Admissions Supervisor
Schedule
The working schedule for this position is Thursday - Monday with Tuesday and Wednesday off.
Who We Are
ACC is one of the nation's largest open-admission animal shelters, whose mission is to End Animal Homelessness in NYC. We touch the lives of nearly 30,000 animals each year. ACC is more than an animal shelter; we are a resource to the community, always seeking ways to keep the human-animal bond intact. With a 90% placement rate, our progressive, life-saving initiatives contribute to the successful placement of our animals.
We strive to find loving homes for homeless and abandoned cats, dogs, guinea pigs and rabbits, both by adopting animals directly to the public and by partnering with more than 200 dedicated animal placement organizations (our New Hope partners). We also help keep NYC communities safe and rescue animals in need, responding to emergencies that involve animals as well as keeping our doors open 24/7 for people and animals in need.
Summary
The Admissions Supervisor leads a frontline team that helps NYC pet owners navigate challenging situations and access resources that keep pets home with their families. Through skilled coaching and real-time support, you'll develop staff who can de-escalate emotionally charged situations, conduct thorough needs assessments, and connect clients to resources, preventing unnecessary shelter admissions while maintaining compassionate and professional service standards.
This role requires someone who can simultaneously manage multiple urgent situations, coach staff through complex client interactions, and maintain data quality that informs our surrender prevention strategies. You'll set the tone for how ACC shows up for families in need.
Required Qualifications:
High school diploma or GED Required.
2+ years in supervisory or team lead roles with direct reports, performance management responsibility, and staff development accountability required.
Proven customer support excellence in high-stress, emotionally charged environments where de-escalation and problem-solving are essential.
Demonstrated ability to multitask and maintain composure while managing competing priorities, urgent situations, and escalated clients.
Sound judgment to assess risk, make time-sensitive decisions, and escalate appropriately is a must.
Must be able to lift a minimum of 50 lbs.
Benefits
ACC values work/life balance and offers a generous paid-time-off (PTO) package that includes vacation time, birthdays off, personal days and sick pay. We also value physical and mental health by offering a great open access Cigna medical, dental and vision insurance at a low premium to our employees as well as 401K and Pension, Life Insurance. We also have on-the-job training for 2-4 weeks, periodic all staff trainings to include safety, DEI, cross training, and other growth opportunities.
Because ACC is a nonprofit, employees may be eligible for loan forgiveness, cancellation, and/or consolidation under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program (PSLF). Created under the College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007, PSLF allows borrowers who work full time for nonprofits and government agencies to have their outstanding debt forgiven tax-free on Federal Direct Loans, after making 120 qualifying monthly payments under a qualifying repayment plan.
Please use this link for more details on our benefits package. (https://flimp.live/ACCNYC-Candidate#welcome)
Essential Job Functions:
Lead and develop admissions staff through daily coaching, performance management, and real-time support during client interactions.
Manage intake operations and resource coordination, including appointment scheduling, walk-in triage, surrender prevention supply inventory, and community partner relationships.
Ensure data quality and operational excellence by monitoring staff documentation accuracy, analyzing trends in surrender reasons and resource utilization, troubleshooting system and procedural issues, and collaborating with management on continuous improvement initiatives.
Other Responsibilities:
Staff Development and Coaching:
Provide real-time coaching during client interactions, helping staff navigate complex surrender prevention conversations, resource referrals, and crisis de-escalation.
Conduct daily huddles and debriefs to process challenging cases, reinforce best practices, and maintain team morale in emotionally demanding work.
Monitor call quality and client interactions through live observation and recording review, providing specific, actionable feedback that improves counseling skills.
Develop staff competency in needs assessment, motivational interviewing, resource navigation, and trauma-informed client support.
Manage performance, including goal-setting, documentation, corrective action, and recognition.
Create and deliver training on admissions procedures, surrender prevention protocols, safety de-escalation, and system navigation.
Build staff schedules that ensure adequate coverage during peak hours while managing timecard submission and attendance tracking.
Provide direct coverage during staff absences, modeling the client support standards you expect from your team.
Operations and Resource Management:
Oversee intake flow, including online inquiry triage, appointment scheduling, walk-in management, and urgent case prioritization to maintain a manageable shelter capacity.
Manage surrender prevention resources, including supply inventory (pet food, cat litter, medical assistance funds), partner relationships, and emergency placement options.
Track departmental spending against budget allocations, ensuring grant-funded resources are properly utilized and documented.
Coordinate with the Vet Services and New Hope teams to secure alternative placements for animals who cannot be safely sheltered or need specialized care.
Maintain resource databases, ensuring staff have current information on community partners, financial assistance programs, veterinary resources, and behavioral support services.
Troubleshoot operational issues in real-time, from technology failures to facility emergencies, while maintaining client support continuity.
Data Quality and Continuous Improvement:
Ensure accurate data capture on client information, animal information, surrender reasons, resources provided, and case outcomes.
Generate and analyze reports on surrender trends, resource utilization, staff productivity, and program outcomes.
Collaborate with management on policy development, procedure updates, and system improvements based on frontline observations and data insights.
Document and share best practices from successful surrender prevention cases to build organizational knowledge.
Fear Free certification within 30 days of hire.
Complete other duties as assigned by supervisor.
Preferred Qualifications:
Crisis intervention, social services, counseling, or case management background strongly preferred.
Experience working in an animal shelter, veterinary, or animal welfare operations preferred.
Contact center or call center supervision with quality assurance responsibilities experience preferred.
Budget management and inventory control experience preferred.
Emotional intelligence and empathy with the ability to remain calm, professional, and solution-focused during client crises and staff stress.
Experience coaching and feedback delivery that builds competence and confidence rather than just correcting mistakes.
Clear written and verbal communication, with the ability to document situations accurately and communicate decisions effectively.
Data literacy, including Excel proficiency, and comfort using metrics to inform decisions.
Conflict resolution and mediation experience between staff members, between staff and clients, and within complex family situations.
Ability to quickly learn shelter management software (ShelterBuddy), phone systems (Aircall), and internal databases.
Comfortable with technology troubleshooting and supporting staff through technical issues.
Work Environment
At ACC it's all hands-on deck. We work together as a team, which means you may be asked to help with tasks that involve working outside in all sorts of weather. As a busy animal shelter in one of the biggest cities in the world it can get noisy inside. Employees should have the ability to remain calm yet professional in stressful situations involving animals and/or members of the public. Animal Care Centers houses hundreds of animals in its facilities at any given time and with that comes fur, odors and other airborne particles in abundance.
ACC offers many low-cost services to pets and people in need. This includes compassionate end-of-life services for people who cannot afford to go to a private veterinary office but still want to provide a professional and peaceful transition for their beloved pet.
Reports To: Manager, Admissions & Client Care
Overtime: This is a non-union position and is eligible for overtime.
