How to hire an animal caretaker supervisor

How to hire an animal caretaker supervisor, step by step

Here's a step-by-step animal caretaker supervisor hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write an animal caretaker supervisor job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new animal caretaker supervisor
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring an animal caretaker supervisor, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   An animal caretaker supervisor's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, animal caretaker supervisors from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   Here's a comparison of animal caretaker supervisor salaries for various roles:

   Type of Animal Caretaker Supervisor	Description	Hourly rate
   Animal Caretaker Supervisor		$10-31
   Animal Care Supervisor	An animal care supervisor's responsibilities include supervising the overall animal facility, ensuring that the animals are properly taken care of by the personnel. The animal care supervisors' duties include administering feeding programs to maintain animals' well-being, examining the operation of mechanical equipment and necessary tools, monitoring animals' health conditions, providing medication by veterinarian's advice, and coordinating with animal experts for recommendations... Show more	$13-30

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • PET
   • Animal Facility
   • Bsl-3
   • TB

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage pet adoption programs and supervise animal intake, disposition and euthanasia activities.
   • Perform various administrative support functions including answering telephones, checking patients in/out and responding to any inquiries and taking appointments.
   • Sanitize facility equipment using tunnel and rack washers, acidify watering systems, and autoclaves for sterilization.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your animal caretaker supervisor job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. An animal caretaker supervisor salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, animal caretaker supervisors' average salary in florida is 39% less than in delaware.
   • Seniority. Entry-level animal caretaker supervisors earn 67% less than senior-level animal caretaker supervisors.
   • Certifications. An animal caretaker supervisor with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in an animal caretaker supervisor's salary.

   Average animal caretaker supervisor salary

   $38,868yearly

   $18.69 hourly rate

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   Entry-level animal caretaker supervisor salary

   $22,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 17, 2025

4. Writing an animal caretaker supervisor job description

   A job description for an animal caretaker supervisor role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's an animal caretaker supervisor job description:

   Animal caretaker supervisor job description example

   The Animal Caretaker is a member of the Operations/Facilities team who oversees the daily care and enrichment of the animals while maintaining the grounds of the ANDRUS Therapeutic Farm
   
   The Animal Caretaker must also complete other tasks and responsibilities not covered herein when necessary.
   
   Observe and document general animal health and behavior while on shift. Maintain proper records of health medication, behavior, enrichment, training, welfare and visitor engagement in electronic and hard copies when necessary.
   
   Complete visual assessments of animals, work areas and grounds to ensure proper standards are maintained.
   
   Maintain animal barns cleaning daily, deep cleanings twice weekly. Organizing food storage and inventory.
   
   Participate in landscaping improvements, including mowing, grading, planting, pruning, weed control to ensure healthy and attractive appearance of grounds.
   
   During inclement weather respond to emergencies to ensure grounds are safe for animals. Plow and salt walkways for safety.
   Attend veterinary visits and ensure accurate record keeping. Perform routine and emergency maintenance repairs to ensure animal barns, walkways, fencing are all in compliance and safe. Respond to all emergencies that pertain to the animals and the farm. Support the strategic plan of the organization. Ability to adhere to our organization's core values and commitments. Work three days per week : WED, THURS and Saturday
   
   Essential Qualifications: High School Diploma or equivalent with three to five years of relevant experience working with farm animals. Demonstrated experience in grounds keeping, animal care and related service settings. Extensive experience operating landscaping tolls and equipment. Valid NYS Driver's License. Ability to access and utilize ADP app on smartphone or other device for access to agency programs
   Physical/Travel Requirements walk climb Bend Ability to lift weights up to 50lbs
   The employee must be able to meet these requirements with or without a reasonable accommodation Disclaimer Nothing in this job descriptions restricts Andrus; right to modify the duties/responsibilities of this job at any time, with or without advanced notice. EEO Statement Andrus is an equal opportunity employer

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5. Post your job

   To find the right animal caretaker supervisor for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with animal caretaker supervisors they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit animal caretaker supervisors who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your animal caretaker supervisor job on Zippia to find and recruit animal caretaker supervisor candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting animal caretaker supervisors requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new animal caretaker supervisor

   Once you've selected the best animal caretaker supervisor candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new animal caretaker supervisor. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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