Adoption Center & Shelter Director

The Adoption Center & Shelter Director is responsible for leading a group of like-minded individuals in providing the highest level of care to all Nassau Humane Society’s animals and offering exceptional customer care and support to our community to find a loving home for our homeless pets. This position oversees the Shelter Manager, Animal Care Manager, Enrichment & Training Manager, Lead Veterinary Technician, as well as the Animal Control Officers. Responsibilities include setting short and long-term goals for the Adoption Center and Shelter, ensuring compliance with operational policies and procedures, and overseeing staff training. In addition to these responsibilities, the Adoption Center & Shelter Director plays a pivotal role in fostering a positive and compassionate atmosphere for all stakeholders, including guests, staff, volunteers, the board and animals. Upholding exemplary customer service standards is essential in promoting a welcoming environment and ensuring the well‑being of both animals and humans alike. This role reports to the Executive Director. Position Responsibilities Manage all day-to-day operations and staff related to animal care, intake of new animals, animal control services, adoptions, maintenance of building and grounds, and the dog park. Work with the Executive Director to coordinate animal medical care for all shelter animals. Budgetary control and responsibility for the Adoption Center & Shelter. Provide structure and direction for all day-to-day animal care procedures and operations at the shelter to ensure the highest level of care setting the example and providing guidance in handling difficult/complex situations and resolving escalated complaints or disputes. Work collaboratively with animal care staff and other shelter personnel to achieve a safe, healthy, and sanitary environment for staff and animals, enforcing all policies and protocols to protect the health and well‑being of animals, including supervising the cleaning program for prevention of infectious/zoonotic diseases. Help to establish and maintain systems of efficiency for animal care and administration by maintaining accurate animal records, stats, and figures. This includes maintaining proficiency in Pet Point and monitoring the inventory of animals and sharing a daily kennel/cattery count to help speed up the duration of intake to adoption. Work with the team to lead in the planning, development, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of all behavior and enrichment programs, including but not limited to; daily dog and cat enrichment, training and play groups, and “out of kennel” enrichment for dogs. Create, deliver and maintain up-to-date Adoption Center & Shelter policies and procedures and training. Support the Executive Director in building and maintaining relationships with community officials. Supervise the maintenance of the building with a focus on prevention of building problems, the safety of both people and pets, and a clean and efficient environment that meets the established standards of the inside building and the outside grounds. Provide friendly professional service to the public and to co-workers in a responsive, positive, and courteous manner. Provide excellent leadership in a manner that encourages respectful relationships. Maintain and comply with a high standard of safety and be willing and able to comply with all safety laws and all the employer’s safety policies and rules. In addition, you must report safety violations and potential safety violations to the Executive Director. Work with the Shelter Manger, with some direction from the Executive Director, on the intake of animals from other partner animal care shelters and facilities. Ensure that the shelter is Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) compliant and reports to each agency as directed. Develop and maintain a collaborative, trusting professional relationship with the veterinarian of record (DVM), serving as the primary point of contact for medical recommendations, treatment plans and clinical decision‑making. Develop and implement long‑range programs around adoption and outreach events; Adoption Center and Shelter volunteer programs and training; and education programs for responsible pet ownership. Conduct bi‑weekly one‑to‑one meetings with direct reports including annual performance reviews or disciplinary actions. Review timecards and approve PTO requests for direct reports and oversee all other staff timecards and scheduling. Any other duties as may be assigned by the Executive Director. Core Skills Leadership and managerial skills. Excellent time management, multi‑tasking, and problem‑solving skills. Motivated self‑starter with great attitude, flexibility, and entrepreneurial spirit. Ability to excel in an unstructured environment and both initiate and execute the creation of protocols, processes, procedures. Strong interpersonal and communication skills and ability to interact positively with a wide variety of personalities. Ability to balance working independently with seeking thought partnership and guidance. Ability to supervise and train employees in performing varied tasks. Ability to work under pressure to prioritize and manage workload and manage simultaneous tasks within a fast‑paced and changing environment. Experience 5+ years of experience in animal shelter operations or rescue organizations preferred. 3+ years in a leadership/management role, overseeing teams, budgets, and daily operations. Experience developing and implementing programs, procedures, and policies. Knowledge of animal care, behavior, enrichment, and disease prevention in a shelter setting is preferred. Familiarity with grant writing, and community outreach. Strong background in volunteer coordination. Handling emergency situations, like animal cruelty cases, and disaster preparedness preferred. Salary circa $70k dependent on experience. #J-18808-Ljbffr Nassau Humane Society