Description

Foothills Animal Shelter seeks a director of animal behavior and sheltering (director of shelter operations) who is committed to improving the emotional experience of the animals served by Foothills Animal Shelter while providing thoughtful, human-centered leadership to the Shelter's operational teams.

Who We Are

As an open admissions shelter, we are committed to being here for families and their pets in Jefferson County, Colorado. We identify as a socially conscious shelter, caring for over 9,000 dogs, cats, and small animals every year with a compassionate team of staff and volunteers who are committed to the physical and emotional wellbeing of every pet we serve.

What You'll Do

• Oversee the Shelter's animal care, behavior, veterinary services, and patron services departments with the support of two associate directors and a team of supervisors and managers who are committed to a positive experience for our animals, staff, volunteers, and patrons. 
• Mentor, coach, and support departmental supervisors and managers, ensuring they have the training and resources they need to succeed in their roles.
• Manage organizational risk, including animal placement or disqualification, personnel safety, and regulatory compliance. 
• Review and update processes to improve the animal experience, drawing on Fear Free principles and supporting positive reinforcement as the primary training method used and recommended by Foothills Animal Shelter.
• Select and approve vendor relationships for shelter supplies, ensuring the best value for the Shelter's resources.
• Respond to escalated concerns from the public regarding shelter programs and services. 
• Work closely with the executive director to set strategic goals and evaluate progress. 
• Ensure all department and program operations are compliant with the Colorado Pet Animal Care and Facilities Act (PACFA) and all other applicable state and local animal care and sheltering requirements.

What You Bring

• You enjoy leading people. You know how to inspire and motivate others to show up as their best version of themselves, and you are adept at mentoring young leaders to become effective and compassionate people managers.
• You’ve done this before. The size, service area, or budget may be different, but you aren't new to animal sheltering. You are familiar with best practices for open-admissions shelters, including strategies to reduce length of stay and improve quality of care. 
• You find the humor when solving daily challenges, and you take the work seriously without being too serious. Teams that play together stay together!
• What you love about animal sheltering is the opportunity to get creative. Whether you are curating an animal's experience, troubleshooting a staffing shortage, or reimagining a process, you find the fun in change and aren't afraid to try something new.
• You believe in our mission. You recognize the significance of the human-animal bond, and you are proud to support the formation and continuation of these powerful relationships.

What We Offer

• Let's start with the obvious: we offer truly meaningful work that positively impacts the lives of thousands of animals each year.  
• You will work with a team of animal welfare professionals who work hard, care deeply, and are 100% dedicated to the well-being of our shelter animals.
• We strive for a healthy work-life balance, and we offer generous time off including six paid holidays, additional floating holidays (awarded annually on your employment anniversary), three weeks of accrued vacation (increasing with tenure), and paid sick leave.
• We offer a full spectrum of employee benefits including medical, dental, vision, disability, life insurance, health savings accounts, flexible spending accounts, and a retirement plan with up to 4% employer match and immediate vesting. Currently, two of our medical plans and our dental and vision plans are offered at no cost for employee-only coverage.
• Additional benefits for this position include a continuing education stipend of $1,500 annually, paid time to attend CE, and reimbursement of job-specific licensing, certification, and/or renewal fees.
• The pay rate for this position will be $90,000 - $120,000 annually, depending on the depth and breadth of relevant experience.

Application closing date: June 1, 2024 

View complete job description here. 

Qualifications