Description:Here for animals since 1868, the SF SPCA is one of San Francisco’s most enduring and respected nonprofit organizations. We are an independent non-profit supported entirely by our community. At the San Francisco SPCA, we offer care and protection to animals in need, and we believe all cats and dogs (and the people who love them) deserve access to high-quality veterinary care. As the largest animal shelter in the SF Bay Area and the first cageless animal shelter established in the U.S., we are transforming the way pet guardians and their beloved furry family members access lifesaving resources.
Through our public hospital, shelter hospital, adoptions center, advocacy programs, and offsite community medicine clinics, we are reaching beyond ordinary care models to provide new, innovative pathways to service. At the SF SPCA, we are ensuring that access to care means access for all. Veterinary medical and non-medical professionals alike seek out the SF SPCA as their preferred employer knowing their contributions will truly make a difference for both people and animals.

Summary:
The Director of Shelter Behavior oversees the Shelter Behavior Program at the Society. The goal of the Shelter Behavior Program is to maximize the number of animals saved through our shelter/adoption program and our partners. We are looking for a leader who is proactive and able to both teach and inspire staff and volunteers to help minimize FAS for our animals and get them out of our shelter and into loving homes as fast as possible. The ability to design and develop both efficient and effective training programs for volunteers and staff is an essential component of the Director’s role. To succeed in this role, the Director will need to build, develop, and collaborate closely with a significant team of highly trained volunteers who will afford our animals with as much socialization and training as possible.
The person in this role will need to be an extraordinary team player, capable of working effectively across all departments on the Source to Home Team: Intake, Animal Care, Shelter Medicine, Adoptions, Volunteer Engagement and Foster.
These programs are designed to improve welfare, decrease LOS and maximize positive outcomes for shelter animals, whether they reside in the shelter or in foster care. It is imperative that the Director of Shelter Behavior stays abreast of best practices in the industry, and both works to implement these practices and to create them.
This hands-on management position partners with leaders of the Adoptions, Intake, Animal Care, Volunteer Engagement and Shelter Medicine departments to provide the highest standard of animal welfare and behavior practices. In addition, the Director is a key member of the Source to Home Leadership Team and contributes to the strategic vision of the department.
Essential Duties and Functions:
Leadership and Behavior Care

• Develops the strategy, operating plan and KPI’s for the Shelter Behavior team, that is aligned with the annual overall Source to Home strategic planning process.
• Create an enrichment and behavior strategy and decision process that is aligned with department and organizational goals.
• Responsible for the performance of the behavior teams’ members as well as for the team as a whole
• Provides leadership, mentorship and feedback for direct reports and team members
• Reviews, designs and implements practical behavior care protocols that balance optimizing behavioral health with the realities of working in a shelter environment
• Develops and manages the department’s budget
• Sets and manages departmental KPI's to track and ensure Shelter Behavior goals are met
• Leads behavior rounds and participates in daily population rounds
• Ensures a transparent euthanasia decision process, keeps euthanasia criteria up to date and leads the STHOT (Shelter to Home Outcomes Team)
• Other duties as assigned

Animal Care & Training

• Identify conditions that increase unwanted FAS and unwanted behaviors
• Identify and create plans to mitigate and correct undesirable behaviors
• Identify unsafe behaviors
• Oversees behavior modification treatments for shelter pets, including basic obedience, unruly behavior, dog-dog socialization, leash reactivity, dog-to-dog aggression, resource guarding, impulse control, training and socialization
• Increases socialization opportunities for dogs, including regular shelter dog/puppy playgroup sessions.
• Oversees the development and implementation of enrichment solutions for shelter animals
• Strikes a practical operational and welfare balance between investing in an animal’s training and behavior modification and moving it quickly and safely out of the shelter environment

Teamwork

• Collaborates well with a diverse set of teammates and volunteers across the Source to Home organization
• Maintains a positive outlook, embraces change and leads by example
• Practices and encourages open and direct, constructive communication
• Understands and exemplifies the values of the SF SPCA
• Partners with Volunteer Engagement to augment the Behavior Team with behaviorally trained volunteers
• Advises Intake Team regarding intake candidacy from a behavioral point of view

Safety

• Follows established disease control protocols
• Maintains equipment in working condition, reports equipment or supply needs to supervisor
• Maintains work and general areas in an organized manner.
• Ensures a safe work environment, following all safety guidelines, including PPE, and modeling safe work practice
• Takes immediate action to address any safety concerns that could put a staff member, volunteer, client, animal, or the organization at risk

Requirements: Qualifications:

• A minimum of five years of behavior-related shelter experience. Proven knowledge and practical experience in advanced level dog training, handling, knowledge of dog breeds, behavior and positive reinforcement methods.
• Three to seven years of experience designing and leading the behavior program in a shelter (highly preferred) or animal hospital setting
• Must have significant experience leading multi-person staff teams
• Must have additional experience managing volunteers.
• Animal behavior certification highly desired (CAAB and/or CBCC-KA or similar)
• Fear Free® or other Low Stress handling certification preferred (or to be obtained within first 90 days of employment)
• Veterinary experience a plus
• CA Drivers License and insurable driving record.
• The SF SPCA requires pre-employment drug testing and criminal background investigations

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Must have strong critical thinking and problem-solving skills, particularly as related to animal welfare
• Able to make decisions and explain rationale behind actions taken
• Able to work in a changing environment; able to see value in experimentation
• Able to communicate effectively verbally and in writing
• Able to perform research and analysis, then present the results
• Able to acquire knowledge and learn new skills; committed to lifelong learning
• Self-motivated, able to initiate and complete tasks alone or as part of a team

Physical Requirements and Work Environment:

• Work is performed in an animal shelter/kennel/veterinary hospital setting
• Work requires frequent bending, reaching, kneeling, climbing stairs, and standing on feet 8-10 hours per day with walking
• Exposure to disinfectant solutions when in kennel area
• Exposure to various weather conditions when working outdoors.
• Subject to animal bites and scratches while handling animals of questionable temperament
• Occasional lifting of up to 50 pounds with reasonable accommodations
• Sitting at computer and doing computer entry
• Allergic conditions, which could be aggravated when handling or working around animals, may be a disqualification
• Tetanus and rabies (pre-exposure) inoculations are required or must be waived

Salary and Benefits:
The starting salary for this position depends on the depth and breadth of experience. Regular, full-time positions are eligible for a benefits package including: Paid Time Off and holiday pay, medical, dental & vision insurance, life insurance, long-term disability, tax-deferred retirement plan, student debt relief, pre-tax commute expense deductions, and discounts on retail and pet supplies. Regular, part-time positions over 20 hours/week are eligible for a benefits package that is adjusted based on their total hours. Part-time under 20 hours a week, On-Call, Temporary, and Seasonal positions are eligible for only those benefits provided by law. All positions are eligible for discounts on veterinary care at our SF SPCA Veterinary Hospital and Spay/Neuter Clinic at Mission Campus.
The SF SPCA is an Equal Opportunity Employer. This job description reflects the assignment of essential functions, and does not prescribe or restrict the tasks that may be assigned. The San Francisco SPCA is an at-will employer and may conduct pre-employment background checks and drug screening depending on the role.