Animal Behavior Manager

Description

Foothills Animal Shelter seeks an animal behavior manager who is committed to improving the emotional experience of the animals served by Foothills Animal Shelter and excited to engage in the transformative work of animal welfare.

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 Bring 

• You find the humor in 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 space, you find the fun in change and aren’t afraid to try something new.  

• While the shelter is no place for an animal, that’s not to say that the shelter experience isn’t critical. You find a balance between removing barriers that prevent animals from leaving the shelter and helping animals feel safe and build the skills they need to succeed with their new families.  

• You are thoughtful yet decisive. You recognize when collaborative decision making is beneficial and when you just need to make a decision.  

• 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 coaching employees to grow their skillsets and work effectively with both animals and people.  

• You are a teacher at heart, and you enjoy training people almost as much as you enjoy training animals! Whether through group trainings or smaller coaching sessions, you enjoy helping people read animal behavior and communicate with animals effectively through positive reinforcement.

• 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 You’ll Do 

• Oversee the animal behavior department for Foothills Animal Shelter, including one department supervisor, five animal behavior personnel, and nine animal assessment personnel. 

• Oversee the shelter’s assessment, enrichment, and behavior support programs, with attention to the care and promotion of animals whose residency may exceed the average length of stay for their species.

• Implement 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.  

• Be the point-person for situational problem-solving for the behavior and assessment team, providing process-related feedback in the moment to minimize errors that may impact the animal experience. 

• Facilitate decision-making for animal outcomes, including the review and approval of behavior related euthanasia.

• 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 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, 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 $750 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 $60,000 - $80,000 annually, depending on education, certification, and the depth and breadth of relevant experience. 

Required Qualifications

• Three years of animal welfare experience where key responsibilities included animal behavior (training, evaluations, and/or handling) and shelter operations. 

• Two years of supervisory or leadership experience. 

• Certification in animal training and behavior counseling.  One or more of the following certifications is strongly preferred: CPDT-KA, CPDT-KSA, KPA, CTC, VSA-CDT, CBCC-KA, CSB-D, CSB-C, CDBC, CCBC, CABC.   

Schedule

• Tuesday - Saturday with variable hours.

View complete job description here. 

Qualifications

Salary : $60,000 - $80,000