Animal Shelter Operations Directo

Company: Utah State Extension
Location: Phoenix
Posted on: June 3, 2025

Job Description:

Career Opportunity
Animal Shelter Operations Director
(Salary/Exempt)
AAWL ANIMAL SHELTER OPERATIONS DIRECTOR CAREER OPPORTUNITY

Do you have experience overseeing operations at animal shelters and implementing change
management strategies to achieve organizational goals?
Are you open to engaging in regular dialogue with your colleagues to review progress and course
correct?
Do you thrive utilizing data to make decisions that improve the health and wellbeing of animals and the
people caring for them?
If so, the role of Director of Operations at AAWL might be right for you!AAWL - WHO WE ARE
With an annual budget of approximately $7.2 million, AAWL is a private, nonprofit animal shelter (w/o any
government contracts) devoted to providing excellent care, protection, and loving compassion for the life
of the animals entrusted to us and to promoting humane values that benefit animals and people. To
achieve our mission, we manage adoptions, behavior, community engagement, intake, foster, medical and
volunteer programs. We have 67 full-time staff and 18 part-time employees.
In 2022, AAWL's Board of Directors made a strategic pivot to invest in developing new shelter diversion
programs that preserve the human-animal bond. Driven by the belief that animals are better off with their
humans in permanent, loving homes rather than in shelters, the Board approved a new strategic plan that
spells out strategies to expand programs focused on ensuring pets receive access to affordable, veterinary
and behavior care. As part of this 2023- 2028 plan, we created new post-adoption behavior support
programs for adopters, implemented a culturally-competent Access to Vet Care Curriculum that leverages
the expertise of Spanish-speaking "promotoras" to address the diverse needs of Latinx pet owners, and
collaborated with human-services focused groups like AZ Pet Project to embed a veterinary case worker onsite to help connect pet owners in crisis with veterinary resources. To read more about our strategic plan,
visit: https://aawl.org/blog/aawl-our-rebrand-story.
A key focus across all our strategic pillars is our investment in people. This includes staff, volunteers,
fosters and pet owners. We conducted two salary surveys over the past four years to ensure we are
providing employees with a competitive compensation package. We also continuously invest in developing
our Managers, Directors and Leads by providing them with formal training through Skill Path and
Management Training Center on how to nurture relationships, give/receive feedback, and incorporate an
equity lens when managing projects. Finally, we expanded our customer service training to define and
explain the impact and harm of "implicit bias" and ensure everyone who visits AAWL receives welcoming
and non-judgmental customer service no matter whom they interact with.
The success of our community-based programs is tied directly to the success of our shelter operations. One
can't thrive and operate efficiently without the other. While other members of our Senior Management Team lead these community focused programs, the Director of Operations will be directly responsible for ensuring the success of our
shelter-focused operations, which include large teams with highly-specialized expertise in multiple areas
outlined below.
PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES
The Director of Operations is an integral part of AAWL's Management Team, reporting directly to the
President and CEO. The Director of Operations primary focus is to ensure the health and welfare of animals
under our care, including: 1) managing animal intake and population flow to align our capacity for care with
our physical space and staffing; 2) overseeing the progress of our behavior team to ensure we are providing
the highest quality of care to serve as many animals as possible; 3) collaborating with medical leadership to
ensure foster/intake medical practices align with shelter policies; and 4) assessing how well teams are
adhering to SOPs and identifying areas for improvement.
The Director of Operations will play a key role in overseeing and implementing a series of veterinarian-led
recommendations to create more efficient, workable shelter practices, including centralizing intake,
consolidating foster, revamping behavior assessments, expanding enrichment, and transitioning from paper
to electronic medical records. Like many shelters nationwide, AAWL is struggling with longer length of
stays, particularly when it comes to larger dogs and medical cats. By implementing these
recommendations over the next few years, we're hoping to reduce our length of stay and increase the
number of animals placed in homes from 3500 to 4,000 annually.
Finally, in terms of leadership qualities, the Director of Operations is expected to have the strong ability to
maintain positive relationships and composure, even under difficult circumstances, and work
collaboratively with senior-team members to ensure the shelter is operating efficiently and effectively.
AAWL is planning to expand its facilities in 2028 and the Director of Operations will work alongside the
