Contract Driver

Transport Hub: Contract Driver APA! BACKGROUND: Austin Pets Alive! (APA!) is one of Austin’s most dynamic and beloved nonprofits. The organization leads the No Kill movement nationally and is considered a national thought leader in animal welfare. APA! locally rescues, treats, and adopts out 10,000 homeless dogs and cats each year, providing the safety net for Austin’s most at-risk shelter pets, which helps Austin to be a No Kill city, while also assisting other communities in saving homeless animals.

The organization is distinguished by its large volunteer workforce and the scrappiness of its grassroots and its non-traditional, community-based animal rescue work. The organization continues to innovate best practices to save lives and spreads its impact by offering resources and mentorship related to its renowned lifesaving model through American Pets Alive!

, APA!’s national division. In 2020, American Pets Alive! began the Human Animal Support Services (HASS) - an innovative initiative aimed at rethinking the traditional model of animal sheltering. It focuses on supporting both people and pets in the community to reduce the number of animals entering shelters and improve outcomes for both.

The project encourages collaboration between animal welfare organizations and community-based services, with a goal of providing personalized, proactive support that positions animal welfare as a social service. BRIEF POSITION SUMMARY/OVERVIEW: Contract Animal Transporters are essential in ensuring the lifesaving goal of Austin Pets Alive!

and to help partner shelters and rescue animals in need. This position will be responsible for safely transporting animals to and from APA! to source/destination shelters in need of assistance. Drivers in this position must undergo driving training in order to use APA! vehicles, and must be comfortable handling animals and driving long distances (12+ hours).

The basic function of this position is to aid with animal transports departing from APA!’s Elgin Transport Hub to our out-of-state rescue partners across the country. Furthermore, the contract driver will also transport animals both to and from APA!’s Elgin Transport Hub, as well as our Austin facilities. While this position will mainly involve driving animal transports, it will also be responsible for animal care during transport, staying up to date with vehicle cleaning and maintenance, and assisting with loading and unloading during transports.

APA! is a volunteer-powered organization, so every member is expected to work alongside and support volunteers. The Contract Driver collaborates closely with volunteers to complete day-to-day tasks, helps create a positive and inclusive environment, and actively contributes to a culture of shared effort and mutual respect.

Every individual at APA! is responsible for working in collaboration with volunteers; making sure volunteers are recruited, trained and feel impactful through their efforts at APA!. A core part of this role is creating a welcoming and empowering experience for volunteers, including assisting with onboarding, training, and volunteer engagement as part of the day-to-day workflow.

WORKING RELATIONSHIPS: This position works directly with the APA! Transport Team and reports directly to the Senior Transport Driver.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Transport animals safely and humanely between APA! and partner rescue organizations. Must be able to care for animals for the duration of the transport, including adequate breaks for walks, food, and water. Assist Senior Transport Driver with preparing the transport van with the appropriate number and type of kennels, including bedding and in each kennel.

Along with the Transport Team, loads and unloads animals with care at each pickup/drop off location. Responsible for ensuring that all kennels and animals are secure in the vehicle before and during transport. Clean and organize the transport vehicle before and after each transport. Observe animals for signs of medical concerns and report to the Transport Coordinator.

Stay in regular contact with the Transport Team throughout a transport, sending regular updates on location and reporting any concerns as necessary. Help care for the transport vehicle by reporting any maintenance issues or concerns. Follow safe driving practices at all times, including no texting and driving, ensuring all animals and kennels are secured in the vehicle, avoiding unloading/loading near busy roadways, and other common sense protocols to keep animals and drivers safe.

Responsible for checking the vehicle keys in and out upon departure and arrival. Reviews the vehicle checklist prior to departure, reports any missing or broken items to the Senior Transport Driver. Actively contribute to a volunteer-powered culture by partnering with volunteers during every shift and helping create an inclusive, welcoming environment Work alongside volunteers to complete daily tasks, ensuring the work is shared and collaborative—not siloed Contribute to a positive culture by recognizing volunteer contributions through appreciation, gratitude, and shoutouts Help set volunteers up for success by clearly explaining tasks, providing hands-on guidance, and offering in-the-moment support Must be able to sign and follow rules outlined in the APA!

Vehicle Use Agreement. Job duties may include some or all of the above, and other duties as assigned by manager OTHER FUNCTIONS: Must demonstrate dependability, accountability, time management, use of reasoning, and good judgment skills Attend and participate in all required training sessions and meetings Maintain open and consistent communication with Program Manager or designee, supervisor, and other colleagues Able to react to change productively and perform other related duties as assigned Able to work evenings, weekends, and holidays as needed Able to work in a high-volume, fast-paced, high-stress environment Comfortable working autonomously when given goals and deadlines QUALIFICATIONS & SKILLS: Excellent driving skills; preferable experience driving transport vans and/or long distance driving.

