Director of Animal Services

Job Description

Job Description

Description:

The Louisiana SPCA is seeking its next Director of Animal Services to lead a critical, high-impact division at a pivotal moment of growth and stabilization. This is a role for a leader who is as comfortable developing people as they are managing operations, someone who can bring clarity, steadiness, and connection in complex, emotionally demanding work.

The Director of Animal Services will oversee a multi-site, multi-function operation that includes animal care, field services, intake, adoptions, and community-facing programs.

While the scope is operational, success in this role is deeply human.

This leader will be responsible for bringing teams together, supporting managers, and helping the broader organization operate as a cohesive whole in service of a shared mission: creating a more humane community for people and pets.

For more than 130 years, the Louisiana SPCA has played a central role in advancing the well-being of companion animals across the Greater New Orleans region. As an open-admission shelter with a broad mandate, the organization operates at the intersection of animal welfare, public service, and community engagement, impacting more than 73,000 animals each year. With an annual operating budget of approximately $14 million, the Louisiana SPCA delivers a wide range of services that extend well beyond traditional sheltering, including field services, humane law enforcement, and community-based programs designed to keep people and pets together whenever possible.

The Director of Animal Services is responsible for overseeing a significant portion of this work, including an operational budget of approximately $5 million.

The Louisiana SPCA’s mission—to promote, protect, and advance the well-being of Louisiana’s companion animals—guides this work, alongside core values grounded in responsibility, compassion, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

Prepared by A People-Centered Leader

You lead through relationships and know how to build trust, develop others, and create a culture where people feel both supported and accountable. You understand that in environments like animal welfare, how people are led directly impacts outcomes for both staff and animals.

An Integrator Across Teams and Functions

You naturally connect dots. You are able to bring together multiple departments with competing priorities and help them operate as one system. You don’t default to silos or favoritism. Instead, you ensure that each part of the operation is valued and aligned.

A Developer of Managers

You take pride in growing leaders. You coach, guide, and challenge your managers so they can lead effectively in their own right. You are not the center of decision-making. You build capacity around you.

Grounded, Steady, and Resilient

You remain composed in fast-moving, emotionally charged environments. You can move from one challenge to the next without carrying the weight of the last moment into the next one. You bring consistency and calm, even when the work is difficult.

Accountable and Fair

You set clear expectations and follow through. You hold people accountable in a way that is direct, respectful, and consistent. You avoid both extremes—overly harsh or overly permissive—and instead create a culture where people take ownership of their work.

Curious and Open to Learning

You don’t need to know everything on day one. You ask questions, listen carefully, and learn quickly. You are open to new systems and approaches, including the organization’s use of EOS, and you engage with them thoughtfully over time.

SPCA’s Animal Services division.

Responsibilities include:

Leading and supporting a team of managers across animal care, field services, intake, adoptions, and related functions.

Ensuring alignment and coordination across departments to improve outcomes and support, smooth collaboration.

Translating organizational priorities into clear, actionable plans

Supporting and strengthening community engagement and partnerships

Overseeing shelter operations across multiple locations

Contributing to disaster preparedness and emergency response efforts

Managing budgets, resources, and operational performance

This role operates within the organization’s EOS framework.

While prior experience with EOS is not required, the Director will be expected to engage with its tools and approach over time, using them to support clarity, accountability, and team alignment.

The work of the Animal Services team, in particular, is fast-paced and reactive by nature. Success in this environment requires adaptability, emotional resilience, and a strong commitment to teamwork.

Leaders who thrive here are those who can balance urgency with thoughtfulness, and accountability with compassion.

This role is also deeply connected to the New Orleans community—one that is vibrant, complex, and proudly unique. The Louisiana SPCA serves people from all walks of life, and the most effective leaders are those who approach the community with openness, respect, and a genuine desire to meet people where they are. An appreciation for the city’s distinct culture and rhythm is essential.

The organization continues to evolve in its approach to animal services, incorporating modern, community-centered practices that focus not only on sheltering animals, but on keeping people and pets together whenever possible. This requires curiosity, flexibility, and a willingness to think beyond traditional models in service of better outcomes.

