Director, Environment and Transport

***Application Deadline: 12/05/2025 5:00pm EST***

Job Description:

Director, Environment, Rescue & Transport

Watkins Glen, NY

Summary: The Director, Environment & Transport oversees sanctuary grounds, environmental caregiving, and all rescue and transport operations, ensuring practices and built environments fully support resident-centered care. Partnering closely with the Director of Wellness and other onsite leaders, this role co-leads the caregiving ecosystem across locations and strengthens coordination among Environment, Wellness, Rescue, and Site Operations. The Director leads infrastructure development, team and manager supervision, compliance, and training systems, while serving as a strategic partner in rescue planning, capacity assessment, and transport safety. This position also helps represent Farm Sanctuary's standards and practices within the broader sanctuary and animal protection movement.

Rescue & Placement is tentatively aligned under this department, with long-term structure to be evaluated as part of ongoing organizational design conversations.

Responsibilities:

• Co-develop and operationalize a comprehensive animal care philosophy in partnership with the Staff Veterinarian, Director Wellness, and other relevant departments (site operations, research, etc.), integrating diverse ways of knowing, aligning care with evolving sanctuary values and clear communication channels for onsite teams
• Collaborate with Animal Care leadership to co-develop and manage annual strategic plans and budgets aligned with organizational goals and grounded in resident-centered care philosophy.
• Develop and maintain internal infrastructure for the Environment Department, including SOPs, training materials, and care protocols that reflect Farm Sanctuary's caregiving philosophy. Ensure tools are accessible, regularly updated, and integrated into daily operations and staff onboarding and in legal compliance
• Collaborate with the Director of Wellness and other onsite leaders to align environmental projects with animal safety goals and ensure clear cross-team communication and coordination
• Ensure sanctuary grounds are maintained to high standards of safety, cleanliness, and resident-centered design
• Ensure the team is fully staffed, well-trained, and equipped to meet evolving organizational and resident needs
• Co-lead with Director of Site Operations and Director, Wellness, Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries accreditation and quality assurance processes, maintaining excellence in sanctuary standards, practices and documentation 
• Serve as a strategic partner to the Rescue & Placement team on rescue planning, capacity assessment, low-stress handling, and transportation logistics that prioritize staff and animal safety.
• Oversee the full transport and rescue lifecycle, including pre-rescue training (driver certification, handling protocols, DOT compliance, and equipment loading), on-the-ground execution of animal rescue and transport, and post-rescue debriefs and process improvements to ensure safety, efficiency, and animal well-being at every stage
• Strengthen partnerships and collaborations with other sanctuaries, adopters, and rescue partners by sharing tools, templates, and expertise in facility setup, safety, and transport preparedness.
• Support cross-departmental engagement and communications efforts involving animal residents, including donor experiences, media visits, and sanctuary events; provide training to ensure accurate, empathetic storytelling rooted in animal history and agency
• On call for after-hours animal emergencies, if necessary

Preferred Qualifications:

• Minimum of 6 years of experience in a shelter or sanctuary setting, or equivalent experience. Minimum 4 years managing multi-person and multi-site team with empahsizs on strategy and operations. 
• Deep understanding of animal environments and willingness to explore alternative procedures, as needed.
• Some weekend, evening, and holiday hours required
• Must be able to perform strenuous physical labor and lifting (up to 60 lbs occasionally; team-lift heavier amounts occasionally)
• Must be able to bend, lift, push, stoop, stretch, climb, and crawl and other strenuous  physical activities
• Team-first approach to leadership, collaboration, and motivation
• Valid driver's license with clean driving record required; experience with transport trailers, preferred
• Commitment to Farm Sanctuary's values of compassion, understanding, integrity, transformation, and freedom. 
• Commitment to the practice of equity and social justice, and the principles embedded in Farm Sanctuary's mission.

We embrace candidates from a range of backgrounds and experiences, regardless of whether they satisfy all the specified requirements. We encourage you to apply, even if you have an unconventional or non-traditional background

Job Specifications:

• Terms of employment: Regular, full-time position, exempt
• Salary: $95,000-$110,000
• Reports to: President
• Direct reports: Manager, Environment (WG), Sr. Manager, Environment (Acton), Specialist, Rescue and Placement
• Location: Watkins Glen, NY
• Travel: Travel required, both regionally and nationally.
• Benefits: Competitive benefits package, including 13 paid holidays; generous paid time off; health, dental, vision, and life insurance; 403(b) plan; flexible spending accounts; long-term disability insurance; free access to the CALM meditation app; and access to the Nivati wellness platform

Our Interview Proces

• Application Review
• People and Culture Interview
• Panel Virtual Interview (60 minutes) 
• Virtual Interview (60 minutes) - President

Farm Sanctuary is committed to a diverse and inclusive workplace. We are an equal opportunity employer and do not discriminate on the basis of race, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, protected veteran status, disability, or age.

The job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required for this position. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change or new ones may be assigned at any time with or without notice.

Any photos or videos taken in the scope of employment and/or related to Farm Sanctuary are considered work product and intellectual property of Farm Sanctuary.