Animal Control Assistant

CAREER DESCRIPTION

ANIMAL CONTROL ASSISTANT

SALARY INFORMATION

In addition to performance-based merit increases, this position is scheduled to receive a salary range increase on the following date:

Effective June 27, 2025 - 4.00% increase

Salary may be negotiable within the range listed above, based on position requirements and successful candidate's qualifications, subject to appropriate authorization.

OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
This recruitment is being held to establish an open eligible list to fill current and future Animal Control Assistant vacancies within OC Community
Resources/OC Animal Care. The eligible list established may also be used to fill similar and lower-level classifications throughout the County of Orange.

DEADLINE TO APPLY

Qualified applicants are encouraged to apply immediately, as the deadline to apply for this recruitment is

Wednesday, June 4, 2025 at 11:59 PM (PT).

OC ANIMAL CARE
OC Animal Care's mission is to provide refuge and care for animals, foster the human-animal bond and promote safety in our community to ensure a safe compassionate community for all. OC Animal Care promotes responsible pet ownership; health and safety of people and animals and spay/neuter programs. OC Animal Care provides temporary shelter and medical care for lost, owned, or stray animals and opportunities for adoption for these animals.

OC Animal Care (OCAC) was founded in 1941 in the City of Orange in Orange County, California as a rabies control center with only 25 dog kennels. Since then, OCAC has expanded to play an important role in Orange County's animal care community. OCAC serves 14 cities and the unincorporated areas of Orange County with its expanded programs and services, and in 2024, the agency accepted over 15,000 animals.

OCAC's goal is to deliver prompt, temporary care and refuge to homeless animals, reunite animals with their owners, facilitate adoption, ensure public safety, and enhance the human-animal bond in the community. The shelter is designed to provide a positive experience for animals and people alike, and is the backdrop for the adaptive animal programming continually developed by OC Animal Care to provide enrichment, engagement and adoption services for the animals in its care.

For more information on OC Community Resources click on the link.
For more information on the County of Orange click on the link.

THE OPPORTUNITY
OC Animal Care is seeking candidates for the position of Animal Control Assistant. Incumbents perform a variety of work primarily consisting of deceased animal pick-up and supplemental coverage in OC Animal Care's Dispatch Services Unit, accepting incoming phone calls from the public and supporting staff working in the field over the 800 MHz radio system.

Incumbents will also provide ancillary assistance to Animal Control Officers by performing tasks such as impounding small confined animals, delivering paperwork, or transporting impounded animals. Additionally, incumbents may be responsible for selling dog or cat licenses, providing educational materials or information pertaining to pet licensing, and completing a variety of paperwork, forms, reports and data entry regarding activities and actions taken.

Responsibilities will include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Patrol assigned area in a vehicle handling service requests, consistent with the job classification, which are observed or reported.
• Remove deceased animal carcasses from private and public property, including roadways and flood control areas.
• Impound small animals which have been confined in a box or a trap by reporting parties, members of the public, other agencies or law enforcement authorities or other persons.
• Provide coverage for Dispatch Services Operators as needed including radio coverage, dispatching information to staff in the field and answering calls from the public requesting service.
• Sell dog or cat licenses or provide educational materials or information pertaining to pet licensing.
• Collect payments (cash, credit or other approved methods); issue receipts and maintain records of transactions; and use county fuel cards for assigned vehicle.
• Report incidents or situations to lead or supervisory staff when an Animal Control Officer is needed.
• Input actions appropriately into OC Animal Care's computer database recording animal descriptions, locations of pickup and other information as directed.
• Complete daily activity report detailing the calls handled and services rendered.
• Provide transport for animals impounded by OC Animal Care staff.
• Assist with computer inputting.
• Ensure that assigned equipment, animal control vehicle and workstation is in clean condition and is properly serviced and maintained.
• Assist in various teams at OC Animal Care as needed, consistent with the duties listed above.

