Director, Applied Behavior Research

For more than 150 years, the ASPCA has been on the front lines to save, transform and protect the lives of millions of animals. The Behavioral Sciences Team (BST) team plays an integral role in the ASPCA's commitment to champion good animal welfare and protect animals from cruelty. We are looking for a Director, Applied Animal Research to work on innovative internal companion animal applied behavior and welfare research projects.

The application for this position will be open until 5pm EST on Tuesday, November 10, 2026.

This role is part of the ASPCA’s Animal Behavior vertical, which includes the Behavioral Sciences Team (BST), the Learning Lab (LL), and the behavior teams at all Shelter and Rehabilitation Operations (SRO) facilities. Working within and across teams, behavior professionals in the vertical share expertise, implement aligned behavior program standards and practices, and help advance the ASPCA’s strategic priorities. In this role, you will have the opportunity to work on innovative internal projects and capacity-build external research efforts that inform best practices for companion animals in shelters across the nation.

Working under the supervision of the Senior Director of Applied Behavior Research, the Director of Applied Behavior Research leads the design and development of internal applied behavior and welfare research projects focused on both the ASPCA’s unique cruelty case populations and generalizable behavior interventions and welfare assessments for shelter-housed dogs and cats. In addition to strong research and analytical skills, this position requires an individual with a collaborative work style, project management experience, and the ability to lead committees and project teams in a matrix structure.

Passion for translating research findings into practical applications is essential, requiring strong data visualization and science communication skills. The Director of Applied Behavior Research supports behavior colleagues across multiple teams as a subject matter expert in applied behavior science and its methodology. The Director oversees the creation and delivery of new learning opportunities to elevate subject matter literacy across behavior teams and broader audiences within the ASPCA.

The ideal candidate will be an experienced research professional with high standards for project quality and critical thinking skills balanced by a collaborative approach, a respect for diverse perspectives and areas of expertise, and an appetite for working in cross‑functional project teams. Collaborative committee work to support internal initiatives will be required, as will travel for conferences, research studies, and to support forensic behavior and field operations.

The Director, Applied Behavior Research reports to the Senior Director, Applied Behavior Research and has no direct reports.

• This remote‑based position (which requires travel, as described below) is open to all candidates based within the United States.
• The regular schedule for this position is Monday through Friday. Ability to work a flexible schedule, including weekends, evenings and holidays based on program needs is required. Schedules are subject to change as needed by the ASPCA.
• Ability and willingness to travel up to 15% of the time, sometimes with short notice, required

The target hiring range is based on where the employee works, which for remote roles is the employee’s primary location of residence, and its respective cost of labor. You can view which zone applies to you based on your location (). For questions regarding locations not on the list, please send an email to Careers for more information. Starting pay for the…