Director, Animal Protection

Purpose of Position:

The Director of Animal Protection provides strategic leadership in advancing Humane Colorado’s animal protection priorities, cultivating strong partnerships with law enforcement and animal control agencies, and representing the organization as a trusted authority in the field. This role also leads the development and delivery of professional education and training on animal cruelty investigations, animal welfare laws, animal handling, evidence collection, case preparation, and investigative best practices.

• Provide strategic leadership and subject-matter expertise in animal protection and animal cruelty investigations.
• Cultivate and sustain strong relationships with animal control agencies, law enforcement, prosecutors, veterinarians, judicial partners, and other professional and community stakeholders.
• Develop and maintain systems, resources, protocols, and best practices that strengthen the organization’s ability to support external partners and respond effectively to animal protection cases.
• Manages and develops an effective staff: providing effective communication, leadership, guidance and resources. Determines staff qualifications and competency; recruits, interviews, selects, hires, trains, orients, mentors, evaluates, coaches, counsels, disciplines, and rewards. Establishes and monitors staff safety and regulatory compliance
• Partner with internal departments on resources, equipment, and operational support.
• Contribute to departmental planning, goal setting, performance measurement, and program evaluation.
• Develops and manages departmental budgets and resources.
• Maintain organized, accurate case files, documentation, data, and case-management records, and uphold appropriate standards for documentation and recordkeeping.
• Work in collaboration with the Development and Communications teams to support fundraising efforts and campaigns, such as providing impact stories and reports resulting in financial support.
• Participates in donor events, meetings, and tours.
• Ensure program grant compliance, and quality of services and evaluations.

• Consult and advise partners on investigating, documenting, and prosecuting animal cruelty cases.
• Provide expert guidance and leadership during large-scale animal cruelty investigations, impoundments, emergency response situations, and other complex or high-risk cases.
• Facilitate communication and coordination among partner agencies and internal departments to support effective investigations, positive animal welfare outcomes, and timely case resolution.
• Identify and proactively address risks associated with investigations, animal handling, impoundments, emergency response, and community outreach.

• Develop, deliver, and evaluate educational training programs and presentations for partners about animal cruelty laws and best practices.
• Establish and maintain professional training resources and materials that promote consistency, professionalism, and legally sound investigative practices.
• Assess the effectiveness and impact of training initiatives and use feedback, data, and emerging best practices to strengthen programming.

People are the key to fulfilling our mission. Making internal and external patrons and their needs a primary focus is expected in all situations. This position interacts with and collaborates with employees at all levels of the organization. Communication occurs through face to face, telephone, and electronic interactions and may also include contact with the general public and business partners. Communication and contact must be clear, understandable, cooperative, professional, and respectful in all circumstances.

Employees are expected to actively support a positive team environment, directly address conflict, and appropriately express concerns.

Competencies are work behaviors and expectations necessary for successful job performance. They encompass knowledge, skills, abilities, attitudes, and actions. Additional definitions for competencies may be obtained from Human Resources.

• Job Knowledge
• Excellence
• Adapting to Change / Agility
• Dependability
• People Care

• Project and Process Management
• Delivering Results
• People Leadership

• Strategic Leadership
• Community and Professional Partnerships
• Investigation and Case Management
• Program…