The standard work schedule of this assignment will consist of rotating assignments five days per week, eight hours per day. The department may choose to schedule incumbents for a four day per week, ten hour per day schedule, depending on the business needs. Shift schedules generally rotate every four months. OC Animal Care provides service 24 hours per day, 365 days per year. Field Services currently has four primary shifts providing continuous staff coverage throughout the day and overnight, although other assignments may be assigned or available. Incumbents may be drafted for mandatory overtime in the event of an emergency, disaster, or during periods of unexpected staffing shortages.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
Click here for the complete classification description, including the minimum qualifications, for Animal Control Assistant.

Special Requirements
In compliance with California Code of Regulations, Title 8, Section 5144, Respirator Protection, incumbents will be required to utilize a respirator for certain aspects of their job duties to protect against odors, harmful respiratory contaminants and/or particulates. Incumbents will need to be able to work in a moderate to heavy physical capacity while wearing the respirator. Incumbents will need to pass a respiratory equipment fit test with Orange County Employee Health to ensure proper sizing and protection.

License/Certification
Possession of a current valid California Driver's License (Class C) at the time of appointment.
Must possess and maintain an acceptable driving record to the satisfaction of the County of Orange.

Incumbents will not be certified to perform humane euthanasia, but rather may assist persons authorized to perform humane euthanasia in the State of California. Such assistance may include animal restraint, transport, or other activities associated with humane euthanasia but excludes the direct handling of euthanasia drugs.

PHYSICAL, MENTAL, ENVIRONMENTAL and WORKING CONDITIONS
Physical and Mental Requirements
Strength to pull or drag 75 pounds for 50 feet. Strength to carry 50 pounds for up to 10 feet. Body mobility to walk and move quickly on uneven ground, climb stairs, bend, twist, reach, kneel, squat and crawl to reach animals. Able to reach with arms and grasp items securely with hands. Upper body strength to retrieve and lift animals in a variety of situations. Stamina to drive for extended periods of time and to enter and exit a vehicle several times in one day. Manual dexterity to hand write logs and reports and use a computer keyboard. Vision sufficient to read standard text and fine print, a computer screen and see animals at a distance and distinguish colors and body language. Vision sufficient to drive a vehicle, see objects and potential hazards from a distance and to distinguish colors of traffic signals. Hear and speak well enough to converse with the public, use a two-way radio and work with animals safely.
Mental stamina for problem solving and dealing with stressful situations. Mental fortitude to focus and perform job duties in the presence of stressors such as upset citizens, aggressive animals, injured animals, neglected animals, deceased animals or humane euthanasia.

Environmental and Working Conditions
Some assignments in this classification may require incumbents to assist with or work in proximity to the humane euthanasia of sick or injured animals or animals which are unable to survive on their own.
Will be required to work with and around wild, domestic and exotic animals in an environment where animals are captured, housed, transported and maintained. Animals may be large, small, aggressive, friendly, injured, dangerous and/or venomous. Will be required to work in a standard office environment around office equipment. Will be required to work outside in all weather conditions in various locations in Orange County and surrounding areas. Will be required to work in dusty, loud or malodourous environments. Some environments may contain an abundance of animal excrement and/or other debris making movement difficult. May be exposed to various zoonotic diseases, noxious odors, animal blood, animal dander, blood-borne pathogens, feces and urine, fleas, ticks, mites as well as injured, sick, dead and/or diseased animals. Will be required to work around commonly used pet chemicals such as flea medications and/or various types of soaps, cleansers and disinfectant agents. May work in an around crime scenes and areas of law enforcement activity. May have exposure to firearms due to working with Senior Animal Control Officers, Supervising Animal Control Officers or law enforcement professionals. May be required to interact with various members of the public, including persons with criminal histories and dangerous propensities. May be required to work in areas experiencing, or threatened by, fire, mudslide or other disasters. This includes areas subject to evacuation orders when entry has been deemed safe for non-first responders by the Incident Commander overseeing the event or his or her designee.