High level of communication and people skills are necessary for this role; driver(s) will be responsible for consistent communication during transports with the Transport Team, as well as the ability to effectively communicate any pertinent information to destination shelters upon arrival. Ability to follow instructions and comfortable asking questions if the task at hand is unclear.

At least one (1) year of animal handling experience is preferred. Possess a current driver’s license and clean driving record. Committed to embodying APA!’s Core Values: Innovation, Respect, Drive, Resourcefulness, and Inclusion and cultural values: Humble, Hungry, Smart Commitment to APA!'s customer experience expectations Passion for working well with staff, volunteers, and customers—helping all individuals feel successful, appreciated, and connected to APA!

’s mission Strong commitment to volunteer engagement and support; dedicated to working well with volunteers across all roles Comfortable working cross-functionally and serving as a liaison between volunteers, customers, and team members Effective written and verbal communication skills; able to interpret rules, procedures, and instructional materials Self-starter with strong time management; able to work independently and collaboratively Excellent interpersonal skills; maintains a calm and professional presence in all situations Strong attention to detail and high standards for quality Adaptable to change and able to perform related duties as needed Dedicated to delivering an exceptional and inclusive customer experience PHYSICAL JOB REQUIREMENTS: Must be able to work around animals (including diseased, injured, and/or potentially aggressive animals), loud noises, chlorine or other chemicals, and inclement weather Must be able to comfortably interact with cats/dogs of various health levels, including zoonotic diseases such as ringworm, scabies, intestinal parasites, etc.

Must be able to walk big dogs that pull and jump Must be able to visually observe people and animals from up to 150 feet away Ability to hear normal speech at close contact and shouting up to 150 feet away with the ability to hear and discern dog vocalizations both soft and loud Prolonged periods of sitting in a vehicle Will lift and/or carry up to 80 pounds Can stoop, bend, stretch, squat, and kneel to handle animals or move equipment Will sit, stand, walk, talk, hear, stoop, bend, stretch, squat, kneel, grasp, grip, put fingers together firmly and reach above and below shoulder level, lift and/or carry up to 30 pounds and push and pull up to 50 pounds for situations of moving supplies and setting up for events; repetitively use hands to operate computers; flex the neck upward and downward; twist the neck and the waist.

If reasonable accommodations are requested, reasonable accommodations will be made to enable employees with disabilities to perform the essential functions of their job absent undue hardship to the organization. TIME COMMITMENT: This is a contract position and available shifts will be communicated on an as-needed basis.

Shifts will vary depending on the length of the transport and number of animals being transported. Driving shifts may occur on weekends and outside of normal business hours, including late-night and early morning shifts. EXPECTATIONS: Represent Austin Pets Alive! and lead in a polite, responsible, motivational and professional manner.

Share and promote the culture, purpose, and objectives of APA! internally and publicly. Demonstrate respect and kindness towards our animals, staff, clients, donors, and volunteers, treating each other with courtesy, sensitivity, tact, consideration, and humility. Value our role in ensuring the safety of each other, the animals, and the community.

Recognize and congratulate the achievements of others. Endeavor to balance organizational and individual needs. Follow all procedures and protocols to the best of our ability at all times, promoting healthy and safe work practices during projects and training. Attend monthly leadership meetings as directed by the leadership team, abiding by team agreements regarding attendance and participation.

Represent team concerns, challenges, and wins by communicating leadership meeting items with team members. Always share feedback or concerns in a respectable manner. Strategically develop a list of team needs, including the number of members necessary, then proactively recruit and build a team to meet the needs of your program and organizational needs.

Create a culture of civility within your team by refraining/discouraging gossip, negative speak about individuals or the organization, and general negative attitudes. Create and maintain a positive working relationship with reporting supervisor through communications and sharing all protocol, job description, and training documents.

Create and maintain a positive working relationship with other team leads to ensure that all teams are working together for the good of Austin Pets Alive! and its animals Use APA! platforms and systems to manage teams to centralize protocols and systems. Have written protocols on how to verify active team members, as well as how to recruit and train new members.

Utilize good judgment and not publicly sharing confidential or sensitive information to those outside of leadership. CODE OF CONDUCT: All employees are expected to uphold by APA!’s Core Values when present on grounds and representing APA! publicly. EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES AND ACCOMMODATIONS STATEMENT Austin Pets Alive!

is an equal employment opportunity employer and we value having staff who come from communities that are most impacted by the issues we engage on. We especially encourage people of color, LGBTQ people, women, transgender and gender non-conforming people, and people with disabilities to apply. Austin Pets Alive! does not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

Austin Pets Alive! is committed to creating a dynamic work environment that values diversity and inclusion, respect and integrity, community focus, and innovation. APA! is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities in the employment application process. To request an accommodation, please contact Talent Acquisition at job@austinpetsalive.

org at least one week in advance of your interview.