Cat Cafe Manager

Job Description

Job Description

Position Title: Tiny Lions Lounge and Adoption Center (TLC) Manager

Hours: Full-time, requires some weekends, holidays and evenings, beyond the normal scheduled hours of work.

Supervisor: Chief Operations Officer

Classification: Exempt, salaried

Supervisory

Responsibilities: Café Cat Care Coordinator, Adoptions Specialists

SUMMARY

We are looking for a creative, passionate, business-minded cat lover to manage off-site adoption location and retail center. Must have exceptional customer service skills, and be able to work collaboratively and effectively with multiple departments within HSHV, including: Development, Marketing, Behavior, Adoptions, Humane Education and Volunteer.

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES

The Cat Café Manager position requires a self-motivated, goal-driven team builder who is compassionate, enthusiastic, innovative, organized, flexible, collaborative, and able to handle the stress of a high demand job requiring multi-tasking and managing difficult situations.

Requires strong customer service and attention to detail. Must demonstrate knowledge and skills related to adoptions programs; personnel, including volunteers, management; inventory control; revenue generation and budgeting; marketing, social media, community education, and retail. Advanced written, oral communication skills, and technical knowledge needed. Supervisory and management experience required. Knowledge of cat behavior and health and cat handling experience preferred. Bachelor’s degree preferred.

An animal care facility can be an emotionally challenging, high-stress, rapidly changing, and high-demand environment. Feelings of grief and loss, secondary trauma, and compassion fatigue are not uncommon. As such, working in a management/leadership role at HSHV requires a high emotional IQ including adaptability, flexibility, and tolerance for calculated risk, ambiguity, and change; self-awareness; empathy for animals and people; perspective taking; assertive communication and conflict resolution skills; stress management skills, emotional regulation and resilience; and an overall positive outlook.

Job Duties:

1. Along with Coordinator, oversee daily operations to ensure highest quality care of all cats.
   • Support the Coordinator in maintaining the population of cats at TLC by facilitating weekly transport from HSHV and monitoring their adjustment. Facilitate the return to HSHV any cats who are not adjusting or who become sick or injured.
   • Attend to the individual needs of each cat by keeping stress low and helping cats that are scared or stressed adjust to the environment. Make use of tools such as calming music, essential oils and opportunities to hide or retreat from the public or other cats as needed.
   • Ensure each cat is eating properly and maintaining a healthy weight, making adjustments to their feeding habits and preferences as necessary. Promptly report all challenging eating/feeding concerns to the HSHV veterinarians.
   • Ensure the health of all cats through daily monitoring and report any concerns immediately to HSHV veterinarians to ensure swift diagnosis, treatment and recovery. Provide needed medication and illness monitoring and reporting.
   • Ensure proper and thorough cleaning and sanitation, following daily cleaning, spot cleaning (tidying) and deep cleaning protocols needed to maintain a healthy and customer friendly environment.
2. Provide and ensure the provision of excellent customer service that is flexible and responsive to the needs of all customers. Ensure that customers, including families with children, are greeted warmly, are provided with needed information, education and guidance, and helped to have the most enjoyable experience possible at TLC.
3. Assist customers interested in adoption by answering questions and guiding them to find cats that best match their interests, resources and lifestyle; screen and approve adoption applications; and facilitate and finalize adoption process.
4. Manage the reservations at the café including making reservation slots available on the website, coordinating room rentals, and fulfilling punch card orders
5. Work with the Friends for Life program to schedule and host events for seniors and at-risk populations.
6. Plan and execute special events and programs at the café, such as Yoga with Cats.
7. Communicate with the Humane Education department to assist in the planning and preparation for Humane Education events, such as Camp Purrs and Storytime.
8. Work with HSHV’s Development Department to create and implement fundraising programs and events to ensure adequate funding and meet budget goals.
9. Develop relationships with community and animal related businesses to acquire sponsorships and in-kind gifts for daily needs and special activities.
10. Work with HSHV’s Marketing Department to create and implement a marketing and communications, including social media, plan to positively promote the TLC brand and accomplishments, and acquire new visitors, adopters and event attendees.
11. Ensure TLC has all needed supplies and furnishings, and the facilities and equipment are in good working order and repair. Promptly report problems to HSHV IT or Facilities departments.
12. Monitor inventory of the TLC store and work with the Retail Coordinator to ensure a range of products of interest to cat lovers and that they are selling according to goals.
13. Develop, update, follow, and ensure others follow clear standard operating procedures.

Managerial

1. Provide supportive management to staff and volunteers. Monitor, mentor, and motivate their performance.
   1. Along with Adoptions Manager, ensure training plan is in place, monitor to ensure timely, effective completion; keep training ongoing for all staff to ensure their engagement and compliance with changing procedures;
   2. Work with the Volunteer Department to ensure that TLC has adequate coverage for designated volunteer positions and provide effective communication, training, support and appreciation to volunteers;
   3. Schedule & ensure adequate daily staffing needs
   4. Provide good communication and emotional support so that staff and volunteers are engaged and equipped to do their jobs. Monitor staff stress and problems related to compassion fatigue—adjusting workload and referring to EAP as necessary to ensure a healthy and satisfied staff;
   5. Along with Adoptions Manager, help to review and evaluate staff performance
   6. Bring any staff concerns to the Adoptions Manager and/or COO.
2. Help develop the TLC annual budget and monitor monthly revenue and expenses to ensure they are in line with budget, and make/suggest changes as needed to meet goals.

1. Work with the Adoptions Manager and HR Manager to select and interview candidates for open positions.

1. Ensure safety (OSHA, employee, environment) at TLC.
   1. Promptly write and distribute incident reports for safety violations, accidents and injuries.
2. Participate in setting department annual goals and budgeting.

General

1. Be an effective liaison to the community, positively promoting HSHV’s mission, goals and philosophies. Continuously seek to improve HSHV’s save rate without compromising public health and safety or causing or prolonging animal suffering.

1. Keep abreast of best practices in care of shelter animals and adoptions; make recommendations regarding program improvements and new program elements.
2. Respond to needs with the proper sense of urgency.
3. Work flexibly, effectively and sensitively with a diverse population of customers, volunteers and staff; respond to the needs and concerns of a diverse socioeconomic community.
4. Attend agency meetings and review monthly statistics, financials and other metrics to monitor progress and success toward goals.
5. Read email at least daily and respond swiftly and appropriately to phone and electronic communication.
6. Provide regular updates to other HSHV management and leadership staff. Maintain awareness and stay up to date on HSHV services, activities and events. Keep informed of and abide by agency policies and procedures.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

While performing this job, you will be required to continually walk, stand, squat, twist, and kneel, reach and grab with your hands and arms, in addition to being able to lift and move animals, materials and equipment weighing 40 lbs or more. This position requires the ability to speak normally and to use normal or aided vision and hearing. Work is subject to frequent interruptions. You will be exposed to various weather conditions when working outdoors. You will be exposed to disinfectant solutions while cleaning. You will be consistently exposed to animals and animal allergens, including animal hair, dander, saliva, fecal matter, urine, zoonotic diseases, fleas and other mites or bugs. You may also be subject to potential danger including parasites and infectious diseases, animal bites and scratches. Tetanus and rabies (pre-exposure) inoculations are required or must be waived. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job.

MENTAL DEMANDS

While performing this job, you will be regularly required to use written and oral communication skills; observe and interpret situations; analyze and solve problems; manage emotional situations; learn and apply new information and skills; perform repetitive work on multiple, concurrent tasks; fulfill intensive deadlines; and interact with staff, the public, volunteers and others encountered in the course of work.

The Humane Society of Huron Valley is an at-will employer.