CORE COMPETENCIES
Candidates will possess knowledge and/or experience in the following core competencies:

TECHNICAL EXPERTISE

• Working with computers and computer programs such as Microsoft Word and Outlook and is able to read, understand, and implement academic material
• Demonstrating strong writing skills
• Working knowledge of legal procedures, the criminal justice system, professional enforcement, or the animal control or animal welfare industry
• Understanding of animal behavioral/physical evaluation or assessment
• Handling of domestic or wild animals including maintenance and care
• Maintaining sufficient content and knowledge to perform all aspects of the job effectively

ORAL COMMUNICATION & WRITING SKILLS

• Exchanging accurate and concise information with others both orally and in writing
• Relaying confidence when communicating information; clearly and concisely composes written documents to convey information with accuracy
• Following written and oral instruction effectively
• Interpreting and applying oral/written instructions
• Listening actively to others for full understanding of what is being communicated
• Communicating with members of the public in a variety of situations displaying social skill, awareness, and tact
• Recalling and recreating detailed conversation or events

CUSTOMER SERVICE & PROBLEM SOLVING SKILLS

• Providing courteous and professional customer service to all clients
• Applying principles of conflict resolution to solve problems in a professional manner
• Demonstrating excellent customer service skills in situations requiring a balance of patience and persistence in determining the customer's needs, and directs the customers appropriately
• Applying knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services including complex problem solving to manage stressful situations effectively
• Applying knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, and other office procedures and terminology
• Anticipating and meeting customer (internal/external) needs in all situations

ORGANIZING & PLANNING SKILLS

• Demonstrating organizing and planning skills to ensure high productivity and efficiency
• Working independently and managing time to effectively prioritize multiple and competing tasks
• Meeting departmental and project goals and deadlines by prioritizing workload and projects

RECRUITMENT PROCESS
Human Resource Services (HRS) screens all application materials for minimum qualifications. After screening, applicants who meet the minimum qualifications will be referred to the next step in the recruitment process. All applicants will be notified via email of their status in the process.

Multiple Choice (Weighted 100%)
Candidates who meet minimum qualifications will be invited to participate in a multiple-choice exam consisting of job-related questions. Candidates will be notified of their test date and access code, if applicable. Only the most successful candidates will be placed on to the eligible list.

Based on the Department's needs, the selection procedures listed above may be modified. Allcandidates will be notified of any changes in the selection procedures.

Eligible List
Once the assessment has been completed, HRS will establish an eligible list of candidates. Candidates placed on the eligible list may be referred to a selection interview to be considered for present and future vacancies.
Veterans Employment Preference
The County is committed to providing a mechanism to give preferential consideration in the employment process to veterans and their eligible spouses and will provide eligible participants the opportunity to receive interviews in the selection process for employment and paid internship openings. Please click here to review the policy.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

EMAIL NOTIFICATION
Email is the primary form of notification during the recruitment process. Please ensure your correct email address is included in our application and use only one email account.

NOTE: User accounts are established for one person only and should not be shared with another person. Multiple applications with multiple users may jeopardize your status in the recruitment process for any positions for which you apply.

Candidates will be notified regarding their status as the recruitment proceeds via email through the GovernmentJobs.com site. Please check your email folders, including spam/junk folders, and/or accept emails ending with "governmentjobs.com" and "ocgov.com." If your email address should change, please update your profile at www.governmentjobs.com .

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
Click here for additional Frequently Asked Questions.

For specific information pertaining to this recruitment, contact Jenny Kim at 714.480.2861 or by email at Jenny.Kim@occr.ocgov.com .

EEO INFORMATION

Orange County, as an equal employment opportunity employer,
encourages applicants from diverse backgrounds to apply.

Non-Management Benefits
In addition to the County's standard suite of benefits, such as a variety of health plan options, annual leave and paid holidays--we also offer an excellent array of benefits such as a Health Care Reimbursement Account, 457 Defined Contribution Plan and Annual Education and Professional Reimbursement. Employees are provided a Retirement Plan through the Orange County Employees Retirement System (OCERS).

Please go to the following link to find out more about Defined Benefit Pensions and OCERS Plan Types/Benefits.
http://www.ocers.org/active-member-information

Click here for information about benefits offered to County of Orange employees.

Closing Date/Time: 6/4/2025 11:59 PM Pacific

• 

• County of Orange

• 714.834.5315

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