Director of Volunteer Programs

Description

The Director of Volunteer Programs is a strategic leader responsible for the growth, development, and management of the volunteer program in alignment with PAWS Chicago mission, vision, values, and organization goals. This role requires a commitment to fostering a culture of continuous improvement, effective communication, and collaboration both internally and externally. The Director will work closely with all departments to integrate volunteer operations, optimize resource utilization, and develop innovative programs to enhance volunteer engagement. 

Responsibilities: 

Strategic Leadership: 

• Develop and implement strategic initiatives to enhance the volunteer program, aligned with organizational goals and priorities. 

• Collaborate with senior leadership to formalize volunteer roles, recruitment strategies, training programs, and retention efforts. 

• Identify opportunities to integrate volunteers across all departments and develop new programs to maximize their impact. 

• Have a strong understanding of program and animal operations across PAWS Chicago in order to guide strategic use of volunteer capacity and capability.  

Team Leadership: 

• Lead, train, and motivate a team responsible for overseeing the volunteer base, ensuring smooth day-to-day operations. 

• Act as the primary liaison between volunteers and executive leadership, facilitating communication and addressing feedback. 

• Provide regular feedback to staff and volunteers to drive continuous improvement and ensure adherence to protocols. 

• Build strong cross-functional relationships with colleagues across departments and participate in organizational events as needed. 

Volunteer Program Development: 

• Recommend and implement enhancements to volunteer programs, including recruitment plans, training initiatives, and operational procedures. 

• Develop and maintain comprehensive documentation, including job descriptions, SOPs, and training materials, to ensure consistency and effectiveness. 

• Set specific program goals and track performance metrics to evaluate success and identify areas for improvement. 

• Ability to see the big picture and effectively integrate the organization’s missions into volunteer recruitment and stewardship efforts.  

Community Engagement: 

• Represent the organization in partnerships with external entities to expand volunteer opportunities and community outreach. 

• Develop innovative programming with external partners to engage volunteers and promote the organization's mission. 

• Cultivate relationships with volunteers to enhance retention and facilitate communication through various channels. 

Values Alignment: 

• Uphold and promote the organization's values of respect, community, innovation, proactivity, transparency, education, sustainability, and compassion. 

• Demonstrate integrity, relationship-building, strategic thinking, passion for animals, self-motivation, and accountability in all aspects of the role. 

Qualifications

Requirements: 

• Bachelor’s degree. 

• 5-10 years of experience in business management, preferably in volunteer management or consumer-facing or retail environment. 

• Competency in marketing strategy.  

• Proven success in developing and implementing innovative programs or services. 

• Exceptional collaboration and leadership skills. 

• Strong verbal and auditory skills to communicate effectively with volunteers, staff, and other stakeholders 

• Ability to move around the office or event locations, including walking, standing, or sitting for extended periods 

• Capability to use computers, office equipment, and perform tasks such as typing, writing, and handling documents 

• Strong project management and organizational abilities. 

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and technological tools. 

• Capacity to work long hours, including evenings and weekends, especially during special events or peak volunteer times. 

• Travel to various locations, which might include driving or using public transportation 

• Occasionally lifting and carrying materials or equipment, usually up to 25 pounds 

• Adequate visual acuity for reading documents, computer screens, and assessing environments 

• Passion for animal welfare and commitment to the organization's No Kill model. 

Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: $70,000-105,000 (commensurate with experience and qualifications).

Benefits:
-    Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance, including ancillary options and an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) through Blue Cross Blue Shield
-    403(b) retirement plan with employer match
-    Paid time off, including vacation, sick days, and holidays

PAWS Chicago Values-in-Action 

• Respect: for each and every life. 

• Community: of people and organizations committed to helping homeless pets. 

• Innovation: to constantly improve best practices and seek out new ideas and strategies to save more lives. To be a Learning Center that evolves and grows. 

• Pro-activity: to solve difficult problems and to be prepared to offer emergency and crisis support. 

• Transparency: that informs the public about the fate of homeless animals. 

• Education: that raises awareness about the realities that homeless animals face in the community and across the nations, providing a forum for people to get involved in effecting change.  Promotes and support reasonable pet ownership. 

• Sustainability: through financial management practices that maximize the impact, reach of our resources, and ensure that PAWS Chicago will always be a resource for homeless animals. 

• Compassion: towards all people and animals. 

Director of Volunteer Programs Functional Values 

• Highest Integrity: strong adherence and consistent demonstration of PAWS Chicago’s Values. 

• Quality relationships-focused: identifying, cultivating, and engaging prospective and current employees and supporters; resulting in strong and lasting connections of financial and volunteer support 

• Strategic and detail-oriented: in planning and working with staff and constituents; keeping the larger perspective of the strategic plan within view, while attending to delivering the finer points of effective execution.  

• Genuine passion for animals:  inspiring, communicating the importance of No Kill to a variety of constituents. 

• Self-motivated and disciplined: ability to work independently and with and through others to accomplish goals and outcomes.  

• Results-oriented and accountable: personally capable of delivering the desired communications outcomes and self-monitors goal attainment. 

• Effective at managing talented teams: good at communicating with others and establishes clear directions, setting stretch objectives, distributing workload appropriately, laying it out in a well-panning and organized manner; brings out the best performance in the team. 

Salary : $70,000 - $105,000