Animal Control Officer - Jacksonville - Onslow County, NC

Description

Salary: $ $26.86 Hourly
Location : Jacksonville, NC
Job Type: Full-Time
Job Number: ACO FEB 2026
Department: Animal Services
Opening Date: 02/11/2026
Closing Date: 2/25/2026 11:59 PM Eastern
Job Description
Performs protective service work enforcing animal control laws and regulations within the County, and related work as apparent or assigned. Work is performed under the moderate supervision of the Animal Control Manager.
Our core values-Resilience, Excellence, Accountability, Customer Service, and Honesty-are the foundation of our work and the standard by which we operate. As a member of our team, you are expected to demonstrate these values in every aspect of your role. This means delivering high-quality work, taking responsibility for your actions, providing exceptional service, and maintaining integrity in all interactions. Your commitment to these principles is essential to fostering a positive workplace culture and ensuring the success of our organization and the community we serve.
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential function satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
Position Responsibilities

• Ensures the welfare and safety of the general public and resident animals through the application, use and enforcement of humane animal control techniques.
• Develops and implements a citizen education program designed to increase public awareness of the responsibility of pet ownership and proper animal handling.
• Provide professional and timely services and assistance to the population of Onslow County and local/state law enforcement agencies and other regulatory organizations.
• Responds to and investigates emergency calls, animal complaints, and citizen requests; apprehend feral, injured, diseased, stray, lost, or suspected rabid animals and follow up on animal exposure cases.
• Receive incoming animal upon intake and examine them for behavior, diseases, injuries, and adoptability; administers routine vaccinations and medical care to the animal; enters all applicable information into computerized database.
• Promotes positive public relations with citizens and other enforcement agencies.
• Investigate animal bite cases.
• Set and retrieve live animal traps.
• Issue citations and/or initiate legal action for violations of County Animal Ordinances and N.C. General Statutes; appears in court as necessary regarding cases related to animals.
• Furnishes care for animals in the shelter including feeding, watering, enclosure cleaning, behavioral monitoring, and animal enrichment.
• Prepares specimens for testing at State Lab.
• Carries out humane euthanasia as deemed necessary.
• Performs assigned functions as a Disaster Ready Team (DRT) member, if appointed or volunteer.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Qualifications
Knowledge of animal control laws and regulations related to the custody and disposition of animals; safety practices concerning the handling of animals; public health rabies control laws; animal collection and disposal methods; legal and enforcement policies and procedures. Skill in customer service, computer operation, and software application, ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with work associates and general public, to communicate clearly and professionally in writing and orally, and to operate office equipment. Ability to use physical means, tranquilizer guns and toxic chemicals used in capturing and destroying animals.
Physical Requirements:
This work requires the regular exertion of up to 10 pounds of force, frequent exertion of up to 50 pounds of force and occasional exertion of up to 100 pounds of force; work regularly requires standing, walking, sitting, speaking or hearing, using hands to finger, handle or feel, reaching with hands and arms, pushing or pulling and lifting, frequently requires stooping, kneeling, crouching or crawling and occasionally requires climbing or balancing and repetitive motions; work has standard vision requirements; vocal communication is required for expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word and conveying detailed or important instructions to others accurately, loudly or quickly; hearing is required to perceive information at normal spoken word levels and to receive detailed information through
oral communications and/or to make fine distinctions in sound; work requires preparing and analyzing written or computer data, visual inspection involving small defects and/or small parts, operating motor vehicles or equipment and observing general surroundings and activities; work frequently requires exposure to wet, humid conditions (nonweather),
exposure to extreme cold (non-weather) and exposure to extreme heat (non-weather) and occasionally requires working near moving mechanical parts, working in high, precarious places, exposure to fumes or airborne particles, exposure to toxic or caustic chemicals, exposure to vibration and exposure to bloodborne pathogens and may be required to wear specialized personal protective equipment; work is generally in a loud noise location (e.g. grounds maintenance, heavy traffic).
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential function satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
Education, Experience, and Special Requirements
High school diploma or GED and moderate experience in law enforcement including one year of animal-related experience, or equivalent combination of education and experience. Associates/Technical degree preferred.
Must be able to obtain the Certified Rabies Vaccinator and Certified Euthanasia Technician certifications within six months of employment.
Valid driver's license.
Salary will be determined by candidate's qualifications, budget, market, and internal equity.
Regular Onslow County employees have the ability to participate in a wide array of employee benefits including:
Health Insurance
Health Insurance is provided by BlueCross BlueShield of North Carolina and covers a wide variety of healthcare services.
Dental Insurance
Dental insurance is provided by Delta Dental to full-time employees and covers a percentage of basic to major dental procedures, including orthodontia for children and adults.
Vision Insurance
Vision insurance is provided by MetLife to full-time employees and covers a variety of materials (contacts and glasses frames/lenses) and an annual eye exam.
North Carolina Local Governmental Employees' Retirement System
Eligible employees are automatically enrolled in the retirement system and must contribute 6% of their gross salary each pay period. Once eligibility requirements are met, employees will be able to receive monthly payments for life based on their salary, age, and years of service credit.
NC401k
The County contributes 1% of employees' gross salary into the 401(k) account regardless of the employee's deferral amount. In addition, the County matches employee deferrals up to an additional 4%.
Vacation Leave
Regular full-time employees earn 13.5 days of vacation leave per year. With each 5-year increment of employment, vacation accrual increases.
Sick Leave
Regular full-time employees earn 12 days of sick leave per year.
Paid Holidays
County employees receive paid holidays annually. The Board of County Commissioners approves and may adjust the schedule as deemed necessary.
Teladoc Mental Health Services
The County provides Teladoc Mental Health Services to help employees and their families with personal, family and job-related problems such as depression, and substance abuse concerns.
Supplemental Benefits
County employees are also offered a variety of supplemental benefits such as Life Insurance, Flexible Spending Accounts, 457b Deferred Compensation Plan, and MetLife Supplemental Plans.
For more information, please visit and click on the Benefits tab.
01
Which of the following best describes your highest level of completed education?

• High School Diploma or GED
• Associates Degree
• Bachelors Degree
• Masters Degree
• Doctorate
• None of the above

02
Do you possess a valid driver's license?

• Yes
• No

03
Do you possess a Certified Rabies Vaccinator certification?

• Yes
• No
• Able to obtain within 6 months..

04
Do you possess a Certified Euthanasian Technician certification?

• Yes
• No
• Can obtain within 6 months.

05
Based on your review of the position requirements, are you able to perform the position duties with or without reasonable accommodation?

• Yes
• No

06
Onslow County's Core Values are REACH: Resilience, Excellence, Accountability, Customer Service, and Honesty. Which value(s) resonates with you the most, and why?