Adoption Counselor
Listed compensation
$14.00Hourly
The week · per this posting · weekdays assumed
Ask the employer about the work setting, call expectations, weekend coverage and time off.
Job Description
Job Details:
Job Location: Wichita - Wichita, KS, Salary Range: $14.00Hourly, Come join the Kansas Humane Society pack! We are looking for a Full-Time Adoption Counselor who loves being an important part of an animal's life. *
KHS Is a Qualified Employer for the Public Loan Service Forgiveness Program.
- We offer: Generous paid time off 10 paid holidays per year Paid time when closed for Inclement Weather Comprehensive low deductible health, pharmacy and dental plans Vision insurance plan SIMPLE IRA Retirement Plan with a generous company match Pre-tax spending accounts for health care and childcare expenses Discounted YMCA membership Discounts on adoptions, retail store items, basic veterinary services and medicine, and pet food Employee Assistance Program Position Summary Perceive all who enter KHS as a potential donor and provide welcoming, high quality customer service regardless of the circumstances. Utilize a conversational open-ended dialog to counsel potential adopters on the selection/needs of their pet. Assist adopters through the pre-adoption process, animal visiting, and adoption completion processes. Job
Responsibilities
Customer Service: Provides and models timely, polite, and respectful internal and external customer service regardless of the circumstances Must remain calm, flexible, and willing to see other perspectives.
Program Implementation: Assist with and participate in both the development and implementation of special adoption events. Adopter Education: Remain current in humane animal husbandry.
Promote open conversations between counselors and adopters so that potential adopters are provided with the resources to be successful pet owners based on their individual needs.
Assure that the Kansas Humane Society adopts quality physically and behaviorally healthy pet animals by continuously monitoring the physical and behavioral health of all pets available for adoption. Meet the needs of pets who display signs of illness accordingly.
Adopters of pets who have minor medical or behavioral issues will be fully informed of the animal’s condition(s) as well as potential implications the condition(s) may have upon the pet in the future.
Provide enrichment for pets housed in the Adoptions Area KHS CORE VALUES The Kansas Humane Society has HEART: HAVE COMPASSION We have empathy and understanding for the community and pets we serve, our teammates and our partners in animal welfare EXEMPLIFY COMMITMENT We show our dedication in our work ethic and willingness to learn and grow.
ACT WITH INTEGRITY We prioritize integrity in all our actions. RESPECT ALL We treat all animals and people with respect. THRIVE THROUGH COLLABORATION We are better together, united in our service to pets and their people.
Qualifications
High School Diploma or equivalent Previous animal handling experience with dogs and cats preferred A background in caregiving or customer service. Respect for the human animal bond is a must!
PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES AND REQUIREMENTS OF THIS POSITION TALKING: Ability to speak effectively and communicate clearly, AVERAGE HEARING: Able to hear average conversations REPETITIVE MOTION: The employee is regularly required to type, stand, sit, kneel, and squat.
FINGER DEXTERITY: The employee is regularly required to use hands to type. AVERAGE VISION: Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus.
PHYSICAL STRENGTH: Physical restraining of small and large animals 5lb to 100lb (on occasion) Pulled/jolted/jumped on by small and large animals 5lb to 100lb (on occasion) Lifting, carrying, pushing, pulling, throwing of 5lb to 100lb (on occasion) · Stooping to pick up items Frequent verbal communication required Frequent repetitive motion and lifting up to 30lbs above shoulder height Must be able to use both hands for repetitive actions; firm grasp, fine manipulation and typing (8 hours daily) Standing, walking, mopping, kneeling on hands and knees, crouching, crawling WORKING CONDITIONS Must be able to handle challenging customers calmly and respectfully on a daily basis.
Must be comfortable handling dogs, cats, various small mammals, and birds on a daily basis. Noise exposure varies, and often includes barking and other animal vocalizations. Animal waste contact, smells, and visual exposure are prevalent. Exposure to industrial cleaning supplies.
MENTAL ACTIVITIES AND REQUIREMENTS OF THIS POSITION REASONING ABILITY: Provide excellent customer service, flexibility, good conflict resolution skills, make decision independently, must have respect for the human/animal bond. Ability to deal with a variety of variables under only limited standardization.
Required to manage awkward, emotional, and sometimes hostile customers for the best customer service possible. MATHEMATICS ABILITY: Ability to add, subtract, multiply and divide in all units of measure using whole numbers and common fractions. LANGUAGE ABILITY: Ability to read, analyze, and interpret documents.
INTENT AND FUNCTION OF JOB DESCRIPTIONS Job descriptions assist organizations in ensuring that the hiring process is fairly administered and that qualified employees are selected. They are also essential to an effective appraisal system and related promotion, transfer, layoff, and termination decisions.
Well-constructed job descriptions are an integral part of any effective compensation system. All descriptions have been reviewed to ensure that only essential functions and basic duties have been included. Peripheral tasks, only incidentally related to each position, have been excluded.
Requirements, skills, and abilities included have been determined to be the minimal standards required to successfully perform the positions. In no instance, however, should the duties, responsibilities, and requirements delineated be interpreted as all-inclusive.
Additional functions and requirements may be assigned by supervisors as deemed appropriate. In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, it is possible that requirements may be modified to reasonably accommodate disabled individuals.
However, no accommodations will be made which may pose serious health or safety risks to the employee or others or which impose undue hardships on the organization. Job descriptions are not intended as and do not create employment contracts. The organization maintains its status as an at-will employer. Employees can be terminated for any reason not prohibited by law.
Key Responsibilities
The Adoption Counselor provides welcoming customer service and counsels potential adopters on the needs and selection of their pets. They also participate in adoption events and monitor the physical and behavioral health of animals available for adoption.
Requirements
Candidates must have a high school diploma or equivalent and a background in caregiving or customer service. Previous experience handling dogs and cats is preferred, along with the physical ability to lift up to 100 lbs.
Key Skills
Counselor Career Context
Of the 50 active Counselor listings this role was benchmarked against, 74% are remote, 28% have no call, 56% require no weekends.
The cost-of-living index for Kansas is 90.1 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)), so the posted ~$29k midpoint carries the purchasing power of roughly $32k in an average-cost state. 61.0% of Kansas clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).
| Measure | This job | Market |
|---|---|---|
| Listed pay | $29k | Counselor median $63k (middle half $52k–$82k)235 comparable listings, Nov 2026 |
| Cost-of-living adjusted pay | ~$32k in purchasing power | Kansas index 90.1 (US = 100)BEA Regional Price Parities (2024) |
| Counselor listings in Kansas | 122 active | 13,226 nationallylive on WeekdayDoc, Nov 2026 |
| Work setting | on-site | peers: 74% remote · 28% no call · 56% no weekends50 benchmarked listings |
| Sign-on & loan repayment | not stated | Kansas Counselor listings: 11% state a sign-on bonus (median $3k) · 18% offer loan repayment122 active listings, Nov 2026 |
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