Senior Director, Animal Behavior

Do you love to collaborate with other leaders and engage in creative troubleshooting? Are you as passionate about cultivating a healthy team culture as you are about helping at-risk animals? If so, the role of Senior Director of Animal Behavior at the ASPCA’s Cruelty Recovery Center (CRC) might be right for you  
 
At the CRC, located in Columbus, OH, a dedicated team of sheltering, veterinary and animal behavior staff work together to serve animals rescued in ASPCA national cruelty cases and disaster responses. Alongside the CRC’s Vice President, the Senior Director of Operations, and the Senior Director of Veterinary Services, the Senior Director of Animal Behavior provide s ongoing supervision and support for a unified integrated care team, fostering a collaborative team culture, prioritizing animals’ physical and psychological needs equally, continually honing procedures and processes to ensure efficient operations, guiding decisions about animal treatment and outcomes, and collaborating with other ASPCA team leaders. The Senior Director of Animal Behavior supervises a team of 14 behavior experts: 3 Senior Managers of Animal Behavior (direct reports) and 11 Behavior Specialists (indirect reports ).  
 
The ideal candidate has a comprehensive understanding of shelter animal behavior, excellent hands-on handling and behavior modification skills, strong people management and team leadership skills, and superior interpersonal skills.  
 
Strong candidates located outside of Columbus who will relocate to Columbus within 12 months of hire will be considered. This position is eligible for relocation assistance.  

Oversee the behavioral health and welfare of animals housed at the CRC, in emergency temporary shelters , and in foster care  

~ Ensure that Behavior Branch members collaborate with each other and all other CRC team members effectively, using teamwork and behavior expertise to support all CRC functions ( supporting daily care and enrichment, contributing to daily rounds discussions, producing materials for animal placement, facilitating direct adoptions, working with volunteers, partnering with veterinarians to monitor animals on behavior meds, etc.) 

~ Work with staff and maintain efficient systems to ensure the collection of behavior information from multiple sources and its use to inform decision-making  

~ Oversee the development and implementation of behavior modification plans, providing guidance for Senior Managers and Specialists as needed  

~ Ensure the maintenance of behavioral records in appropriate databases  

~ Lead Senior Managers in providing hands-on coaching for Behavior Branch staff to grow skills and ensure consistent, effective treatment  

~ Produce administrative reports and communicate progress and animal status updates  

~ Participate in planning for upcoming criminal cases and disaster responses  

~ Guide Senior Managers in developing and implementing plans for temporary shelter behavior support/leadership  

~ Be part of the ASPCA’s commitment to “paying it forward”: p artner with other ASPCA teams to deliver learning experiences for other animal welfare organizations and students at the CRC and elsewhere ; participate in applied research projects; Collaborate with other Senior Directors and the VP to make decisions that affect the whole team; proactively seek opportunities for team/program growth and serve as a champion for change management  

~ P artner with other CRC leaders to facilitate and participate in pathway planning aligned with an integrated care model, ensuring appropriate, timely treatment and outcome decisions that take animals’ physical and psychological needs, as well as current available resources, into account  

~ Welcome and answer staff and volunteer questions about shelter animal behavior care and decisions; Provide ongoing training in shelter animal behavior basics, low-stress handling and defensive handling for all staff; Be a regular presence “on the floor” to lend a hand, troubleshoot challenges, cultivate strong relationships, and maintain a comprehensive understanding of CRC operations  

~ Along with other CRC lead s , regularly review and update SOPs, leveraging input from staff to make program improvements; Successfully lead the CRC team through the adversity common in animal welfare (coping with humane euthanasia decisions, physically and psychologically demanding work, etc.) 

~ Ensure that CRC staff understand and support their team’s role in achieving cross-team and ASPCA goals; help staff feel connected to the larger, org-wide ASPCA team and to the animal welfare field  

~ Ensure that staff serve as excellent CRC representatives and friendly, collaborative partners for other ASPCA teams  

~ People Management (30%) 
~ Supervise and manage three direct reports; Ensure that direct reports use sound management practices and ASPCA developmental tools; p rovide coaching to guide them through people management challenges  

~ Work closely with direct reports to clearly articulate performance and workplace behavior expectations for staff; ensure that staff are held accountable for meeting expectations and are supported in doing so through timely, productive feedback  

~ Ensure that direct reports and staff show respect and consideration for all areas of expertise, especially when priorities and perspectives don’t align  

~ Partner with the ASPCA’s Talent Acquisition team to hire and onboard well-qualified, dedicated new CRC staff members to fill open positions  

~ Has Commitment and dedication to improving the lives of animals  

~ Focuses on Impact , specifically making change for animals  

 
Advanced animal behavior and animal welfare knowledge, including a strong foundation in learning theory and ethology  

~ Comprehensive understanding of shelter animal behavior and its integration into all aspects of shelter operations  

