Bestfriends

Specialist, Direct Care & Enrichment

Los Angeles, CA

No sponsorshipDetected 31 days ago

Customer SupportLeadershipCommunicationProblem SolvingMicrosoft Office

About the role

Direct Care & Enrichment Specialists are responsible for the daily animal care and enrichment needs for animals in our program locations.
Specialists act with urgency to accomplish important tasks and play a direct role in achieving Best Friends Animal Society's no-kill mission and organizational success.
Specialists are responsible for the daily functions, and growth of lifesaving programs including adoption, foster care, transfer/transport, as well as providing basic animal care for animals in our program locations.

Create a welcoming and engaging environment to enhance overall visitor satisfaction and support Best Friends Animal Society's mission; provide superior customer service to all Lifesaving Center visitors and use each interaction as opportunity to develop and engage individuals to support the organizational goals for constituent journey development.
Develop a detailed knowledge of Best Friends' programs to speak knowledgably about and best match both the animal and client's (adopters, fosters, transfer partners) needs; lead by example in providing superior customer service.
Work collaboratively with other departments and marketing teams to identify engagement opportunities with social media and PR to support lifesaving outcomes and programmatic needs at the center.
Represent Best Friends in media relations when requested and ensure to maintain Best Friends' voice across all communications.
Maintain a safe workplace, value, and model safe work practices, adhering to organizational safety practices and rules, and communicate to leadership about unsafe practices and conditions.
Work directly with and support volunteers on all aspects and protocols of lifesaving care and outcome programs, including but not limited to program protocols, cleaning protocols, specific animal behavior and care, animal handling, transportation requirements and procedures, data entry, and communications.

Ability to travel in/out of state, including overnight stays, when needed.
Responsible for maintaining clean workspaces and animal housing areas for optimum safety, stocking supplies as required
Strong interpersonal skills, a team player, personable, professional, and able to get along with people from different backgrounds, as well as the ability to handle sensitive and confidential situations.

Manager Interviews will begin the week of March 30th, 2026 and continue until the position is filled (a recruiter phone screen will occur before a manager interview).
Prior experience handling and working with cats and dogs in a personal, volunteer, or professional capacity is required.
Experience working in an animal shelter environment preferred but not required.

Ability to work in a fast-paced environment with well-developed organization skills to juggle multiple competing tasks and demands.
Bilingual or multi-lingual skills are preferred but not required.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office products; familiarity with shelter software/animal management software, or desire to learn.

Provide daily enrichment for animals in Best Friends' care with goal to improve emotional wellbeing of all animals.
Provide opportunities for daily interactions with cats in care, ensure emotional wellbeing and individual cats' needs are met with interactions to avoid causing more stress through handling or stimulation.

Applicants for employment in the U.S. must have valid work authorization that does not now and/or will not in the future require sponsorship of a visa for employment authorization in the U.S. by Best Friends Animal Society.

This listing is sourced directly from Bestfriends's careers page and normalized into a canonical job model.