Fill Vacancy During Leave of Absence.

CSR 1414 vacancies may occur as a result of a leave of absence, and the duration of the appointment shall be subject to the return of the individual who is on leave.

A person who is appointed to a position under Civil Service Rule 1414 may be able to transition into a regular position in the classification without re-application or re-testing, depending on the performance of the appointee and the needs of the department.

The primary location is home-based in Santa Maria; however, the incumbent will need to travel throughout the County as this position requires responsibilities at all three shelter locations in Santa Barbara, Santa Maria, and Lompoc.

Please select “ALL LOCATIONS” on the job application as areas you are willing to accept work.

The work schedule for this position will depend upon the needs of the Department and will include overnight, on-call, weekend, and holidays shifts. Travel throughout the County will be required.

THE POSITION:

Under direction of the Animal Services Director or Operations Manager, this position supervises operations and staff at an animal shelter in an assigned geographical area; performs patrol and enforcement duties; and performs other duties as required.

The Animal Control Officer, Supervising classification has two distinct areas of specialty with corresponding job titles: Shelter Services Supervisor and Field Services Supervisor.

Candidates may select the area(s) of interest in the Supplemental Questionnaire section of the job application, however the current opening is for a Shelter Services Supervisor

Shelter Services Supervisor

This position is primarily responsible for overseeing operations at one of our Animal Shelter locations..

Duties include oversight of daily animal care and population management;; directly supervising shelter staff and volunteers; working collaboratively with on-site nonprofit partners; and ensuring adherence to departmental policies designed to provide excellent animal and client services.

This position requires working in the shelter conducting animal care and customer service duties.

Field Services Supervisor

This position is primarily responsible for coordinating 24-hour a day animal control services for Santa Barbara County and six contract municipalities; supervising a team of Animal Control Officers (ACOs); enforcing local and State laws and overseeing case management and prosecution.

This position requires working in the field as an ACO and being on overnight Stand-By as needed.

DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS: This is a working supervisory classification.

Incumbents spend a majority of time supervising Animal Control Officers, Animal Shelter Attendants, clerical support staff, and the work of volunteers at one of three shelters in the county.

Incumbents perform field officer patrol and enforcement work, animal care and customer service, and may assist the Animal Control Services Director with administrative functions.

ANIMAL SERVICES DIVISION:

The Santa Barbara County Animal Services Division operates three open admission animal shelters, serving all of Santa Barbara County with the exception of the City of Carpinteria.

We provide field and shelter services, adoption and lost and found programs, affordable spay and neuter services, and have a very robust volunteer and foster program.

Project Pet Safe promotes responsible pet ownership through vaccination, licensing, spay and neuter, and microchipping of pets. Animal Shelter Locations:

• Santa Maria Shelter, 548 W. Foster Road
• Santa Barbara Shelter, 5473 Overpass Road
• Lompoc Shelter, 1501 W. Central Avenue

The IDEAL CANDIDATE will have strong interpersonal skills, a high level of professionalism and:

• Have experience supervising, training, coaching and mentoring.
• Have experience in building and managing robust volunteer programs.
• Possess paid work experience with animals, preferably in an animal shelter or veterinary clinic setting.
• Possess knowledge of animal behavior and enrichment/training programs within a shelter setting.
• Genuinely enjoy working with people and animals.
• Possess excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Thrive in a dynamic, fast-paced work environment.
• Have a collaborative approach in generating solutions.
• Enjoy learning about and enacting solutions that respect the Human-Animal bond
• Have experience providing high quality customer service to the public
• Maintain an empathetic and problem-solving approach to each day's work.
• Possess a working knowledge of state and local animal laws/ordinances.

BENEFITS: The County of Santa Barbara offers generous benefits. CLICK HERE to view more information.

In addition, applicants from other public sector employers may qualify for:

• Retirement reciprocity
• Time and service credit towards for an advanced vacation accrual rate

Please visit Santa Barbara County Animal Services online at www.linktr.ee/sbcanimalservices

Requirements

1. Supervises Animal Control Officers performing field enforcement work, Animal Shelter Attendants responsible for the care and feeding of animals, and kennel maintenance; supervises clerical office support staff, and monitors volunteers and individuals from various organizations assisting with shelter and animal activities; participates in the hiring of staff and provides training; establishes work schedules and assigns work; monitors the work of staff to ensure that work is accomplished in a safe, efficient, and timely manner; provides technical advice to staff to ensure the appropriate interpretation, application of, and compliance with rules, regulations, policies, and procedures; evaluates performance and recommends disciplinary action; conducts staff meetings; assists with the identification, development, and implementation of policies and procedures as instructed by the Animal Control Services Director; may assist the director in the preparation of the annual budget; monitors expenditures.
2. Maintains and reviews daily activity sheets, productivity reports, drug and weapon usage logs, employee injury reports, and euthanasia logs for appropriateness of action, and to prepare reports concerning shelter activity; inspects shelter equipment and vehicles to ensure they are in safe and proper working condition; orders shelter supplies and equipment.
3. Conducts public school education and community group presentations; explains to the public animal control policies and procedures, and the role of Animal Services.
4. Provides technical assistance to staff regarding legal cases, such as those involving animal cruelty, serious animal bites, or vicious dogs, and in the preparation of related documents; assists with complex investigations which may involve contact with agencies such as the District Attorney's Office; prepares evidence for court cases and testifies in court.
5. Responds to calls from the public, law enforcement agencies, or staff regarding injured, stray, sick, or dangerous animals, and violations of animal regulatory ordinances; enforces leash laws, licensing, vaccinations, spaying, neutering, animal noise, and barking dog ordinances, and other State and local laws and regulations; issues citations; assists the public in claiming, adopting, and obtaining licenses for animals.

