Description
Washington County Animal Services, located at the Bonnie L. Hays Small Animal Shelter in Hillsboro, Oregon, has an exceptional opportunity for a Certified Veterinary Technician to perform specialized technical work related to the medical care and treatment of animals in our veterinary clinic. You will also assist our staff Veterinarian with medical procedures and the day-to-day functions of the shelter.
If you are passionate about your career and contributions that you make on a day-to-day basis providing medical care and treatment to animals and have considered continuing your profession in the public sector within a municipal animal shelter, your talents will bring value to the services we provide to animals and people residing in Washington County. You will be a part of collaborative efforts with community partners throughout the Portland metropolitan area. Through outreach and education, we are working together to prevent animals from needing our services in the first place, and just as significant, providing excellent care and shelter to the animals that do come to us.
* Effective 9/27/2025, this recruitment will open continuous until filled. Applications will be reviewed as received, and the posting may be closed at any time without further notice. Washington County reserves the right to make a hiring decision at any point during the posting period. *
About Our Shelter:
Bonnie L. Hays Small Animal Shelter cares for lost animals, finds homes for abandoned pets, licenses dogs, enforces animal cruelty laws and protects our citizens from dangerous animals. Last year, we provided care for stray and injured animals in our shelter, responded to more than 7,000 citizen calls, answered over 50,000 phone calls from community members and maintained some of the highest return-to-owner rates in the country! We work closely with our animal welfare partners to place animals in new homes with fantastic success and many happy placement stories.
Washington County is the second largest county in Oregon with a population of more than 601,500 people. We provide services for an estimated 145,000 dogs and 115,000 cats and their owners in an area that encompasses 727 square miles.
About the Opportunity:
In this role, you will assist the Shelter Veterinarian in tasks involving animal care, anesthesia, triage, and population medicine. You will maintain equipment and stock supplies used for medical care and husbandry of animals housed at the shelter. You will also triage animal emergencies and transport animals to other facilities or veterinary clinics. You will participate in daily cleaning, husbandry, training of volunteers/other staff, protocol development, and safety activities as needed. Additionally, you will respond to County requests for emergency response during emergency activation.
Who we are looking for:
The ideal candidate will be a self-motivated, independent worker with proficiency as a certified veterinary technician, ideally working in the animal shelter setting. They will have the ability to perform a multitude of tasks which include both direct patient care as well as maintenance of medical supply inventory and equipment. They will also have competencies to play a role in emergency and disaster trainings and real-life situations that require the assistance of animal medical personnel.
Check Out Our Award-Winning Benefits & Wellness Program at the application website.
ESSENTIAL JOB DUTIES
Duties may include:
1. Assists the Veterinarian in surgical procedures by preparing animals as directed; prepares instruments, equipment, and medications for surgery; assists the Veterinarian during surgical procedures; induces and monitors anesthesia; observes and reports animal health changes pre- and post- anesthesia and surgery; prepares and maintains surgical data records; stocks the operating room with surgical packs; and maintains records in compliance with local, state and federal laws.
2. Assists the Veterinarian in administering medical care to animals; responds to emergency situations and provides triage care; administers and records medications and treatments; collects specimens; prepares laboratory samples; evaluates in-house lab work; and prepares lab work for testing performed at other facilities.
3. Orders and maintains the shelter inventory of controlled substances, medical and shelter supplies, and medications; distributes and records designated quantities of controlled substances; maintains detailed medical records and drug logs; and maintains veterinary equipment in good working order.
4. Transports sick or seriously injured animals to other veterinary facilities or partner agencies.
5. Assists in creating a positive and supportive work environment; enforces a safe workplace; establishes a culture of teamwork and communication; creates a workplace that promotes the organizational values of workplace diversity, equity and inclusion and actively promotes an environment respectful of living and working in a multicultural society.
6. Follows protocols and procedures involved with safe and humane administration of drugs for euthanasia.
7. Receives and reviews reports from Animal Shelter Technicians and shelter volunteers regarding the health status of animals and follows up on examinations; and makes observations on the health of sheltered animals and reports findings to the Veterinarian.
8. Provides functional and technical training to Animal Shelter staff and volunteers; and addresses any safety concerns or noncompliance with rules.
9. Assists Animal Shelter Technicians with cleaning and sanitizing animal kennels and shelter facilities, feeds and provides water to shelter animals, as needed.
10. Participates in emergency preparedness and response training at least annually. Demonstrates knowledge of basic Incident Command Structure (ICS) and the ability to work within assigned ICS positions as needed.
11. In cases of emergency, responds to activation during working or non-working hours, except while on scheduled vacation or other approved leave. In addition, leaves may be cancelled during emergency activation.
SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION
Our commitment to you:
Washington County is an equal opportunity employer committed to using a merit-based system in which recruiting, selecting, and advancing employees is based on knowledge, skills, and abilities. Our organization embraces innovation, collaboration, and work-life harmony. We promote employee development and offer an award-winning benefits and wellness program as well as an opportunity to serve and support our vibrant community.
Selection Process
Apply today! In lieu of a resume, we ask that you complete and submit an online application, which will be used to screen for minimum qualifications (MQs) and to determine starting pay in accordance with the provision of the Oregon Equal Pay Law.
MQ Review: Human Resources will conduct the first initial application screening for MQs beginning the week of 10/20/2025 and further screening may be conducted continuously depending on the business need. Additional preferred qualifications screening may be applied prior to the interview step depending on the number of applications received.
Panel Interview(s): Our goal is to schedule panel interviews with candidates who successfully pass the initial screening process as soon as possible.
Conditional Offer: A successful candidate will be required to successfully clear a driving record check, a third-party background check, and physical capacities test (PCT) including a medical check and drug screening as pre-employment conditions.
Requirements
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
Education and Experience:
Two (2) years of professional training or course work in the animal health field; AND
Two (2) years of work experience in an animal health-related field including the care, handling, or training of dogs and working with the public.
ADDITIONAL LICENSES, CERTIFICATES, PHYSICAL ABILITIES AND SPECIALTY REQUIREMENTS
Possession of a Certified Veterinary Technician license issued by the Oregon Veterinary Medical Examining Board upon hire.
Possession of, or the ability to obtain, a Euthanasia Technician Certification issued by the Oregon Veterinary Medical Examining Board.
Must possess a driver's license valid in the State of Oregon and have an acceptable driving record. To review the Driver's License and Record Policy for Washington County, please use this link: Driver's License & Records Policy-Vehicles
Please be advised that this position is required to pass a criminal background check post offer.
Must be able to pass a post-offer physical capacities test (PCT) including a medical check and drug screening prior to appointment. For more information on the physical requirements, please visit the Job Task Analysis. (Download PDF reader)
Please be clear and specific in the applicable sections of the employment application about how your background is relevant. This information must also be consistent with your supplemental question responses. Please note: Answers to the supplemental questions are typically evaluated separately from your application.
