Senior Manager, Care and Enrichment

Summary:

Are you an adaptable and skilled people manager who is passionate about optimizing the welfare of shelter animals? Do you thrive in a dynamic and complex environment, where colleagues work together to continually advance our field? Do you love to collaborate with colleagues in other areas of expertise, coming together to help animals in need? If so, the role of Senior Manager, Care and Enrichment at the ASPCA’s new Recovery & Rehabilitation Center (R&R Center) in Pawling, New York might be the perfect role for you  

The Senior Manager is an integral member of the operations leadership team and facilitates deep engagement in the mission of the ASPCA by overseeing daily operations and providing supervision, coaching, and developmental support for all Care and Enrichment Technicians at the R&R Center. The ideal candidate for this this role values collaboration across teams and continually strives to create and maintain a positive work culture in which animals benefit from the harmonious exchange of information and ideas across shelter operations, shelter medicine, and animal behavior. 

The Care and Enrichment team is responsible for providing for the daily needs of the animals housed at the R&R Center and for ensuring smooth and efficient animal care operations. The team works together, using low-stress handling and husbandry techniques, to ensure all animals have appropriate safe, clean, comfortable housing, including transport housing, and access to enriching experiences. Care and Enrichment closely monitors the population for signs of medical and behavioral change, communicating across teams on the status of each animal in a timely manner.  

Recovery & Rehabilitation Center Overview & Upcoming Launch 

The R&R Center, currently under construction in Pawling, NY, will be a unique program dedicated to providing integrated sheltering, behavioral, and medical care for canine victims of cruelty rescued through the ASPCA’s partnership with the NYPD. The R&R Center team will work closely with ASPCA teams in New York City, including the Animal Recovery Center (ARC), the Animal Hospital (AAH), the Canine Annex for Recovery and Enrichment (CARE), and the Adoption Center.  

The target start date for this position will be January 13, 2025. The role will begin remotely and report to the R&R Center in Pawling, NY around May 2025. 

Responsibilities:

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to: 

Shelter Operations (50%)  

• Collaborate with medical and behavioral leadership to continually evaluate the shelter population, ensuring animal welfare objectives are met 

• Oversee the Care and Enrichment team’s monitoring systems to help maintain the medical and behavioral health of shelter animals 

• Ensure proper daily care and adherence to nutrition, sanitation, infectious disease-prevention, and behavioral protocols established by the ASPCA’s Shelter Medicine Services Team and Behavioral Sciences Team (BST) 

• Oversee the implementation of a robust enrichment program; collaborate and receive guidance from behavior and medical leadership to develop the program and measure efficacy; ensure smooth integration into daily care flow and lead ongoing program maintenance   

• Provide a safe and compassionate environment for animals in our care, our staff, and volunteers by using low-stress handling techniques 

• Ensure that all team members have received training and mastered the skills to handle in a low stress manner, and that they implement these handling techniques consistently in all their interactions with animals. 

• Lead the ongoing development and refinement of daily care and enrichment SOPs, collaborating across areas to orchestrate a yearly review and ensuring a cohesive Center-wide SOP package  

• Collaborate continuously with behavior and medical teams, communicating clearly within and between teams to ensure consistent, efficient care  

• Work with Senior Managers to determine appropriate roles and expectations for volunteers 

• Provide guidance and supervision to volunteers as needed, while communicating respect and gratitude for volunteer support 

• Lead collection of sheltering information necessary to support animal placements in foster and adoptive homes 

• Work across teams to choreograph animal movement into, through, and out of the shelter in a seamless and low-stress manner  

• Provide information about budgetary needs as part of yearly planning process 

• Work with the Manager, Administration to meticulously track expenses and order approved supplies, ensuring shelter needs are consistently met 

• Collaborate with other ASPCA departments, prioritizing alignment in operations practices  

People Management (25%) 

• Manage and supervise three Managers, Care and Enrichment; provide management coaching, ensuring aligned support and expectation setting 

• Oversee the work of the entire Care and Enrichment team 

• Maintain a fully staffed team, hiring and onboarding new Managers and Care and Enrichment Technicians as necessary 

• Serve as facilitator and mediator for Care and Enrichment Team conflict-resolution discussions 

• Ensure that all team members have received training and mastered the skills to handle in a low stress manner, and that they implement these handling techniques consistently in all their interactions with animals 

• Develop and implement annual professional development plans for each direct report, leveraging tools provided by the ASPCA 

• Provide continual support, coaching, and feedback to all direct reports, conducting regularly scheduled one-on-one meetings to provide excellent managerial support 

• Conduct bi-annual skip-level meetings with CETs 

• Address and report performance concerns appropriately 

• Conduct regular trainings and refresher courses for team members  

• Guide and motivate staff to ensure an appropriate work-life balance  

Program Development and Maintenance (25%) 

