Customer Care Representative (Administrative Assistant III)

Customer Care Representative (Administrative Assistant III)

Salary

$46,160.40 - $80,780.75 Annually

Location

ANIMAL SHELTER, 4500 WEST OX RD, FAIRFAX (EJ13), VA

Job Type

FT Hourly W BN

Job Number

26-01617

Department

Animal Services

Opening Date

10/24/2026

Closing Date

10/30/2026 11:59 PM Eastern

Pay Grade

S15

Posting Type

Open to General Public

• Description
• Benefits
• Questions

Job Announcement

Are you an enthusiastic individual looking for a career where you can make a difference in the lives of animals and the community? At the Fairfax County Animal Services (FCAS), we are committed to providing the highest quality of care to the animals in our shelter, while also working to tackle the root causes of animal homelessness in our community. We are hiring Customer Care Representatives!

About Us:

FCAS delivers compassionate, high-quality care for animals and works with the community to advance their safety and well-being. FCAS operates two state-of-the-art, open-access sheltering campuses, providing individualized care to approximately 4,000-5,000 animals each year. We provide comprehensive support for pets and the community, offering adoption and stray reunification services as well as volunteer, foster, and community cat programs. In addition, FCAS delivers animal control and public safety response, conducts humane investigations of animal cruelty, and offers community-based assistance to help pets remain safely with their families.

This work and commitment are reflected in the work of our highly trained staff, volunteers, and foster caregivers, alongside community members who share our belief that all animals deserve compassion, dignity, and safety. To learn more about Fairfax County Animal Services, please visit our webpage here.

What You'll Do:

• Greet and assist visitors to the shelter. Receive, evaluate, and respond to inquiries via phone, e-mail, and in person.
• Aid prospective adopters in the selection of a pet.
• Share information on shelter services and events and matches services to needs. Disseminate information to the public on such topics as animal behavior, pet care, leash law, license requirements, responsible pet owner requirements, and laws and policies pertaining to domestic and wild animals and related topics.
• Schedule appointments for residents wishing to surrender their pet. Provide counseling for pet owners who are surrendering their pet for a variety of reasons or offers resources to help keep pets in homes when possible.
• Review lost and found reports and stray animal intakes to help match animals lost and found. Review animals in temporary custody of the county and follows up with the owners as appropriate.
• Redeem impounded animals to residents and verify rabies inoculations and license requirements.
• Review euthanasia lists for proper approval and research stray information to ensure that every attempt has been made to locate an owner prior to disposition of the animal.
• Complete all related record keeping including data entry into the shelter management software.
• Collect money from the public at the counter for adoptions, redemptions, dog licenses, donations, and other county fees. Responsible for a small change fund. Create accurate receipts in the shelter management software database. Run credit card transactions when requested. Compile daily summary of receipts as directed for supervisor approval.

May perform other related duties to meet the ongoing business needs of the organization.

Flexibility is required, as the role may include working shifts and/or being reassigned to different department facilities, as necessary. Flexibility is a condition of employment. All DAS positions are subject to assignment to any shift, schedule, or facility based on operational needs. This includes, but is not limited to, changes in work hours, shift days and times, and reassignment between department facilities or locations at any time. Employees may be directed to work alternative schedules or locations as required to support agency operations.

This job announcement may be used to fill future full-time Customer Care Representative vacancies in Fairfax and Lorton, Virginia.

The assigned functional areas are office administration and/or front-line customer service.

Salary: The salary offer will be in the minimum to midpoint ($46,160.40 to $63,470.58) of the advertised compensation range. Promotional rules apply for current Fairfax County Government and Fairfax County Public Schools' employees.

Schedule: Schedule varies weekly, shifts cover 9 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. on Saturdays - Wednesdays, and 9 a.m. - 7:30 p.m. on Thursdays & Fridays. Subject to change. Regular weekend shifts are required.

Employment Standards

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

Any combination of education, experience and training equivalent to high school graduation and two years of experience providing administrative support in the assigned functional area(s).

