Salary: $27.78 Hourly
Location : St. Cloud, FL
Job Type: Full-time
Job Number: 01805
Department: Public Safety
Division: Animal Services (Road Operations)
Opening Date: 06/09/2023
Closing Date: Continuous
General Description of Duties
**Position subject to close at any time**
Under general direction, enforces local, state, and animal cruelty, control, nuisance, dangerous dog, and rabies laws in compliance with the County’s Animal Control Ordinance & Florida State Statutes. Employee functions at a lead level and is responsible for protecting the lives and welfare of the citizens, visitors, and animals of Osceola County. Position is responsible supporting the day-to-day road operations, when necessary, but primary focus is on the administration of investigations of animal cruelty and dangerous dog cases from inception through adjudication.
Essential Job Functions
- Leads, monitors, and assists Animal Services Officer IIs (ASO II) in the performance of their duties.
- Provides training to newly hired ASO IIs and ASO Is/Trainees.
- Performs data entry, documents follow ups, and creates reports in Animal Services Software (i.e. Chameleon, Spillman, etc.).
- Investigates cruelty complaints to determine compliance with Animal Control Ordinances and State Statutes; seizes animals, transports animals to the animal shelter for veterinary evaluation and/or treatment, provides owner with a property receipt for all items that are seized including animals, submits case file to the count attorney in accordance with Florida Statute to petition the court for custody; serves owner with citations for violations and files criminal cases with the State Attorney; testifies in court when necessary.
- Documents scenes photographically, creates scene diagrams, and writes reports associated with animal cruelty cases.
- Documents animals as evidence, creates evidence log, serves as incident commander on certain cases.
- Prepares and assists ASO IIs in the preparation of warrant affidavits and warrants to seize.
- Coordinates with law enforcement to execute warrants to seize animals.
- Obtains necessary information in cases of animal bites and court related matters, both civil and criminal that is forwarded to the County and State Attorney, respectively to petition for custody or possible prosecution; appears in court for cases, including citations, civil custody hearings, and criminal prosecution; prepares case files for attorneys.
- Interviews citizens, completes and files domestic or wild animal bite reports; maintains field notes and information to complete incident reports on cases to be processed and sent to court to back up citations.
- Conducts dangerous dog investigations in accordance with the local Animal Control Ordinances and Florida Statutes and makes recommendations regarding classification and the associated penalty.
- Explains Animal Control Ordinances and State Statutes to the general public; advises citizens on the responsibility of animal ownership in public settings and forums as well as interaction with the public in the field.
- Responds to calls and investigates complaints of sick/injured or nuisance, domestic and wild animals which may pose a threat to the public; performs timely follow ups.
- Prepares various daily and periodic written reports and departmental forms; maintains logs; completes forms.
- Must be able to be on call and work evenings, weekends, and holidays.
- Triages animals in the field to determine proper course of action.
- May assist Animal Service Officer Is and Kennel Staff with any of their duties as needed.
- Embraces a “one team” approach to accomplish daily tasks, goals and projects by interacting, cooperating, assisting, training and learning from volunteers.
- Performs duties as assigned/necessary which are related, or logical in assignment to the position.
Minimum Qualifications
Education: High school diploma or GED.
Experience: At least four (4) years previous Animal Control/Services Officer work experience with regular, hands-on animal experience to include dogs, cats, and/or livestock.
Miscellaneous:
- Must reside within 25 miles of Osceola County and be able to respond when on-call.
- Must possess Animal Control Officer State Certification for at least four (4) years.
- Must obtain Animal Cruelty Investigator certification, Level I, II, and III, from the Law Enforcement Training Institute, or other approved entity, within two (2) years.
- Must possess Euthanasia State Certification.
- Must be inoculated against rabies within three (3) months of hire.
- Must possess and maintain a valid Florida driver’s license.
- Bilingual (English/Spanish) preferred
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
- Ability to effectively lead, monitor, and assist entry and journey level employees engaged in carrying out animal investigations (cruelty, dangerous dogs, etc.).
