Senior Manager, Shelter Operations

Senior Manager, Shelter Operations

Schedule:

The working schedule for this position is Sunday - Thursday, full time with flexible hours. 

Who We Are

ACC is one of the nation’s largest open-admission animal shelters whose mission is to End Animal Homelessness in NYC. We touch the lives of nearly 30,000 animals each year. We are more than an animal shelter; we are a resource to the community, always seeking ways to keep the human-animal bond intact. Our progressive life-saving initiatives continue to sustain a 90% placement rate.

We strive to find loving homes for homeless and abandoned cats, dogs, guinea pigs and rabbits, both by adopting animals directly to the public and by partnering with more than 200 dedicated animal placement organizations (our New Hope partners). Equally significant are our programs and services that value and respect the human animal bond and are designed to keep families and their pets together. Our doors are open 24/7 for people and animals in need making ACC the most unique and full service animal welfare organization in all of New York City.

Summary

As a primary goal, ACC strives to position ourselves as a strong partner within the community; working with New Yorkers to create and collaborate, promoting animal welfare and the human animal bond. As the driving force behind several key departments and the leader responsible for setting and maintaining the standards for the care of ACC’s animals and the people connected to them, the Senior Manager, Shelter Operations is a key player in keeping our organization focused on these values. With direct oversight of the animal care department, among others dependent on organizational need and program development, the senior manager coaches the relevant departmental leaders in collaborative management of all personnel operating within the care centers. Through progressive leadership, the senior manager sets the tone for a professional but approachable staff where best practices in husbandry and handling, creative approaches to population management, and cooperative relationships are considered non-negotiables. With three to five direct reports and a leadership team of up to a dozen, the senior manager has reach of upwards of 75 employees at any given time. They must be equal parts multi-tasking and time management pro, mediator, and negotiator, always working to achieve strategic goals as outlined by the organization.

Essential Job Functions:

• Communication: Clearly communicating information and guiding all levels of the Shelter Operations team and across other departments to ensure smooth daily operations. Collaborating with leadership to guide the organization towards overall objectives and mission.
• Problem solving, identifying improvement, and policy adherence: Senior Manager of Shelter Operations is a leader in solving problems that potentially come up on day to day operations. As well as ensuring staff are adhering to organizational policies. Creative, big picture, and out of the box thinking is encouraged to identify areas we can continue to improve on and strive for more to benefit the animals in our care along with our staff.
• Performance Management: Leading by example and providing motivation to the staff as a whole. Having clear expectations, providing support, and staff development for all levels of the operations team. Assisting their managers increase productivity while ensuring we are addressing challenges and obstacles for the team. Helping foster a positive, healthy, and an encouraging work environment.

Other Responsibilities:

Shelter Operations Leadership Management

• Coach and oversee operations leadership team in daily management of all onsite staff and volunteers, collaborating with other departments and programs to provide consistent direction where there is overlap. 
• Identify areas of weakness in current programming and develop methods to address, including creating and directly managing pilot projects with potential to become self-sustaining departments, expanding resources and efficacy as part of the development process. 
• Implement and monitor care center programs to meet and exceed the standards of humane animal care and customer service to the animals and the community 
• Effectively direct a variety of departments ensuring the policies, procedures, and daily practice are complementary in ensuring animal inflow, outflow, and daily census are balanced and maintain a system that does not exceed our capacity for care. 
• Work with the medical and behavior teams to ensure that medical and behavioral needs are identified, animals receive appropriate, timely medical care, treatments, and behavior enrichment and intervention; strategizing to create processes that enhance efficiency and maximize the quality of care. 
• Collaborate with the placement department to establish pathway plans and make decisions about animal outcomes on a daily basis including participation in daily rounds, creation of the at risk list, and driving conversations and decisions relevant to euthanasia. 
• Overseeing Safety Committee - Ensure that safety procedures are followed and OSHA standards met at all times. Take immediate action to correct hazards as needed. 
• Oversee Fear Free Committee – Ensuring departments are following through with staff to ensure safe and stress free handling throughout their time in our care. Helping develop and improve working environment for staff and volunteers throughout the care centers. 
• Establish annual goals for performance and methods by which to measure progress. 
• Collaborate with partnering organizations to ensure policies and public messaging that effect the animal welfare ecosystem of NYC are beneficial and well understood by all. 
• Help coordinate cross training opportunities between departments as well as shelter wide trainings to encourage staff engagement and learning across all levels and departments. 