CERTIFICATIONS AND LICENSES REQUIRED:

Drivers license (required)

Fear Free Shelter Certification (Required within 3 months

NECESSARY SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS:

The appointee to the position will be required to complete a criminal background check and a driving record check to the satisfaction of the employer.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• One year of experience working in an animal shelter, animal welfare organization, or veterinary practice.
• Three years of experience providing customer service experience in a fast-paced environment including experience handling customers in stressful or emotional situations.
• Ability to work a varied schedule, including early mornings, evenings, weekends, and occasionally holidays.
• Three years of experience answering telephone inquiries and greeting customers in a general reception area.
• Three years of experience operating a cash drawer.
• Demonstrates an understanding of progressive animal welfare best practices.
• Proficient with using Microsoft programs and sheltering data management software.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Ability to work a varied schedule, including early mornings, evenings, weekends, and occasionally holidays.
• Ability to work outdoors as well as indoors and be subject to variable weather conditions and exposure to potentially infectious diseases, viruses, noxious fumes and chemicals or allergies, as well as wetness and moisture. Must not have allergies to animals or animal supplies (ex: hay, peanut butter, etc.) that will impede working in an animal environment.
• Create materials and operate equipment necessary to complete work tasks.
• Drive personal or county vehicle for special events, outreach events, and travel between all DAS facilities to meet the ongoing business needs of the organization.
• Engage with residents, businesses, visitors, staff, volunteers, and others in person, via e-mail, and over the phone. Deliver presentations and/or testify in person and virtually.
• Maneuver safely in kennels, dog play yards, cat rooms, small animal rooms, off-site events, etc.
• Must be able to perform essential job functions (reasonable accommodation may be made on a case-by-case-basis).
• Work is generally sedentary; however, employee is required to walk, stand, sit, bend, kneel, stoop, crawl, climb stairs, and be comfortable doing these activities for extended periods of time; lift, carry, and move up to 50 pounds; use hands to grasp, handle, and feel; and talk, see, and hear
• All duties performed with or without reasonable accommodations.

SELECTION PROCEDURE:

Panel interview and may include a practical exercise.

Fairfax County is home to a highly diverse population, with a significant number of residents speaking languages other than English at home (including Spanish, Asian/Pacific Islander, Indo-European, and many others.) We encourage candidates who are bilingual in English and another language to apply for this opportunity.

Fairfax County Government prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, age, marital status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetics, political affiliation, or military status in the recruitment, selection, and hiring of its workforce.

Reasonable accommodations are available to persons with disabilities during application and/or interview processes per the Americans with Disabilities Act. TTY 703-222-7314. DHREmployment@fairfaxcounty.gov. EEO/AA/TTY.

Requisition 26-01617

Merit Positions

Fairfax County is proud to offer employees an attractive and comprehensive benefits program, including the following:

• Medical/Vision/Dental Insurance Coverage
• Group Term Life Insurance
• Long Term Disability
• LiveWell Program
• Flexible Spending Programs
• Paid Leave (annual, sick, parental, volunteer activity, and more!)
• Paid Holidays
• Contributory Retirement Plan
• Deferred Compensation
• Employee Assistance Program
• Employees Child Care Center
• Continuous Learning Opportunities

Please click here for a summary of our benefits.

NOTE: Fairfax County Government is a qualifying employer under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. For more information about the PSLF program: Public Service Loan Forgiveness | Federal Student Aid

For additional details please visit the Countys benefits webpage.

Non-Merit Positions

• Non-Merit Benefit Eligible: scheduled to work a minimum 1,040 hours and no more than a maximum of 1,560 hours in a calendar year.

• Medical/Vision/Dental Insurance Coverage

• Flexible Spending Program

• Deferred Compensation

• Temporary: scheduled to work a maximum of 900 hours in a calendar year.

• No benefits

01

What is the highest level of education that you have completed?

• Less than 12th grade
• High school diploma or GED
• Some college
• Associates degree
• Bachelors degree
• Masters degree
• Doctorate degree

02

If you answered "Some college" for the highest level of education completed, please indicate the number of quarter or semester hours you have completed towards a degree.

• Less than 45 quarter hours
• 45 to less than 90 quarter hours
• 90 to less than 135 quarter hours
• 135 to less than 180 quarter hours
• 180 or more quarter hours
• Less than 30 semester hours
• 30 to less than 60 semester hours
• 60 to less than 90 semester hours
• 90 to less than 120 semester hours
• 120 or more semester hours
• Not applicable

03

How many years of full-time equivalent experience do you have providing general administrative support in the assigned functional area(s) of office administration and front-line customer service?

• None
• Less than one year
• One to less than two years
• Two to less than three years
• Three or more years

04

How many years of full-time equivalent experience do you have working in an animal shelter, animal welfare organization, or veterinary practice?

• None
• Less than one year
• One to less than two years
• Two to less than three years
• Three or more years

05

How many years of full-time equivalent experience do you have answering telephone inquiries and greeting customers in a general reception area?

• None
• Less than one year
• One to less than two years
• Two to less than three years
• Three or more years

06

How many years of full-time equivalent experience do you have providing customer service experience in a fast-paced environment including experience handling customers in stressful or emotional situations?