- Ability and willingness to follow the proper chain of command.
- Ability to work with the general public and convey applied knowledge of the County Animal Control Ordinance and Florida Statutes.
- Thorough knowledge of applicable state and local laws, rules, ordinances and regulatory standards applicable to the work; knowledge of the Osceola County Animal Control Ordinance and State Statutes; ability to interpret regulations to the general public in a professional and courteous manner.
- Knowledge of proper care, feeding and handling of various types of domestic and exotic animals, livestock and wildlife.
- Skill in the safeand proper utilization of animal capture and restraint tools, equipment, traps, and devices; ability to apprehend animals in the field, including very large, dangerous, or rabid animals and livestock.
- Knowledge of a wide variety of species of domestic and exotic animals, livestock and wildlife, and their habits and typically presented diseases and the symptoms.
- Knowledge of the geographic areas of the County.
- Ability to operate animal services vehicles; ability to pull various types of trailers.
- Ability to communicate by radio using established 10 codes and signals in conjunction with local Law Enforcement and Fire Rescue Dispatchers.
- Knowledge of the principles and techniques of customer service skills; ability to deal diplomatically with sensitive circumstances.
- Ability to render quick, responsible decision making, under stressful and emotional circumstances.
- Ability to operate emergency multi-line communications systems.
- Ability to operate basic office equipment, e.g., computer terminals, printers, copy machines, telephone systems, facsimile machines.
- Ability to read, update and maintain various records and files; ability to access, operate and maintain various software applications.
- Skill in clearly communicating information both verbally and in writing to include testifying in court and completing legal paperwork required for court cases.
- Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships and communications with County personnel, government agencies, law enforcement, volunteers, civic groups, and the general public.
PHYSICAL DEMAND REQUIREMENTS:
Physical Demand: Heavy
- 100 pounds maximum lifting.
- Frequent (up to 2/3 of the work time) lifting, carrying up to 50 lbs.
- Expressing or exchanging ideas by spoken word or perceiving sound by ear.
- Good eyesight for production or safety of self and others.
- Physical demand requirements are in excess of medium work.
- Physical agility is required in kneeling, bending, stooping, and reaching.
Osceola County offers a comprehensive benefits package to fit the needs of our employees and their families. Following is a snapshot of our core benefits.
Medical and Dental Insurance at no cost to the employee. In addition, the County contributes 83% to the dependent(s) premium coverage. Department Heads are eligible for Medical and Dental insurance coverage on the first date of employment.
Group Health/Dental/Vision/Life Insurance
Coverage
Deductions Per Paycheck
(26 Paychecks)
Employee Employee + 1 Family Health-HRA Base $0.00 $102.38 $159.25 Health-HRA Buy-Up $31.57 $138.89 $216.06 Dental Base $0.00 $11.99 $22.08 Dental Buy-Up $3.16 $18.14 $30.75 Vision $3.42 $6.84 $9.15 Short-Term Disability $0.00 N/A N/A Long-Term Disability $0.00 N/A N/A
County’s Contribution to the Medical Plan:
Coverage
Tier Annual
Contribution HRA Base Employee $9,807.72 HRA Base Emp+1 $15,091.96 HRA Base Family $22,921.08 Coverage
Tier Annual
Contribution HRA Buy-Up Employee $9,436.70 HRA Buy-Up Emp+1 $14,952.34 HRA Buy-Up Family $22,703.72
Medical Health Reimbursement Account (HRA): The County contributes $500 per employee or $1,000 for employee plus dependents, for medical and prescription-related expenses.
State-of-the-Art Employee Wellness Center: The County provides a private health center for County Employees and eligible dependents. The Employee Wellness Center offers an array of primary care services, including sick visits, enhanced by x-ray services, pulmonary tests, lab work, and a dispensary offering over 200 generic medications onsite. Services at the Wellness Center are offered at no cost to the employees and their eligible dependents.
- Employees who are enrolled on the County’s Medical plan have access to the Employee Wellness Center on day one of employment. The Wellness Center is available to patients 8 years of age and older.
