Entry level animal shelter Jobs in Thornton, CO

Job Type Full-time Description

Humane Colorado is seeking a Director of Shelter Medicine & Animal Health to provide strategic and operational leadership for our shelter animal health programs. The Director is focused on people management, program oversight, and cross-departmental collaboration to ensure high-quality holistic approach to veterinary and behavioral care for animals in our sheltering system.

The Director oversees multidisciplinary teams responsible for shelter veterinary medicine, behavior support, and foster care. This position works closely with clinical and technical subject matter experts to translate organizational goals into effective, sustainable operations that improve outcomes for all animals in our care. The ideal candidate is a systems-minded leader who excels at developing people, aligning programs with mission and values, and managing complex shelter environments.

Purpose of Position: Responsible for the oversight of Humane Colorado Shelter Veterinary, Behavior and Foster teams. Develop innovative, evidence-based approaches to ensure the medical and behavioral needs of every animal sheltered at Humane Colorado are met. Provide strategic direction to optimize resources and ensure that veterinary and behavior operations are aligned with Humane Colorado’s mission and goals.

Responsibilities

• Provide leadership and oversight for all Shelter Veterinary and Behavior operations, working collaboratively across departments to enhance organizational effectiveness and deliver integrated, high-quality care.
• Oversight and management of staff veterinarians; work in partnership with lead veterinarians in the performance evaluation of the veterinarians and interns. Ensure staff is practicing incremental medicine, using critical thinking and decision-making skills within the organization’s scope of care.
• Manage and develop an effective staff: provide effective communication, leadership, guidance and resources. Determine staff qualifications and competency; recruit, interview, select, hire, train, orient, mentor, evaluate, coach, counsel, discipline, and reward. Establish and monitor staff safety and regulatory compliance
• Integrate Veterinary Professional Associates (VPA), externs, and interns into the workforce, fostering a culture of continuous improvement, professional growth, and development while ensuring effective collaboration and skill-building opportunities.
• Develop, evaluate, and control departmental budgets.
• Monitor and evaluate program effectiveness across the departments, including statistical analysis and report creation and presentation. Implement improvements, ensuring efficient use of resources and effective operations.
• Work collaboratively with managers and veterinarians to ensure effective management of the team, departmental resources, and workflow.
• Oversee the development, implementation, and monitoring of veterinary, foster and behavior policies and programs that improve the standard of care for all sheltered animals.
• Develop shelter management policies, create corresponding SOPs, and ensure they are updated, understood, and practiced with staff and volunteers.
• Oversee contagion management, including isolation practices, sanitation standards, and disease-prevention workflows.
• Maintain highly effective relationships with all other directors to ensure successful allocation of resources and coordination of activities in support of strategic objectives. Collaborate with shelter teams to support and manage the appropriate flow of companion animals through each department.
• Participate in euthanasia decision making. Oversee the euthanasia training program to ensure it meets state regulations. Create and provide trainings, maintain licenses and monitor DEA compliance.
• Ensure the highest level of people care is delivered to staff, volunteers, patrons, donors, partners, and vendors, and that all experiences reflect the brand, mission and core values.
• Lead staff meetings, providing direction and inspiration within the context of the mission.
• Deliver Humane Colorado specific training programs as requested.
• Remain informed and up to date with relevant industry trends and practices to keep the organization at the leading edge of animal welfare, medical and behavior practices and building toward the future.
• Work in collaboration with the Development and Communications teams to support fundraising efforts and campaigns, such as providing impact stories and reports resulting in financial support.
• Participate in donor events, meetings, and tours.
• Ensure program grant compliance, and quality of services and evaluations.
• Oversee relationships with external vendors, including negotiating and managing contracts for vaccines, medical supplies, equipment purchases, and other essential resources. Ensure cost-effectiveness, timely delivery, compliance with organizational policies, and quality standards.

People Care

People are the key to fulfilling our mission. Making internal and external patrons and their needs a primary focus is expected in all situations. This position interacts with and collaborates with employees at all levels of the organization. Communication occurs through face to face, telephone, and electronic interactions and may also include contact with the general public and business partners. Communication and contact must be clear, understandable, cooperative, professional, and respectful in all circumstances. Employees are expected to actively support a positive team environment, directly address conflict, and appropriately express concerns.

Competencies

Competencies are work behaviors and expectations necessary for successful job performance. They encompass knowledge, skills, abilities, attitudes, and actions. Additional definitions for competencies may be obtained from Human Resources.

Organizational Key Competencies

• Job Knowledge
• Excellence
• Adapting to Change / Agility
• Dependability
• People Care

Leadership Core Competencies

• Project and Process Management
• Delivering Results
• People Leadership

Position Core Competencies

• Analytical Thinking
• Community Partnerships
• Conflict Management
• Change Management
• Financial Acumen
• Fiscal Responsibility
• Innovation
• Strong teaching and mentorship skills
• Strategic Thinking

Supervisory or Managerial Responsibility

• Volunteers
• Lead Veterinarians, Veterinarians
• Manager, Shelter Veterinary Services
• Manager, Behavior
• Associate Managers, Behavior and Veterinary Services

Travel

• This position may require travel to different work sites

Full-Time Benefits – Please visit our website for a comprehensive list of all offered benefits.

• Benefits (medical, dental, and vision)
• 401(k) with matching
• Flexible spending accounts
• Life and Short-Term Disability Insurance
• Paid Time Off (PTO)
• Paid Sick Time
• Sabbatical
• Holiday Pay
• Employee discounts
• Discounted Pet Insurance
• and more!

Compensation: Starting at $92,400 - $102,000 annually (starting pay commensurate with market, experience, and equity)

Posting will remain open until filled, with a minimum posting period of 5 days.

Work Conditions and Physical Requirements

Handle and restrain animals of various sizes, weights, and temperaments. Subject to animal bites or scratches. Work performed in high noise level areas. Exposure to cleaning chemicals, fumes, dust, animal dander, and feces. Exposure to radiation in association with performing radiology procedures. Physical efforts require constant bending, stooping, standing, climbing stairs, and walking. Repetitive motion associated with medical and surgical care. Frequent lifting of animals and objects with reasonable accommodation.

Posting will remain open until filled, with a minimum posting period of 5 days.

Requirements

Position Qualifications

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities

• Ability to effectively lead a team
• Strong interpersonal communication skills
• High emotional intelligence
• Ability to effectively communicate in writing
• Effective time management skills with the ability to triage cases and workload
• Ability to work well within a fast-paced environment
• High attention to detail
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office programs

Required

Education: Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience

Work Experience:

• Five years of experience in veterinary medicine or animal shelter setting
• Five years of experience in leadership directly managing a team

Desired

• Experience in animal behavior
• Advanced certifications in veterinary or behavioral sciences i.e. DVM, RVT, CPDT-KA, ACAAB

Salary Description $92,400 - $102,000