ANIMAL SERVICES DISPATCHER

Full Job Description

Minimum Qualifications:
High School Diploma or GED required; supplemented by one (1) year of experience providing customer service in an animal care setting; or any equivalent combination of education, training, and experience which provides the requisite knowledge, skills, and abilities for this job.

Specific License or Certification Required: None.

Specific Knowledge, Skills, or Abilities:
Must be able to demonstrate proficiency in performance of the essential functions and learn, comprehend, and apply all county or departmental policies, practices, and procedures necessary to function effectively in the position.

Requirements

Purpose of Classification:

The purpose of the classification is to provide dispatch and administrative support to the Animal Field Services Division. Responsibilities include coordinating and assigning tasks to field officers in real-time, managing communication between the office and field teams, and using dispatch software for efficient tracking and route optimization. Incumbent work on a varied shift schedule and is subject to stand-by or on-call duty outside of normal work hours, as part of a 24-hour, seven (7) days a week operation, including weekends and holidays.

Essential Functions:

The following duties are normal for this position. The omission of specific statements of the duties does not exclude them from the classification if the work is similar, related, or a logical assignment for this classification. Other duties may be required and assigned.

Serves as liaison between the assigned department and other departments/divisions, staff members, County officials, the public, community leaders, outside agencies, or other individuals or organizations for the distribution and receipt of routine information; interacts with various officials and dignitaries involving sensitive client relations; conveys information among division/department personnel; and circulates documentation to appropriate departments.

Greets in-person visitors and employees; provides information/assistance regarding county operations, activities, departments, services, forms, fees and procedures or other issues; responds to routine questions or complaints or requests for animal services; research problems/complaints; and initiates problem resolution.

Provides routine customer service assistance to citizens and businesses of Fulton County; refers citizens and/or callers to other staff members and departments as appropriate; answer, screen, direct, and dispatch service calls in accordance with policies and procedures; prioritize and forwards calls according to urgency and importance to appropriate animal services field team; receives and/or returns messages; and coordinates and integrates daily calls, requests, and complaints.

Processes a variety of documentation associated with department/division operations, within designated timeframes and per established procedures; tracks, compiles, and inputs data; prepares, completes, and generates various forms, reports, schedules, and other documentation; which may include call activity, complaint reports, bite reports, agendas, etc.; sorts, organizes, opens, and/or distributes incoming and outgoing mail; and verifies animal microchips and completes proper documentation.

Maintains file system of various files/records for the department; prepares files, organizes documentation, and files documents in designated order; retrieves/replaces files; scans records into computer; shreds/destroys confidential or obsolete documents; conducts records maintenance activities in compliance with guidelines governing record retention; and research department files, database records, hard copy materials, Internet sites and other sources as needed.

Operates or uses various equipment and supplies in order to complete work assignments; enter, retrieve, review, or modify data, utilizing word processing, spreadsheet, database, Internet, e-mail, or other software; operates a radio, phone, or computer to send crews, vehicles, or other field units to appropriate locations; and operates general office or other equipment as necessary to complete essential functions.

Communicates with supervisor, other employees, law enforcement personnel, residents, veterinarians, businesses, the public and other individuals as needed to coordinate work activities, review status of work, exchange information, or resolve problems.

Additional Functions:
Performs other related duties as required.

Qualifications

Performance Aptitudes:

Data Utilization: Requires the ability to determine, calculate, tabulate, or summarize data/information, following a prescribed plan requiring the exercise of some judgment. Includes performing subsequent actions in relation to these computational operations.

Human Interaction: Requires the ability to provide guidance, assistance, and/or interpretation to others regarding the application of procedures and standards to specific situations.

Equipment, Machinery, Tools, and Materials Utilization: Requires the ability to operate, maneuver and/or control the actions of equipment, machinery, tools, and/or materials used in performing essential functions.

Verbal Aptitude: Requires the ability to utilize a wide variety of reference and descriptive data and information.

Mathematical Aptitude: Requires the ability to perform addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. May include counting, recording of counts, and basic measuring.

Functional Reasoning: Requires the ability to apply principles of rational systems; to interpret instructions furnished in written, oral, diagrammatic, or schedule form; and to exercise independent judgment to adopt or modify methods and standards to meet variations in assigned objectives.

Situational Reasoning: Requires the ability to exercise judgment, decisiveness and creativity in situations involving evaluation of information against measurable or verifiable criteria.

Other Requirements:

Physical Ability: Tasks require the ability to exert very moderate physical effort in light work, typically involving some combination of stooping, kneeling, crouching and crawling, and which may involve some lifting, carrying, pushing and/or pulling of objects and materials of moderate weight (12-20 pounds).

Sensory Requirements: Some tasks require the ability to perceive and discriminate colors or shades of colors, sounds, and visual cues or signals. Some tasks require the ability to communicate orally.

Environmental Factors: Essential functions are regularly performed without exposure to adverse environmental conditions.

Additional Information

Fulton County is an Equal Opportunity Employer. In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, the County will provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities and encourages both prospective and current employees to discuss potential accommodations with the employer.