• In collaboration with Behavior and Medical teams, research and develop best practices in sheltering, enrichment and animal care/handling 

• Continually solicit feedback on care and enrichment from colleagues across areas and direct reports to foster an environment of continuous improvement, submitting ideas to the Senior Director, Operations for consideration  

• Serve as a critical voice on the R&R Center leadership team, collaborating closely with other leads to strategize about team growth, hone communication, foster ongoing healthy team culture, and keep operations running smoothly 

• Contribute to yearly strategic planning, under the direction of the Senior Director, Operations 

• Work across areas to provide consistent messaging for R&R Center team members; field questions about outcome decisions, organization wide policies and procedures, and leadership team decisions 

• Attend workshops for animal welfare professionals to expand the sheltering, rehabilitation and recovery work of the ASPCA; share learning with the entire Care and Enrichment team upon return 

• Collaborate with the Learning Lab and serve as a Subject Matter Expert for the development of new modules, offer consultation for partners and participate in future Learning Lab Retreats 
   

Exemplifies the ASPCA’s Core Values: 

• Has Commitment and dedication to improving the lives of animals 

• Demonstrates Ownership and feels responsible for outcomes 

• Believes in Team – that we are stronger together 

• Seeks to Elevate others and reimagine what is possible 

• Focuses on Impact, specifically making change for animals 

Education and Work Experience: 

• High School Diploma or GED required, B.S. or B.A. preferred 

• Minimum of 2 years of management experience; 3 or more strongly preferred 

• Minimum of 3 years of experience working in an animal shelter performing direct care work 

• Fear Free® Shelter Program certification required or completed within 60 days of hire 

• Low Stress Handling® University Silver-Level certification is required within six months of hire 

Qualifications: 

• Valid driver’s license and ability to pass a motor vehicle history check demonstrating a safe driving history 

• Able to travel at least once per quarter to transport animals, liaise with placement partner organizations or deploy to provide support in the field or temporary shelter environment 

• Able to tolerate seeing animals suffering from extreme fear, anxiety, and/or arousal on a daily basis  

• Must feel comfortable participating in humane euthanasia decisions and procedures, as needed  

• Available to regularly work 4 or 5 days per week, including weekends, and available to work a flexible schedule when needed including days, evenings, weekends, and holidays 

• Ability and willingness to travel up to 10% of the time 

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

• Strong coaching abilities 

• Good team player; a “people person” who enjoys and excels at collaboration 

• Superior problem-solving abilities; likes to find solutions when facing challenges 

• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment 

• Flexible; can easily adapt to changes to plans/protocols and help others do the same 

• Able to lift and carry up to 50 pounds 

• Able to work standing for 8 or more hours and bend, crouch, kneel and move freely to perform responsibilities that include handling potentially dangerous animals in stressful conditions 

• Able to work in physically challenging conditions and able to wear appropriate protective gear, including a protective mask; 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 the use of MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint; familiarity with shelter software systems or Salesforce a plus 

Compensation and Benefits: 

The applicable target hiring range for this remote role is based on where the employee works, which for remote roles is the employee’s primary location of residence, and its respective cost of labor. We have organized the U.S. varying costs of labor index into three geographic zones. As a point of reference, below, we have included our ASPCA locations by geographic zone to illustrate what the hiring range would be in each of the following areas.  

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. The maximum of the hiring range is reserved for candidates with the highest qualifications and relevant experience. The expected hiring salary ranges for this role are set forth below and may be modified in the future.   

• Zone 1 (For example, Asheville, NC; Champaign, IL; Columbus, OH; Gainesville, FL; Miami, FL; Oklahoma City, OK; Overland, KS; Union, MO; Weaverville, NC): $73,000-$77,000 

• Zone 2 (For example, Los Angeles, CA): $80,000-$85,000 

• Zone 3 (For example, New York, NY): $88,000-$93,000 

For remote positions, you can view which zone applies to you based on your location. For questions regarding other locations not found on the list, please send an email to Careers@aspca.org for more information.     

For more information on our benefits offerings, visit our website. 

Stay Connected – 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 join our Talent Community to stay connected to future opportunities with the ASPCA. 

Qualifications:

Language:

Education and Work Experience:

Our EEO Policy:

The ASPCA is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer.  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.

ASPCA is an Equal Opportunity Employer (M/F/D/V).

About Us:
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.

The ASPCA also operates programs and services that extend nationwide. 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.

At the ASPCA, we are committed to fostering a collaborative and compassionate culture and we welcome all voices to contribute to our lifesaving mission. 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.

Applicants that are residents of Colorado: Per CO Senate Bill 23-058, we cannot generally request or require any age-related information (i.e., age, DOB, attendance or graduation dates from an educational institution) on an initial employment application; this includes any age-related inquiries in the initial interview. We are permitted to require/request additional application materials; if those materials contain any age-related information, an applicant may redact the information before submitting an initial employment application.