Strategic Development 

• Model and promote a staff culture that is friendly and outgoing, collaborative, and free of judgement.
• Facilitate training to promote staff growth and development, and implementation and adherence to best practices and organizational policy.
• Assist in training and mentoring management team members across locations to promote consistency between locations and ensure operational expectations and standards are in place.
• Identify areas of opportunity and growth within the care centers and assist in finding new financial opportunities for implementing new progressive program that keeps ACC as a leader within the animal welfare community.
• Host meetings and workshops to help creative a collaborative approach across departments to find solutions and program decision making when needed.
• Partner with ACC community outreach staff and volunteers to identify, staff, and represent ACC at community events throughout the borough, promoting ACC’s mission and recruiting volunteers and donors.
• Actively participate in and act as a stellar representative of ACC at a variety of events or tours.
• Manage and adhere to operational budgets. Maintain inventory and direct ordering and monitoring of supplies. 
• Plan and schedule maintenance and repair of care center. Act as organizational point person for new construction, renovation, or repair. 
• Actively participate in development of organizational policies, facilitate trainings, and collaborate in other departmental programs and projects including marketing, fundraising, outreach, and volunteer programs. 
• Responsible for emergency on call availability.

Salary and Benefits:

$73,000 – 75,000 Annually 

ACC values work/life balance and offers a generous paid-time-off (PTO) package that includes vacation time, birthdays off, personal days and sick pay. We also value physical and mental health by offering a great open access Cigna medical, dental and vision insurance at a low premium to our employees as well as 401K and Pension, Life Insurance. We also have on-the-job training for 2-4 weeks, periodic all staff trainings to include safety, DEI, cross training, and other growth opportunities.  

Because ACC is a nonprofit, employees may be eligible for loan forgiveness, cancellation, and/or consolidation under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program (PSLF). Created under the College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007, PSLF allows borrowers who work full time for nonprofits and government agencies to have their outstanding debt forgiven tax-free on Federal Direct Loans, after making 120 qualifying monthly payments under a qualifying repayment plan.

Please see the attached flyer for more details on our benefits package.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in related field and/or minimum of three years of experience directly in animal welfare required. 
• 1 year experience in management of people and programs required. 
• Experience working with union staff for at least six months is a plus.
• Fear Free Shelter certification is required within 30 days of hire.
• Ability to excel in a fast-paced, often high stress environment. 
• Must be forward thinking and anticipate challenges, responding to them quickly and completely. 
• Must be adaptable and receptive to rapidly evolving protocols and able to rally others with an air of excitement and opportunity. 
• Treats animals and people with respect, considering all individuals as potential collaborators with something to offer. 
• Is an expert communicator, a people person and a team player, has a passion for learning and is knowledgeable in current animal welfare trends, is organized, detail oriented, and able to maintain composure when faced with emotional situations including medically and behaviorally compromised animals. 
• Is vocal and enjoys sharing ideas, willing to engage in friendly, professional debate and idea sharing. 
• Available to modify schedule as needed to meet the needs of the organization, ability to travel throughout the five boroughs regularly and nationally for training opportunities.

Work Environment

Ability to work in an animal care facility where euthanasia is performed. While performing the duties of the job, the employee is frequently exposed to odors or airborne particles including animal fur and toxic chemicals. The noise level in the environment can be very loud. Regular visits to all five animal care and admission facilities (one in each borough of NYC) are required.

Reports To: Director of Behavior and Shelter Operations

Overtime: This position is exempt from overtime.