Animal Care Technician

Looking to make a difference in the lives of pets and people? With an almost year-round beautiful blue sky and a scenic mountain backdrop, HSPPR is a nonprofit animal shelter serving El Paso, Pueblo, and Douglas Counties as well as the City of Centennial. We employ a total of 200+ employees. We are an organization that celebrates and prioritizes diversity and inclusion.

The Animal Care Technician provides care for the daily needs of all animals within the shelter, including maintaining animal enclosures so they are clean and sanitary; ensuring appropriate feeding; identify sick or injured animals; Assisting in the humane euthanasia process; working cohesively with co-workers, other departments and volunteers; and assisting the public in a professional manner. The Animal Care Technician ensures an environment of compassionate and respectful animals and people care in accordance with HSPPR's mission, values, goals, and management philosophy.

The Animal Care Technician plays a vital role in advancing HSPPR's mission by providing compassionate, high-quality care for animals in the organization's shelter system while ensuring their health, safety, comfort, and well-being. Through daily animal care, humane handling practices, sanitation, recordkeeping, public assistance, and collaboration with staff and volunteers, this position helps create positive outcomes for animals and people alike. By serving as a steward of animal welfare and a professional representative of HSPPR, the Animal Care Technician directly contributes to the organization's lifesaving efforts, community service, and commitment to treating all animals and people with dignity and respect.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

• Adheres to high-quality standards of animal care, handling, and sanitation, and performance is consistent with protocols, including but not limited to ensuring that animals are fed according to dietary instructions; cleaning and disinfecting of animal enclosures, dishes and other equipment used; completing laundry duties; assists with the flow and movement of the animal population.
• Provide accurate information and professional service to the public.
• Assists with the humane euthanasia of animals as well as proper care and disposal of deceased animals.
• Responsible for identifying sick or injured animals and reporting such information in a timely manner.
• Maintain food storage, chemical storage, laundry room and food prep area in a clean, uncluttered, and sanitary manner.
• Maintains and updates animal records in database accordingly.
• Assists with maintaining the inventory of animals daily, reporting unresolved discrepancies to supervisor or manager.
• Moves animals as appropriate.
• Participate in activities to improve the animals' wellbeing while in HSPPR's care.
• Performs adoption viewing of animals in accordance with current procedure.
• Escort customers through shelter to search for lost pets in accordance with current procedure.
• Periodically covers overnight on-call emergency animal transport.

Supervisory Duties:

• None

Physical Demands:

• The employee must regularly lift and/or move 25 or more pounds of moving weight and occasionally lift and/or move up to 40 or more pounds of moving weight with reasonable accommodations.
• Occasionally required to climb or balance, stoop, kneel, crouch, crawl, smell, talk, and hear.
• Regularly required to stand and walk, expected to be on feet for extended periods of time.
• Must be able to use both hands and arms to grip, pull and push utilizing safety equipment such as, but not limited, to catch poles, snappy snares, leashes, ropes, muzzles.
• Consistently exposed to animals in the workplace and animal allergens under conditions with limited alternatives available.
• Specific vision abilities required include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, and depth perception.
• Potential exposure to zoonotic diseases.
• Regularly exposed to noise and potential exposure to hazardous weather conditions.
• Potential exposure to cleaning supplies and/or other substances containing toxic or caustic chemicals.

• 10-Hour shifts: Monday & Tuesday. (Part-time) 
• May be required to work mornings, evenings, weekends, and holidays as required by the organization

Education/Experience Necessary:

• Ability to effectively read, write, interpret, communicate, perform basic problem solving, and perform basic math as commonly expected from completion of a High School Diploma or Equivalent Education
• Previous animal shelter, boarding kennel, zookeeping, or veterinary clinic experience desired.
• Must be at least 18 years of age.

   ** Applications accepted until: 10/22/2026, or until position is filled **

• • Compassion: We believe that animals matter. We are committed to treating animals and people with kindness, respect, and compassion.

• • Stewardship: We are accountable and transparent in our actions and in the use of our resources to build trust in those we serve.

• • Integrity: We believe we can make the greatest impact by staying true to our mission, always doing what is best for the animals and people of our community, and by standing united in our decisions.

• • Excellence: We are passionate about our mission, and strive for excellence through continual learning, innovation, and the development of our board, staff and volunteers.

• • Collaboration: We seek strategic partnerships and alliances to advance the welfare and protection of animals and people.

• • Service: We exist to serve our communities and operate with this commitment to serve as front and center in all we do.

As a condition of employment with HSPPR, you will be required to authorize HSPPR and ProScreening to conduct a background check before confirming an employment start date. The background check will include a criminal investigation, verification of citizenship/immigration status, and a motor vehicle record. By applying for this position, you acknowledge and agree that any offers of employment will be contingent upon completion of the background check to the satisfaction of HSPPR.

In consideration of any offers of employment made as a result of your interest in this position, by applying for this position, you hereby waive any and all claims that you may have against HSPPR for invasion of privacy in respect to drug testing and background checks as listed above.