Manager Animal Behavior Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Position Summary

The Director of Animal Operations provides strategic and operational leadership for the SPCA of Wake County's Animal Care, Adoptions, Intake, and Animal Behavior departments. This position is responsible for ensuring the highest standards of animal welfare, operational excellence, staff development, and customer experience while advancing the organization's mission to improve the lives of pets and people throughout the community.

This role oversees the development, execution, and continuous improvement of programs, policies, procedures, and operational strategies that support positive outcomes for animals and adopters. The Director of Animal Operations ensures that departmental operations are aligned with sheltering best practices, organizational goals, and evolving community needs while maintaining a strong focus on animal welfare, operational efficiency, and employee engagement.

The Director serves as a key member of the Operations leadership team and partners closely with Medical, Volunteer & Foster, Facilities, Development, Communications, and organizational leadership to ensure seamless coordination across functions. This position is responsible for developing leaders, fostering a culture of accountability and psychological safety, and driving continuous improvement through data-informed decision making.

This role is ideal for an experienced animal welfare leader who thrives in a fast-paced environment, enjoys developing people and programs, and is passionate about creating innovative solutions that improve outcomes for animals, adopters, staff, and the community.

Schedule
Monday Friday, typically during standard business hours.

Schedule may vary based on operational needs. Position requires flexibility to support weekend, holiday, occasional evening, emergency, and inclement weather coverage as needed. Occasional on-call availability may be required to support operational priorities, animal welfare needs, and leadership responsibilities.

Our Core Values:
1- Hell, Yeah!
2- Be Kind
3- Do What You Say
4- Forward Focused
5- Loose & Wiggly
6- Drop the Mic

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Supervisory Responsibility
Directly supervises departmental leaders responsible for Animal Care, Adoptions, Intake, and Animal Behavior functions.

Strategic Leadership & Organizational Impact

• Provide strategic and operational leadership across Adoptions, Animal Care, Animal Behavior, and Intake departments
  Develop and execute operational strategies aligned with organizational priorities, mission, and long-term goals
  Foster a culture of collaboration, psychological safety, accountability, innovation, and continuous improvement
  Participate as a member of the leadership team and contribute to organizational planning, decision-making, and strategic initiatives
  Partner with organizational leaders to identify opportunities for operational enhancements and improved outcomes across departments
  Lead change management initiatives and support implementation of new programs, services, and operational processes
  Ensure departmental goals and performance measures align with organizational objectives

Leadership & Team Development

• Recruit, develop, coach, and retain high-performing managers and department teams
  Model a leadership style built on trust, transparency, accountability, and professional development
• Inspires confidence through consistent leadership, sound judgment, and accountability
  Conduct regular one-on-one meetings and provide ongoing coaching and performance feedback to direct reports
  Foster an environment where employees feel empowered to raise concerns, contribute ideas, and participate in problem-solving efforts
  Support succession planning and leadership development across operational departments
  Promote employee engagement, teamwork, and a culture consistent with SPCA of Wake County values
  Address performance concerns and support corrective action, coaching, and employee development efforts as needed

Animal Welfare & Operational Excellence

• Oversee daily operations across Animal Care, Adoptions, Intake, and Animal Behavior departments to ensure consistent, compassionate, and humane care for animals
  Ensure operational practices align with animal welfare best practices, fear-free principles, and organizational standards
  Develop, implement, and maintain standard operating procedures and operational workflows for assigned departments
  Monitor shelter capacity, animal flow, and population management strategies to maximize outcomes and organizational readiness
  Identify and proactively address barriers impacting intake, animal movement, adoption outcomes, and overall operational efficiency
  Ensure behavior assessment and support programs are effectively integrated into shelter operations and adoption processes for animals and adopters
  Oversee development and implementation of enrichment, behavior modification, and animal welfare initiatives that support positive outcomes and quality of life
  Evaluate operational performance and implement improvements that enhance efficiency, consistency, and service delivery

Adoptions, Intake & Community Programs

• Lead strategies designed to maximize positive outcomes through efficient intake, placement, transfer, and adoption practices
  Develop and support community-facing adoption programs, events, partnerships, and initiatives that increase adoptions and community engagement
  Ensure intake operations are aligned with organizational capacity, population management goals, and animal welfare standards
  Collaborate with internal and external stakeholders to strengthen community partnerships and improve access to services
  Support innovative programs that improve customer experience and increase organizational impact

Data, Performance & Continuous Improvement

• Establish, monitor, and evaluate key performance indicators related to animal welfare, operations, customer experience, and departmental effectiveness
  Track and analyze metrics including intake volume, adoption rates, length of stay, capacity utilization, behavior outcomes, and other operational measures
  Utilize data and performance trends to drive strategic decision-making and continuous improvement efforts
  Prepare and present operational updates, recommendations, and performance reports to organizational leadership
  Identify trends, opportunities, and risks and implement action plans to improve organizational outcomes