Qualifications

1. One (1) year of journey level animal control experience in kenneling, licensing, and patrol and enforcement work; OR,
2. One (1) year of experience performing duties equivalent to the class of Animal Control Officer II with Santa Barbara County; OR,
3. A combination of training, education, and experience that is equivalent to the employment standard listed above and that provides the required knowledge and abilities.

Additional Qualifications:

1. Possession of a valid California Class C Driver's License.
2. Incumbents must complete course PC 832 in Arrest, Search, and Seizure and Firearms Training, and in compliance with California Code of Regulations, complete 8 hours of "Euthanasia Training Curriculum" within one year of appointment to Animal Control Officer, Supervising.
3. Incumbents must be able to move animals or objects weighing up to 100 lbs.
4. Incumbents are expected to: work in the field; wear a uniform; and work shifts, weekends, and rotational standby duty as required.
5. Employment in this class may require successful completion of a criminal background investigation.

Knowledge of: applicable State and local laws, regulations, and ordinances; safety practices in cleaning, animal handling, vehicle and weapon operation; inspection and enforcement methods and techniques; proper English usage, grammar, and spelling; report writing; training techniques; euthanasia methods and techniques; the proper care and handling of animals; the physical and behavioral characteristics of animals; breed identification; the symptoms of rabies and other common animal diseases; the safe and accurate handling of firearms.

Ability to: plan, schedule, and direct the work of staff; train and evaluate staff; gather, analyze, interpret information, and adopt a course of action; explain, apply, and enforce rules and regulations; prepare various reports; obtain cooperation and compliance from members of the public; exercise tact and independent judgment; present a positive public image; establish and maintain effective relationships with the public, volunteers, and staff; handle sick, injured, dangerous, or dead animals and decomposing carcasses in a safe and humane manner; recognize diseased or injured animals; destroy (euthanize) dangerous, sick, or unwanted animals; make mathematical computations; speak before large and small groups; tolerate stress; safely drive a vehicle; and work independently.

Additional Information

APPLICATION & SELECTION PROCESS:

1. Review applications and supplemental questionnaire to determine those applicants who meet the employment standards.

Supplemental Questionnaire Ranking. Responses to the required supplemental questionnaire will be evaluated and autoscored.

Candidates’ final score and rank on the employment list will be determined by their responses to the supplemental questionnaire.

This process may be eliminated if there are fewer than 11 qualified candidates.




Candidates must receive a percentage score of at least 70 on the supplemental questionnaire ranking to be placed on an employment list.

An adjustment may be made to raw scores based on factors listed in Civil Service Rule VI.

Those candidates who are successful in the selection process will have their names placed on the employment list for a minimum of three months.

At the time the employment list is established, all candidates will receive an email notice of their score on the exam(s), rank on the employment list, and exact duration of the employment list.




REASONABLE ACCOMMODATIONS: The County of Santa Barbara is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to applicants.

Qualified individuals with disabilities who need a reasonable accommodation during the application or selection process should contact the recruiter listed on the job posting.

We require verification of needed accommodation from a professional source, such as a Medical Provider, or learning institution.




Recruiters will communicate with applicants by e-mail during each step in the recruitment process. Applicants are reminded to check spam filters continuously during the Recruitment & Selection Process steps listed above to ensure they do not miss required deadlines.




Conditional Job Offer: Once a conditional offer of employment has been made, candidate will be required to successfully complete a background check, which includes a conviction history check, and satisfactory reference checks.

The appointee will be subject to a post-offer medical evaluation or examination. The appointee must satisfactorily complete a one-year probationary period.




The County of Santa Barbara Health Department (County Health) requires all employees working in direct contact with patients or clients in a high-risk environment to comply with the County Health Employee Immunizations policy.

This can be accomplished by providing documentation of immunizations, submitting laboratory immune titers demonstrating adequate immunity, or obtaining required vaccinations.

A list of requirements, based on the specific program, will be sent at the time an offer letter is presented to the selected candidate(s) and initial documentation will be required at this time.




Disaster Service Workers: Pursuant to Governmental Code section 3100, all employees with the County of Santa Barbara are declared to be disaster service workers subject to such disaster service. Activities as may be assigned to them by their superiors or by law.




EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY (EEO) STATEMENT

The County of Santa Barbara provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants and prohibits discrimination, harassment, and retaliation of any type with regard to any characteristic or status protected by any federal law, state law, or Santa Barbara County ordinance.

The County continues to be committed to a merit-based selection process and to eliminating barriers to attracting and retaining top qualified candidates.

The County has a long-standing practice of providing a work environment that respects the dignity of individual employees and values their contributions to our organization.




APPLICATION AND SUPPLEMENTAL QUESTIONNAIRE DEADLINE: 02/17/26 by 4:59PM PST. Applications and job bulletins can be obtained 24 hours a day at www.sbcountyjobs.com.




Farrah Medrano, Talent Acquisition Lead
County Health, PHDRecruiter@sbcphd.org