The Vibe

Senior leadership experience managing teams in complex, people-centered environments

Demonstrated ability to lead through others and develop managers

Experience navigating multi-function operations or similarly complex systems

Strong operational and organizational management acumen

Comfort working in a structured, accountability-driven environment

A deep commitment to animal welfare and community impact

Direct experience in animal welfare, animal services, sheltering, or a closely related field

The work of Animal Services at the Louisiana SPCA is complex and demanding. This role requires both strong leadership capability and meaningful experience within animal welfare or a closely related field.

Additional Considerations

Willingness to become trained in key operational aspects of the role as part of leading and supporting the team

A sense of humor—this is serious work, but not a humorless place

This is an opportunity to lead meaningful, visible work in a community that cares deeply about animals and the people who love them, and expects grounded, thoughtful leadership in return.

The Director of Animal Services will play a critical role in strengthening operations, supporting staff, and shaping the future of animal services in the region.

Why This Role

If you are a leader who thrives in complexity, values people as much as performance, and is motivated by purpose, we would welcome your interest.

New Orleans: A City Shaped by Culture and Community

New Orleans is a city unlike any other, rich in culture, deeply rooted in community, and shaped by a spirit of celebration and connection. For leaders drawn to purpose-driven work and meaningful relationships, it offers both professional fulfillment and a vibrant way of life. The city is known worldwide for its music, food, and traditions, but it is also defined by its deep sense of community. Neighborhoods are distinct and deeply personal, each with its own rhythm, history, and character. From historic homes and oak-lined streets to lively corridors, there is a strong sense of place and belonging. The city offers a wide range of neighborhoods, from those near the urban core to quieter residential areas, allowing flexibility based on lifestyle and preference.

Cultural life is woven into everyday living. Festivals, live music, and local gatherings are part of the social fabric, not occasional events. Whether at a neighborhood parade, a jazz performance, or a casual evening with friends, the city invites participation in ways that feel both accessible and authentic.

The nonprofit and civic sectors are deeply interconnected, with leaders often working across organizations to address complex community needs. There is a shared understanding that the work matters, and a willingness to collaborate in service of it.

The natural environment is central to life here. Waterways, parks, and proximity to the Gulf offer opportunities for recreation and reflection while shaping the city’s identity.

Living in New Orleans means being part of a community that shows up for one another, where life has a rhythm all its own and even hard work is often accompanied by music, movement, and connection.

Education and/or Experience:

• Must have a valid driver’s license and a drivers record acceptable to the company’s auto insurance requirements.
• Must be able to pass a criminal background check and pre-employment substance screening.
• Highly proficient in Microsoft Office Suite, with advanced capabilities in Excel and PowerPoint.
• Proficient in animal sheltering databases including reporting, data analytics, and creation of verbal and visual presentation of analysis.
• Ability to function well in a high-paced and at times, stressful environment.
• Experience supervising senior managers and professional employees with a demonstrated capability to lead, manage, motivate and engage the team and individuals.
• Ability to work extended hours, weekends, on call or holidays when needed.

Physical requirements:

• Should not be allergic to animals or nut products; must be able to work around all animals.
• Must be able to work with industrial-strength cleaners and disinfectants.
• Must be able to lift at least 50 pounds; push and pull heavy objects; bend, twist, reach; perform strenuous physical activities including frequent walking and running, standing, bending and stooping.

Working Conditions:

• Potentially subject to animal bites and scratches.
• Works in an area with a high noise level.

Compensation:

• $100,000-$120,000 annually; additional relocation to the Greater New Orleans area reimbursement and sign-on bonuses may be available

Benefits include but not limited to:

• Health Insurance, Life Insurance, 401K match
• PTO and paid holidays
• Qualification and assistance for Public Service Loan Forgiveness
• Discount on Veterinary Services and Hill’s Science Diet Pro Feeding Program

This position is considered “Essential” in emergencies and/or weather events

TO APPLY:

Louisiana SPCA has engaged ADISA to manage this

search. Candidates interested in this opportunity should

send their detailed resume and cover letter combined

into a single PDF to View email address on ziprecruiter.com. For any

inquiries, kindly use the same email address.