President/CEO to ensure projects are completed in a timely, safe manner.SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES
Oversee the day-to-day operations for the following six departments: Animal Care (17-person team,
including four leads), Canine Intake Department (three-person team), Canine Behavior (four-person
team), Feline Intake/Behavior (four-person team, including one lead), a Foster (four-person team),
and Facilities (three-person team). The Operations Director will have six direct reports. They are:
Animal Care Manager, Foster Manager, Canine Behavior Manager, Feline Intake/Behavior Manager,
Canine Intake Manager and Facilities Manager.
Manage, support, and provide coaching feedback to team members, investing in their development
and learning to grow skills and embrace best practices.
Oversee the implementation of annual, animal-related operational strategies in AAWL's strategic plan, working with the
President/CEO to identify opportunities for cross-training and consolidation of duties or the
complete redesign of programs if warranted.
Develop and monitor quantitative and qualitative measures of success (utilizing PetPoint) and
articulate and message those strategies and goals to internal stakeholders.
Design programs and services that utilize current animal shelter research and best practices,
including overseeing the implementation of a Capacity For Care (C4C) protocol, overseeing behavior
teams and consolidating intake.
Overseeing the development of SOPs, including documenting procedures, developing procedures,
identifying training needs, and monitoring employee understanding and compliance with SOPs
through post-training assessments and regular feedback loops.
Work collaboratively with the Director of Customer Service and the Data Management Teams to
ensure team members are fully trained and supported as part of the process of moving from paper
records to effective utilization of PetPoint.
Collaborate with Medical leadership in decisions related to the treatment or euthanasia of
behaviorally compromised animals.
Work with the Volunteer & Events Manager to engage volunteers at the shelter in appropriate ways
that further the mission of AAWL.
Regularly utilize data from PetPoint. Lead cross-departmental Flow/Operations Meetings with aim
to ensure efficient pathway planning and animal flow.WORKING CONDITIONS:
Requires periodic sitting at a computer station with prolonged standing and walking. Use of personal
computer, phone and general office equipment. Must be comfortable handling dogs and cats daily on a
continuous basis. Will be exposed to disinfectant solutions and subject to bites and scratches while
handling animals of questionable temperament. Requires normal range of hearing and eyesight to
communicate with animals, the public, volunteers, and staff. Also requires flexibility to readily adapt to a
fast-paced changing environment and the ability to work weekends and holidays.HOW TO APPLY:
Please submit a cover letter, resume, three professional references, including their email, phone and
relationship, to: AAWL, Director of Operations Director Search, c/o President/CEO, Alessandra Navidad.Please reference "Director of Operations" in your email subject line. No phone calls
or walk-ins. All inquiries and discussions will be considered strictly confidential. AAWL is an equal
opportunity employer. We value a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture. AAWL encourages
applications from all qualified individuals without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation,
gender identity or expression, age, national origin, marital status, citizenship, or disability.REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE
Minimum five years of experience in animal welfare, including three years of experiencing managing
teams and budgets.
Demonstrated commitment to diversity using a personal approach that values all individuals and
respects differences in race, ethnicity, age, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, religion,
ability and socio-economic circumstance.
Demonstrated ability to work in an intensely collaborative, team-oriented environment.
Able to lead and motivate groups and individuals. Able to think creatively and strategically to
successfully mediate and negotiate with individuals and groups internally and externally.
Able to effectively manage large staff, multiple projects with deadlines, and budget constraints.
Proven organizational skills and effective written and verbal communication.
Must be able to serve as a leader to staff in the areas of high morale, excellent, inclusive customer
service, and quality program delivery that addresses shelter and community needs.
Proficient in Microsoft Office applications; familiarity with Pet Point shelter software is a plus
Employment contingent upon a background check. As a matter of policy, AAWL conducts background
checks for all Director-level positions and for those staff members handling cash and controlled
substances.
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Keywords: Utah State Extension, Phoenix , Animal Shelter Operations Directo, Other , Phoenix, Arizona