Animal Adoption Specialist

Posting Date

09/24/25

Application Deadline

09/28/25

Pay Range

Anticipated Hiring Range: $19.75 - $22.44 hourly
Full Pay Range: $19.75 - $30.50 hourly

Salary offers are based on the candidate's equivalent experience and internal equity with other employees within the same job classification. This position is eligible for overtime compensation for all hours worked over 40 in the designated workweek.

Job Type

Unclassified

Department

Animal Care and Control

About The Position

Are you passionate about connecting adopters with pets and providing an excellent customer experience? 

As an Adoption Specialist, you will play a critical role in matching animals with customers looking to adopt. You will conduct animal meet and greets and facilitate a conversational adoption approach through open dialogue. This position holds an essential role in promoting animals by ensuring animal bios and photos are updated regularly and advocating for animals with longer term shelter stays by utilizing MCACC programs and processes. As one of our champions, you will take the lead in identifying the customer's needs and assisting them through the entire adoption process. 

What better way to contribute to our mission than to be on the front line, bringing together the people and pets of Maricopa County!

Don't miss out on this opportunity to support our shelter! Apply today!

NOTE: We have positions available at both our locations: 

East Valley

1920 S. Lewis St., Mesa, AZ 85201  

West Valley

2500 S. 27th Ave., Phoenix, AZ 85009 

About Us

Maricopa County Animal Care & Control employees are committed to animal welfare and strengthening the human-animal bond in our community, and we are always looking to add talented individuals to our team, either at our West or East Valley Animal Care Centers. As one of the nation’s largest open-admission shelters, we work with our community to serve the animals and people of Maricopa County. Our adoptions, shelter, clinic, and animal services officer teams learn firsthand about proper care of homeless and stray animals and work hard to help find them new homes.

Proud To Offer

• Work with a greater purpose

• Tuition Reimbursement

• Exceptional Work-Life Balance

• Opportunities for growth and development within Maricopa County
• Low-cost, high-value healthcare for you and your qualifying dependents
• Child care benefits, including access to our on-site center Maricopa County Kids Club, dedicated to serving Maricopa County families exclusively
• Paid vacation, sick time, and parental leave
• Extensive wellness program, including healthcare premium discounts
• Employee discounts for goods and services
• Maricopa County participates in the Arizona State Retirement System. This defined retirement benefit requires a 12% monthly contribution rate and includes a 100% employer match on Day 1
• Learn more at Work With Us | Maricopa County, AZ

We Require

• Two years of experience in a retail or similar customer service role
• One year of experience handling animals
• High school diploma or GED
• A combination of post-secondary education and/or job-related experience may substitute for the minimum qualifications on a year-for-year basis
• Candidates must be flexible and able to work all shifts, including starting as early as 8 am and finishing as late as 9 pm, working weekends and holidays. Shelter leads are assigned on any shift, with any combination of days off, determined by the needs of the Department

We Also Value

• Animal adoption experience in an Animal Care and Control type environment
• Experience with processing financial transactions
• Bilingual skills in English/Spanish

Job Contributions

• Conducts animal adoption meet and greets and reviews information and adoption materials with potential adopters.
• Greets and assists customers at the adoption counter, effectively addresses inquiries, and provides accurate information, all while maintaining a professional and helpful demeanor.
• Performs accurate data entry including adoption processing, fee collection, entering animal, person, medical information, creating and updating animal bios and photos.
• Maintains a kennel floor presence and actively engages with the general public and the animals to facilitate matchmaking.
• Demonstrates excellent verbal and written skills, including clear and effective communication with others (staff, public, volunteers) that is professional, respectful and positive.
• Ensures adoptions areas are clean and tidy throughout the day by mopping floors, wiping surfaces in meet and greet and lobby areas, and maintaining kennel signage/cards and play yards. 
• Conducts additional animal handling as needed, including restraint, walking, playgroups, and other duties.
• Maintains and updates adoption packet information and supplies to ensure new adopters have all appropriate documentation and resources needed for their new pet.
• Runs reports and performs related duties. Provides support with kennel cleaning, animal evaluations, events, enrichment, and other duties as assigned.

Working Conditions

• Work is predominately performed in a busy, often noisy, office setting within an animal shelter with close proximity to dogs and cats with unknown temperaments or behaviors.
• In this role, you will be exposed to cleaning products used in animal shelters and the smells associated with animal housing.
• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to stand and walk on all types of surfaces that are sometimes slippery, uneven, and rough.
• Exerting 20-25 lbs. occasionally, 10-25 lbs. frequently, or up to 10 lbs. constantly
• Position is typically office or administrative work and is not substantially exposed to adverse environmental conditions
• May be assigned to work at other shelter locations based on operational needs

Selection Procedure

• Only the most qualified candidates will be considered
• Consideration will only be given to candidates who submit online applications
• Candidates will be contacted primarily through email and their Workday online application profile
• Must pass a pre-employment background and/or fingerprint investigation as required by statute or policy, including drug and alcohol testing requirements for positions designated as safety-sensitive

Maricopa County is an equal opportunity employer.

Apply Now!