Animal Compliance Officer

At Wollongong City Council we have a steadfast commitment to creating an Extraordinary Wollongong. We are in an exciting period of transformation and focused on delivering exceptional services, infrastructure and facilities for our community.

Our strength is the diversity of our people. Together our responsibility is to create an inclusive place where everyone is welcome, valued and belongs. We lead with courage, openness and curiosity. Our conversations and actions celebrate diversity, inclusion and belonging. Learn more about us here.

About the Role

Join our Animal Compliance team! Reporting to the Compliance and Regulation Coordinator, within the Regulation and Enforcement Division, our team includes:

• 4 Animal Compliance Officers
• 2 Foreshore Animal Compliance Officers
• 1 Animal Control Admin Support Officer

As an Animal Compliance Officer, you will focus on community safety. This includes attending to roaming and aggressive dogs, roaming livestock, as well as educating the community in relation to responsible pet ownership and ensuring that enforcement actions relating to Acts and Regulations that relate to animal compliance are correctly undertaken.

You will work closely with the Animal Care and Impounding Services team, as well as other stakeholders within council including customer service and lifeguards. External stakeholders include the Police, RSPCA, the community, and emergency services as required.

We are currently seeking a full-time permanent Animal Compliance Officer and a maximum fixed term position up to 24 months.

There may also be further opportunities to be placed on an eligibility list for potential future positions or casual opportunities within the Animal Compliance team.

Animal Compliance Officers are rostered on Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm. You will also be placed on the out of hours on-call roster to respond to high-risk situations occurring out of normal business hours. Salary is from $81,194.60 up to $90,112.53 per annum plus superannuation (salary package will be assessed based on skills, experience and qualifications). This position additionally includes an operational motor vehicle. Applicants should be suitably fit to undertake the duties as outlined in the job description.

What You will be doing:

In this role you will:

• attend to and investigate complaints in relation to roaming dogs, dog attacks, aggressive dogs, dog owner misbehaviour, roaming livestock, barking dogs and nuisance cats
• undertake legal enforcement activities, including interpreting and applying relevant legislation, issuing written warnings, gathering and recording evidence, issuing Penalty Notices, preparing evidence for Court, attending Court, and giving evidence at Court when required to do so, in accordance with the relevant offence
• update the NSW Companion Animal Register in accordance with legislative requirements
• provide education and promotional activities to the community on responsible pet ownership and Council's enforcement role

About you:

Aligned with Council's values, you are a dynamic, positive individual focussed on ensuring the safety of the community. You will bring a Certificate IV in Government Investigations / Certificate IV in Local Government (Regulatory Services) or an equivalent tertiary qualification in a regulation or compliance field or commensurate experience in a compliance related role. You will also bring:

• an ability to handle animals, including microchip scanning, and seizing of stray animals (including dogs, cats and roaming livestock)
• an ability to handle aggressive dogs
• a calm outlook with excellent conflict resolution skills and the ability to work with difficult customers
• excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to engage and work with others
• the ability to problem-solve and work with minimal supervision
• a high level of written and oral communication skills
• a knowledge of: the SEINS system and experience in issuing infringement notices for various offences; PINFORCE or similar system; and Drives 24 (or willingness to obtain
• knowledge and or experience interpreting legislation relevant to the role. (e.g. Companion Animals Act 1998 - Local Government Act 1993 - Public Spaces (Unattended Property) Act 2021 - Protection of the Environment Operations Act 1997 - Evidence Act 1995 - Roads Rules 2014 - Fines Act 1996 - Local Land Services Act 2013) ).

Benefits of working at Council:

• We provide flexible working arrangements such as hybrid working and flex- you just need to ask!
• We are value-led, support and encourage personal and professional growth, recognise and reward performance and embrace change.
• We provide generous leave provisions including 5 weeks annual leave per year of service
• Long Service Leave after 5 years
• We are committed to providing a safe working environment for all, (everyone, every day and everywhere) and make available wellbeing programs to support mental, physical and social wellbeing of our staff to be at their best.
• Access to Fitness Passport

Interested?

For more information, click on Apply to be redirected to Wollongong City Council's E-recruitment site.

Contact Sharon Russell, A/Compliance and Regulation Coordinator, on (02) 4227 7055 for questions related to the job

For assistance in submitting your application, please contact the Talent Acquisition Team on (02) 4227 7065.

Applications close 11:59pm, Monday 9 September 2024

We encourage applications from everyone regardless of gender, age, ethnicity, cultural background, faith, disability or gender identity. People with disability are encouraged to reach out so they can be supported in recruitment processes, to enable them to demonstrate their skills and capabilities to meet the requirements of the job.

Wollongong Council adheres to the principles of a child safe organisation and is committed to the care and protection of all children and young people in the community.

Applicants are required to undergo a rigorous employment screening process which will include Reference, Identity and Medical History Checks, and may also include a Criminal History and Working with Children Check. Employment is subject to clearance of all these checks.