Bilingual Adoption Coordinator - Oakland, United States - Friends Of Oakland Animal Services

Description

Friends of Oakland Animal Services
Bilingual Adoption Coordinator (Spanish/English)


Job Title:

Under general supervision, this role is responsible for facilitating on-site and off-site adoptions for animals from Oakland Animal Services (OAS), especially for dogs.

The person in this role will have a primary focus on removing barriers for potential adopters who are low-income or have no or limited English proficiency, particularly for people who speak Spanish, as well as other non-English speakers.

Since 2020, OAS has focused on improving the experience of potential adopters, and increasing lifesaving, by making the process more welcoming and accessible, and by focusing on matchmaking.

The adoption rate for dogs and cats has tripled since that time.
- paced team environment. The Bilingual Adoption Coordinator will work as part of a three-person adoption team and will work in close collaboration with the OAS Volunteer Coordinator.

Adoptions are done primarily on-site during open adoption hours, currently four days per week, which are supported by staff and highly committed volunteers.

One goal for this role is to build the capacity of bilingual volunteers, so that we can increase open adoption hours to seven days per week.

With approximately 50% of OAS dogs in foster care, the Bilingual Adoption Coordinator will also be tasked with improving the adoption program for foster dogs to better engage foster volunteers in the marketing and adoption process.

In recent years, OAS has introduced equity focused shelter-intake and community
- serving programs, such as providing access to veterinary care, to help keep animals with their families. Through support from Friends of Oakland Animal Services (FOAS), OAS has created an Outcome Team, made up of the Foster, Adoption, Transfer and Behavior Coordinators, to focus on placing animals and reducing length of stay.

Friends of Oakland Animal Services (FOAS) was founded in 2005 to support OAS. The mission of FOAS is to provide homes, health, and happiness to Oakland's animals in need.

The primary focus of FOAS is to fund programs and activities at Oakland Animal Services that improve services to the people and animals of Oakland beyond the typical expectations of a municipal, open admission shelter.

The Bilingual Adoption Coordinator is a FOAS employee who works at Oakland Animal Services in coordination with OAS (City of Oakland) staff.

General Purpose:


Location:

Oakland Animal Services
1101 29th Ave, Oakland, CA 94601


Job Classification:

Full time, hourly, non-exempt position


Reports to:

FOAS Board of Directors for employment matters
OAS Director or their designee for daily job operational needs


To Apply:


Job Duties and Responsibilities

• In collaboration with the Adoption Coordinator and Volunteer Coordinator, assess all aspects of the OAS adoption program to identify opportunities for improving access for people most likely to experience barriers to adoption
• Implement strategies to increase the number of bilingual volunteers, who speak Spanish and other non
• English languages, to improve adoption program accessibility and postadoption support for nonEnglish speakers
• Develop strategy for reaching nonEnglish speaking potential adopters as well as developing relationships with key organizations or allies in communities where OAS seeks to provide better access to services
• Identify community events, such as street fairs, where OAS could participate to increase outreach
• Create a system to collect demographic data from potential and actual adopters to assess and trackoutcomes related to program accessibility
• Develop and translate materials related to adoption and postadoption support and identify quality resources (such as training videos or infographics) in Spanish and other nonEnglish languages that can be shared as part of a resource library for adopters and fosters
• Develop and provide training, support and oversight related to program accessibility to shelter and foster volunteers who are involved in the adoption process
• Develop pilot program in collaboration with staff working on pathway planning to connect potential adopters looking for outdoor dogs with dogs who have previously only lived outdoors
• Working with an existing partner who is utilizing a One Health model to provide mental health services, primarily for people in the reentry community, through dog training and fostering, develop a pilot program to create a pipeline for OAS dogs to participate in this program and otherwise support it's success
• Support staff and volunteers in more challenging adoption situations by interacting directly with the potential adopter to resolve any concerns
• As needed, provide matchmaking and adoption counseling services to potential adopters, directly or by connecting them with volunteers
• Assist with marketing and promotion of adoptable animals, especially hardertoplace animals and foster animals
• Regularly