Financial & Resource Management

• Assist in the development and management of departmental budgets and operational resources
  Ensure responsible stewardship of organizational assets, supplies, and resources
  Evaluate staffing models, operational needs, and resource allocation to support efficient and effective operations
  Partner with leadership to identify opportunities for operational investments and cost-effective improvements

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Work closely with Medical, Volunteer & Foster, Facilities, Development, Communications, and other organizational teams to support seamless operations
  Collaborate with fellow directors and leaders to ensure alignment across departments and operational functions
  Participate in meetings, committees, events, and organizational initiatives as assigned
  Serve as a resource and subject matter expert regarding shelter operations, animal welfare, and population management strategies
  Perform additional leadership and operational duties as assigned to support organizational priorities

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

• High school diploma or equivalent
  Minimum 3 years of leadership experience within animal welfare, animal sheltering, humane organizations, or a closely related field
  Strong knowledge of shelter operations, humane care, animal welfare principles, population management, and industry best practices
  Demonstrated experience leading, developing, and coaching employees and leaders
  Strong communication, organizational, problem-solving, and decision-making skills
• Proven ability to lead with empathy and curiosity, build trust, and develop employees at all levels of the organization
  Positive attitude with a collaborative, team-oriented approach to leadership and problem solving
  Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced, mission-driven environment
  Experience utilizing data, metrics, and performance measures to support operational decision-making
  Proficiency with relevant software, databases, and reporting systems
  Demonstrated commitment to the mission and values of the SPCA of Wake County

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Animal Science, Business Administration, Nonprofit Management, Organizational Leadership, or a related field
  Five or more years of progressive leadership experience within animal welfare organizations
  Experience leading multiple operational departments or large teams
  Experience with shelter population management, behavior programs, and adoption operations
  Experience developing and implementing operational strategies, policies, and standard operating procedures
  Experience managing budgets and organizational resources
  Fear Free, low-stress handling, or related animal welfare certifications
  Experience leading organizational change and continuous improvement initiatives

Work Environment

This role operates within a fast-paced animal welfare environment and involves frequent interaction with staff, volunteers, adopters, community members, partners, and animals. Responsibilities are performed in office settings, animal housing areas, adoption environments, intake spaces, training settings, and community-facing events.

The position requires maintaining professionalism and effectiveness while working in an environment that may include high noise levels, strong odors, emotionally sensitive situations, and animals of varying sizes, temperaments, and medical or behavioral conditions. The role requires regular onsite presence to support leadership responsibilities, operational oversight, employee development, cross-functional collaboration, and organizational initiatives.

Physical Requirements

• Ability to stand, walk, bend, reach, crouch, kneel, and remain physically active for extended periods of time
  Ability to lift, carry, push, and pull up to 50 pounds
  Ability to safely handle animals of varying sizes, temperaments, and medical or behavioral conditions as needed
  Ability to communicate effectively in person, by phone, and through electronic communication methods
  Ability to work in environments with high noise levels, strong odors, and exposure to cleaning chemicals and disinfectants
  Ability to work safely around fearful, stressed, or fractious animals
  Ability to work both indoors and outdoors in varying weather and temperature conditions
  Exposure to zoonotic diseases, parasites, viruses, bacteria, fungi, and other animal-related environmental conditions
  Ability to consistently perform onsite leadership, operational oversight, training, and collaborative responsibilities at SPCA of Wake County facilities and organizational events as needed
  Ability to respond to operational emergencies and support organizational needs outside of standard business hours when necessary

Benefits:

• Medical and Dental: Employer pays 90% of employee coverage (full-time)
• Insurance includes wellness, dental, vision, life, mental health care, prescriptions, emergency & urgent care, chiropractic care, and physical therapy
• Telemedicine options, 24/7 access to virtual health & wellness care and virtual behavioral health care

PAID TIME OFF

• All part-time and full-time staff receive paid time off.
• Paid Holidays - 9 paid holidays per year (full-time)
• Vacation Time - 10 paid vacation days per year (full-time)with scheduled increases at milestone anniversaries of hire date
• Sick Time - 6.5 paid sick days per year (full-time)

FINANCIAL

• Healthcare: Flexible Spending Account
• 401k Plan
• Coastal Federal Credit Union Membership
• 20% discount on pet adoptions and in SPCA Wake retail store

OTHER

• Bereavement time off
• Federal & State Leave of Absence options

Disclaimer

This job description is intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed. It is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, or qualifications. Responsibilities may change based on organizational needs.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this position, consistent with applicable federal, state, and local laws.