~ Highly effective people- and team-management abilities; can artfully flex management style to best support diverse individuals  

~ Proven history of building and maintaining positive and productive relationships with others, including peers, direct reports, and leaders/supervisors  

~ Highly competent coach: able to introduce and help staff implement new procedures and protocols effectively; Excellent low-stress animal handing and restraint skills; skill in low-stress restraint for medical exams and procedures is a plus  

~ Excellent hands-on behavior modification and training skills  

~ able to work closely with and make frequent treatment/outcome decisions about animals who are medically and/or behaviorally compromised  

~ able to clearly and compassionately answer staff and volunteer questions regarding euthanasia decisions  

~ able to quickly and calmly adjust focus and shift priorities based on animal, team, and organizational needs  

~ Driven and eager to take ownership of critical tasks and projects in a fast-paced, dynamic work environment; Excellent time-management skills with the ability to manage multiple projects and shift priorities easily  

~ Displays care and concern for the safety and well-being of self, animals, and others, especially in stressful situations  

~ Able to lift and carry up to 50 pounds and work standing for 8 or more hours and bend, crouch, kneel and move freely to perform responsibilities that include handling potentially aggressive animals in stressful conditions  

~ job responsibilities may entail exposure to chemical and biological hazards, such as feces and blood, exposure to sharp objects, working in noisy environments and working in areas with uneven, wet and slippery surfaces  

~ Fluent in Internet usage and in the use of MS Word, Excel and PowerPoint; experience using Salesforce or a comparable database is a plus  

~ Able and willing to work flexible hours; able to occasionally work long days and weekends if required  

~ Ability and willingness to travel up to 25% of the time  

~ Education and Work Experience:  
~ BS or BA in animal behavior or a related subject strongly preferred  

~ Minimum of 5 years of experience managing a team, preferably in the animal welfare field, required; minimum of 1 year of experience managing a shelter behavior team required  

~ Minimum of 5 years of experience working as a professional animal behavior expert required  

~ Experience working in an animal shelter required  

~ Experience working with animal victims of cruelty and neglect preferred  

~ Experience in building and maintaining shelter behavior programs strongly preferred  

~ Mastery of the field of applied animal behavior and behavior change principles gained through professional experience OR an advanced degree with specialized education in animal behavior field (animal behavior/cognition, experimental psychology, zoology, animal science, etc.) Animal Behavior Society CAAB/ACAAB or IAABC certification preferred  

~ Starting pay for the successful applicant will depend on a variety of factors, including but not limited to education, training, experience, location, business needs, internal equity, market demands or budgeted amount for the role. The target hiring range is for new hire offers only, and staff compensation may increase beyond the maximum hiring range based on performance over time. Join our Talent Community:  
If you are interested in joining our team but do not see a position listed that fits your experience or interests, please click this link and join   our   Talent Community   to stay connected to future opportunities with the ASPCA.  

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All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, gender, gender identity or expression, age, marital or domestic partner status, citizenship status, sexual orientation, disability, genetic information, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state or local laws, regulations or ordinances.

Applicants with disabilities may be entitled to a reasonable accommodation under the terms of the Americans with Disabilities Act and certain state or local laws. A reasonable accommodation is a change in the ASPCA’s standard application process, which will ensure an equal employment opportunity without imposing undue hardship on the ASPCA. Please inform the ASPCA’s People Team if you need an accommodation in order to complete any forms or to otherwise participate in the application process.

Individuals seeking employment are considered without regards to race, color, creed, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, gender, gender identity or expression, age, marital or domestic partner status, citizenship status, sexual orientation, disability, genetic information, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state or local laws, regulations or ordinances.

The ASPCA was founded in 1866 on the belief that animals are entitled to kind and respectful treatment by humans and must be protected under the law. As a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation with more than two million supporters nationwide, the ASPCA is committed to preventing cruelty to dogs, cats, equines, and farm animals throughout the United States.
The ASPCA is headquartered in New York City, where we maintain a full-service animal hospital, spay/neuter clinic, mobile spay/neuter and primary pet care clinics, a rehabilitation center for canine victims of cruelty, kitten nursery, adoption center, and two community veterinary centers.
We assist animals in need through on-the-ground disaster and cruelty interventions, behavioral rehabilitation, animal placement, legal and legislative advocacy, and the advancement of the sheltering and veterinary community through research, training, and resources.
Our staff represent a vast array of backgrounds and diversity dimensions, bringing with them valuable experiences and perspectives. They join the ASPCA to learn, grow, and continually do their best work on behalf of animals. We are inspired by our staff, partners, and the communities we support across the country who work to improve animal lives. We are committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion at the ASPCA because it elevates our organizational culture, aligns with our Core Values, and enables us to move further and faster toward the ASPCA’s vision – that all animals live good lives; valued by society, protected by its laws, and free from cruelty, pain and suffering.
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