Animal Welfare Professionals

Under general supervision, provides a variety of animal care and administrative support services at the Regional Animal Services facility and at offsite, outreach and emergency events; performs related work as required. 

This is an Open Competitive/Countywide Promotional recruitment being conducted to fill a current full-time vacancy in Washoe County Regional Animal Services. The list established from this recruitment may be used to fill future vacancies as they occur. 

For more information on this position, please see the Job Specification at https://www.washoecounty.gov/humanresources/Careers/jobspecs.php   

Important Dates

Closing Date: Thursday, April 28, 2022 

Examination Date (tentative): Thursday, May 12, 2022

One year of full-time experience caring for and handling animals in a professional work environment with public contact experience that included assessing and evaluating information for appropriate course of action; OR an equivalent combination of training and experience. 

License or Certificate

Possession of a valid driver's license is required at the time of appointment. 

Possession of, or ability to obtain, a valid certification as a euthanasia technician within one year of appointment.  

Possession of, or ability to obtain, a valid pharmacy certificate within one year of appointment. 

The Ideal Candidate Will Have

Knowledge of animal handling, care, and treatment from experience in a professional work environment.

Knowledge of a variety of animal species, breeds, and related behaviors.

Demonstrated commitment to public service, and value exceptional customer service.

Ability to assimilate quickly into the organizational climate.

Outstanding written and oral communication skills.

Outstanding multi-tasking and organizational skills.

Outstanding interpersonal skills and ability to be collaborative, hard-working and detail oriented while still able to see the big picture.

Demonstrated the ability to take ownership of problems to find solutions; share resources, information and knowledge; and will encourage commitment to the County’s mission and organizational goals.

The Washoe County Employees Association (WCEA) Non-Supervisory covers the Animal Services Assistant position.  

All WCRAS employees are considered disaster services employees when ordered to assist during a disaster.  

This position requires animal handling during times of disaster and emergencies.  As a result, we strongly advise the human prophylactic rabies vaccination.  The fee of the test will be borne by Washoe County Regional Animal Services (WCRAS). 

Must be willing to work on-call shifts, irregular hours, weekends, holidays, and evenings. 

All mandated licensures and certifications must be obtained within required timeframe and maintained for continued employment. 

Background checks will be conducted on selected applicants through the State of Nevada and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).  

Per the Washoe County Background and Reference Checks Policy, new and rehired employees are required to submit to a fingerprint-based background investigation.  Effective July 1, 2019, the $40.25 fee associated with this background investigation will be paid by the employee (if applicable) and deducted automatically from the first paycheck. Employment is contingent upon the results of the background check, although a record of conviction will not necessarily bar an applicant from employment. 

Washoe County requires its employees to reside in the state of Nevada or neighboring California communities such as Truckee, South Lake Tahoe or Susanville as of their first day of work.

1. After your application is screened, you will be notified via the email you provided whether or not you have met the minimum requirements for the position. Those applicants who do not meet the qualifications have five (5) business days to file an appeal and request a review of their qualifications.

2. If you have met the minimum requirements, you will receive an additional email inviting you to schedule your Animal Services Assistant exam  If you do not receive an invitation to schedule your exam within (5) days of the scheduled exam date, please contact careers@washoecounty.gov. You will receive an initial confirmation email once you have selected an exam date and time. In addition, you will receive a follow up email before the exam date with further details related to the examination process.

This exam is tentatively scheduled to be held on Thursday, May 12, 2022. **This is a new exam and no transfer scores will be available.  

This exam will be administered and proctored in Reno, NV on the above scheduled date and you must be present to test.

The exam will be 100% written multiple choice and will evaluate your expertise, knowledge, skills and abilities in the following areas:

• Animal Handling and Care
• Janitorial/Custodial Skills
• Basic Office Skills (including math)
• Customer Service/Interpersonal Skills 
• Communication Skills (written and oral)

3. After the exam is completed, you will receive an additional email notifying you of your results. A passing score will be accompanied by a rank on the final list, and this rank will be used to determine which candidates will be interviewed by departments trying to fill a vacancy.

4. Hiring departments schedule interviews from a list of top scoring candidates. If your name is not sent to the hiring department, it will remain on the list for future opportunities as they become available. Please note: in an effort to maintain a current and valid eligibility list, this recruitment may be re-opened at a later date and new applicants who meet all necessary requirements will be merged onto the existing list. Your rank may change on the list if the recruitment is re-opened; you may contact careers@washoecounty.gov to verify your status at anytime during the validity of the list. 

5. Please be advised you can log in to your NeoGov account and click on “Applications” to view a list of the recruitments which you have applied for, your submitted application for each recruitment, a copy of the job listing, and your applicant history for each recruitment.  In addition, you can also click on “Inbox” to view the notices which have been sent to you for each recruitment.

If you have any questions regarding the Online Application Process, you can find additional information at the following link: https://www.washoecounty.gov/humanresources/faq/online/appprocess.php 

Questions: Jessica Gutierrez

jgutierrez@washoecounty.gov 

775-328-2096

Veteran Point

Eligible veterans who were honorably discharged from the U.S. Armed Forces shall receive one (1) bonus point upon passing Open Competitive examinations only. In order to be given a bonus point, applicants must attach proof of Honorable Discharge (DD-214 with Classification of Discharge) to the Online Application at time of submission.

Washoe County is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and is committed to a diverse workforce that creates a sense of belonging for all employees and citizens, thereby encouraging persons from all backgrounds and experiences to apply for employment. 

Washoe County will recruit, hire, train and promote into all job levels without regard to race, religion or belief, gender, marital status or domestic partnership, familial status, national origin, age, mental or physical disability, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender expression or identity, genetic information (GINA), veteran status, political affiliation, membership in an employee association or union or any other protected class under applicable federal or state law.