• None
• Less than one year
• One to less than two years
• Two to less than three years
• Three or more years

07

How many years of full-time equivalent experience do you have with operating a cash drawer?

• None
• Less than one year
• One to less than two years
• Two to less than three years
• Three or more years

08

Are you comfortable working around a diverse array of animals of varying behaviors, including dogs of all sizes, cats, small animals, reptiles, etc.?

• Yes
• No

09

Are you allergic to any kinds of animals?

• Yes
• No

10

If you responded "yes" to the previous question, please list the kinds of animals to which you are allergic. If this question does not pertain to you, enter "Not applicable."

11

Please indicate your level of proficiency with Microsoft Excel.

• Beginner (Basic knowledge of creating a worksheet; performing calculations in a worksheet; modifying and formatting a worksheet; printing workbook contents)
• Intermediate (Knowledge of inserting and modifying graphic objects in a worksheet; customizing and enhancing workbooks; analyzing data using Pivot Tables, Slicers, and Pivot Charts)
• Advanced (Extensive knowledge of increasing productivity and improving efficiency by streamlining workflow; collaborating with others using workbooks; auditing worksheets; analyzing data; working with multiple workbooks; importing and exporting data, using Excel with the web)
• No experience

12

Please indicate your level of proficiency with Microsoft PowerPoint.

• Beginner (Basic knowledge of opening, saving and closing files; creating backwards compatible files for working with older versions of PowerPoint; utilizing the find and replace tool; applying and modifying pre-designed WordArt; spacing and arranging objects and images; converting bulleted list into flowcharts)
• Intermediate (Knowledge of applying templates and themes; converting text to diagrams and tables; inserting images and clip art; adding sound effects and music clips, adding video and animation; adding and configuring interactive action buttons; incorporating review comments and embedded MS Office content; use advanced features for saving and distributing your file)
• Advanced (Extensive knowledge in customizing PowerPoint for your own work environment; fully leveraging the power of master slides to creating consistent and easy-to-update designs; simplifying internal communication or reviews with embedded notes and comments; reusing (not re-entering) data from other applications; adding multimedia elements; recording voice-overs for presentations; setting up a self-running slideshow display for a lobby or event kiosk)
• No experience

13

Please indicate your level of proficiency with Microsoft Outlook.

• Beginner (Basic knowledge of identifying the components of the Outlook environment; composing email messages; sending and receiving email messages; organizing email messages into folders; managing contacts; scheduling appointments; scheduling meetings, managing tasks, notes and journal entries)
• Intermediate (Knowledge of customizing message settings; organizing and locating Outlook messages; setting calendar options; tracking activities using the Journal; assigning and tracking tasks; sharing folder information; customizing the Outlook environment)
• Advanced (Extensive knowledge of almost all functions of program including personalizing your email; organizing Outlook items; managing data files; managing contacts and contact information; saving and archiving email; creating a custom Outlook form; working offline and remotely)
• No experience

14

Please indicate your level of proficiency with Microsoft Word.

• Beginner (Basic knowledge of creating, editing, formatting, and saving simple documents; inserting simple tables; and proofreading documents for accuracy)
• Intermediate (Knowledge of common commands such as creating a title; using, modifying, and creating styles; setting up the ruler; indenting paragraphs, using tabs and tables; inserting captions, footnotes, endnotes, special characters, or hard page breaks; using page numbering; creating headers and footers; inserting graphics; inserting an equation, adding comments and tracking changes.)
• Advanced (Extensive knowledge of almost all function of program including mail merge, macros, creating a table of contents, creating bookmarks and cross-referencing.)
• No experience

15

Please indicate your level of proficiency with using Microsoft Teams.

• Beginner
• Intermediate
• Advanced
• No experience

16

This position requires working weekends and evenings. Are you available to work weekends and evenings?

• Yes
• No

17

The selected applicants starting hourly rate will be in the minimum to midpoint range ($22.1925 to $30.5147) of the advertised compensation range. Are you willing and able to accept a potential salary offer within the aforementioned range if selected for the position? (Note: Promotional rules apply for current Fairfax County Government and Fairfax County Public Schools employees.)

• Yes
• No
• Not applicable (Promotional rules apply: I am a current Fairfax County Government or Fairfax County Public Schools employee)

Required Question

Employer Fairfax County

Address 12000 Government Center Pkwy. Suite 270

Fairfax, Virginia, 22035

Phone 703-324-3311

Website http://agency.governmentjobs.com/fairfaxcounty/default.cfm