This Isn’t Just an Animal Services Officer Job. It’s a Community Service Opportunity.
Some people see this role and immediately think “animal control.”
We don’t.
We see neighbours helping neighbours. We see someone arriving on what may be a family’s worst day and leaving it better than they found it. We see compassion before confrontation, conversation before conflict, and education before enforcement.
Yes, you’ll enforce municipal by-laws when necessary. You’ll investigate concerns, respond to calls, and help keep both people and animals safe. But that’s only part of the story.
We’re looking for someone who believes that serving the public is a privilege. Someone who enjoys meeting people, solving problems, and making their community stronger one interaction at a time. Someone who understands that every conversation is an opportunity to build trust.
You don’t need to come from policing or enforcement. In fact, we’re just as interested in applicants from customer service, hospitality, emergency response, education, social services, animal care, or any field where empathy, sound judgment, and professionalism matter. We’ll teach you the technical aspects of the job. We can’t teach curiosity, initiative, kindness, or genuine care for people.
The best person for this role is calm under pressure and confident without being confrontational. They know that listening is often more powerful than speaking. They can de-escalate tense situations with patience, respect, and common sense. They treat every person with dignity, even when delivering difficult news or making challenging decisions.
They love animals—but they care deeply about people, too. They understand that helping animals often means helping the people who care for them. They believe education creates lasting change, and they know that compassion and accountability can exist together.
We’re looking for someone who takes initiative, embraces learning, and wants to grow alongside an exceptional team. Someone who isn’t afraid to make decisions, ask questions, or lend a hand wherever it’s needed. Someone who can laugh with their colleagues, remain serious when the situation demands it, and finish each day knowing their work made a real difference.
If you’re looking for a career where every day is different, where your judgment matters, where your compassion is valued as much as your confidence, and where you have the opportunity to improve the lives of both people and animals, we’d love to meet you.
This isn’t simply a job enforcing by-laws.
It’s a chance to help build a safer, kinder, and more connected community.
QUALIFICATIONS/SKILLS:
- By-Law experience or MLEOA training preferred
- Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to build relationships with key internal and external stakeholders
- Demonstrated ability to work within a team environment
- Demonstrated ability to work independently but consults with Supervisor as necessary
- Demonstrated diplomacy, tact, and discretion
- Flexible and adaptable approach to changing situations
- A demonstrated compassion towards people as well as animals
- Demonstrated ability to work with diverse groups of people
- Demonstrated ability to handle and control domestic and wild animals, including being knowledgeable about the methods and equipment used
Hourly Wage: $27.36/hour + Competitive Benefits
Schedule: 77 hours/biweekly (On Site)
Type of Vacancy: Existing
To apply, please submit a copy of your Cover Letter and Resume
Disclosure Statement: HSOMH is an equal opportunity employer dedicated to fostering a work environment that supports, inspires, and respects all individuals. Our processes are grounded in merit and are implemented without discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, age, disability, national or ethnic origin, or any other protected characteristic. Please note that we will only be contacting candidates who meet our professional eligibility criteria.
This role involves a degree of physical activity, including lifting animals of various weights, prolonged standing or walking, and the ability to work effectively in noisy environments, as well as adapting to any other situations that may arise.
This position also entails working in an animal shelter environment, where you will have regular exposure to a variety of species and sizes of animals. Candidates should be comfortable and prepared to work in close proximity to them.
Job Type: Full-time
Pay: $27.36 per hour
Benefits:
- Dental care
- Employee assistance program
- Extended health care
- On-site parking
- Paid time off
- Vision care
Ability to commute/relocate:
- Oakville, ON: reliably commute or plan to relocate before starting work (required)
Application question(s):
- We'd love to know more about you, have you submitted a Cover Letter as a part of your application? If not, can you provide details on why not?
Licence/Certification:
- Class G Licence (required)
Work Location: In person