Basic Life Insurance Policy: At no cost to the employee, equal to one time the employee’s annual salary, rounded to the next thousand dollars. Employees can opt to buy additional Life Insurance.
Short-Term and Long-Term Disability: At no cost to the employee. The County offers Short-Term and Long-Term Disability at 60% of the employee’s weekly base salary. The employee has the option to purchase an additional 10% coverage.
Membership in the Florida Retirement System: This benefit cannot be easily matched by a traditional 401k plan. Current County contributions are:
• Regular Class – 11.91%
• Special Risk – 27.83%
• Senior Management – 31.57%
The Florida Retirement System (FRS) offers two retirement plans – the Investment Plan and the Pension Plan. Both plans are subject to a mandatory 3% employee contribution.
457b Deferred Compensation Program is also available to help employees boost their retirement saving goals, with pre-tax and post-tax contributions, as well as IRA plan options.
Employee Assistance Program (EAP): EAP provides confidential counseling and referral services to employees and their family membersat no cost.
Employee Wellness Program promotes various activities to encourage total well-being including physical, emotional, and financial health. Rewards can be earned.
Gym Membership Reimbursement up to $20.00 per month.
Vacation and Sick Leave accruals as follows:
Vacation Accruals Per Month 1 month to 5 years 8 hours 5 years and 1 month to 10 years 10 hours 10 years and 1 month to 15 years 12 hours 15 years and 1 month to 20 years 13.34 hours 20 years and over 16.66 hours
Sick Leave Accruals Per Month Full-time Employees 8 hours Part-time Employees 4 hours
11 Paid Holidays and 1 Floating Holiday (to be chosen by the Employee)
- New Year’s Day
- Martin Luther King Jr. Day
- Memorial Day
- Juneteenth
- Independence Day
- Labor Day
- Veterans Day
- Thanksgiving Day
- Thanksgiving-Day After
- Christmas Eve
- Christmas Day
Paid Bereavement Leave:Up to three (3) working days off with pay if funeral or memorial services are less than 200 miles from Kissimmee and up to five (5) working days off with pay if funeral or memorial services are more than 200 miles from Kissimmee.
40 hours of Administrative Leave per fiscal year for Exempt employees.
Tuition Reimbursement: Up to $1,600 per Calendar Year, for degree-seeking employees. The degree must be related to the employee’s position.
Employee Recognition Program: Monetary rewards are available.
Sick Leave Bank: Available to employees experiencing a catastrophic medical-related event, with up to 240 hours, per fiscal year. Enrollment required.
01
Do you possess a High School Diploma or GED?
- Yes
- No
02
Briefly explain and list your years of experience in Animal Control/Services Officer work experience with regular, hands-on animal experience to include dogs, cats, and/or livestock. (Experience must be demonstrated in the “Work Experience” section of the application.) If none, list N/A.
03
Have you possessed an Animal Control Officer State Certification for at least Four (4) years? Please upload copies of your certification (Failure to do so will result in your application not being considered. If you are experiencing difficulty, contact Hrrecruitment@osceola.org prior to the position closing date).
- Yes
- No
04
Do you have the ability to obtain Animal Cruelty Investigator certification, Level I, II, and III, from the Law Enforcement Training Institute, or other approved entity, within two (2) years of hire? If you currently possess the certifications, please upload them and type N/A.
05
Do you currently possess a Euthanasia State Certification? Please upload copies of your certification (Failure to do so will result in your application not being considered. If you are experiencing difficulty, contact Hrrecruitment@osceola.org prior to the position closing date)
- Yes
- No
06
Due to the nature of the work, you must reside within 25 miles of the Osceola County boundary. Do you currently meet this requirement.
- Yes
- No
07
If you currently reside over 25 miles of the Osceola County Boundary Line, are you willing to relocate?
08
Do you have the ability to be inoculated against rabies upon hire?
- Yes
- No
09
Do you possess a valid Driver’s License? If so, from what State?
Required Question