Shelter Operations Manager

The Shelter Operations Director provides strategic and operational leadership for CAT’s shelter operations and assigned community programs, including animal care and welfare, admissions, adoptions, foster care, volunteer engagement, customer service, behavior and enrichment, animal flow, departmental staffing, and financial stewardship. The Director leads a multidisciplinary department of approximately 17 employees through three direct-report managers and program leaders.

As a member of the senior leadership team, the Director translates organizational priorities into effective departmental plans, establishes performance expectations, uses data and professional judgment to guide decisions, and proactively communicates operational risks, constraints, and opportunities. The Director collaborates closely with veterinary leadership and other departments to ensure coordinated, humane, efficient, and community-centered services.

• Establish service plans, workflows, staffing models, and operating priorities that support humane care, timely placement, positive customer experiences, and responsible use of shelter capacity.
• Maintain appropriate capacity for care and ensure decisions regarding admissions, transfers, foster placement, adoption promotions, and use of overflow space reflect a complete understanding of animal, staffing, medical, and facility conditions.
• Regularly assess operational effectiveness and modify processes, staffing, schedules, or resource allocation when performance or service needs require it.
• Ensure the accuracy, completeness, and timely maintenance of assigned operational and program records.
• Lead departmental emergency response and continuity planning, including disease outbreaks, facility disruptions, severe staffing shortages, animal-safety incidents, and other significant operational events.
• Maintain and create SOPs in partnership with the onsite Medical Director and ensure consistent implementation through training, supervision, auditing, and follow-up.
• Represent the organization with external partners, donors, and coalitions.
• Participate in the leadership on-call rotation and ensure appropriate management coverage outside normal business hours.

• Recruit, supervise, coach, develop, and evaluate departmental managers, supervisors, and program leads; establish clear expectations and decision-making authority and hold leaders accountable for the performance and development of their teams..
• Ensure employees and volunteers receive the training, information, resources, supervision, and support necessary to perform their responsibilities safely, effectively, and in alignment with CAT’s standards.
• Develop departmental staffing plans and structures that provide appropriate coverage, supervisory capacity, operational continuity, and responsiveness to seasonal and changing program needs.
• Address performance, conduct, attendance, and workplace concerns promptly, consistently, and in partnership with appropriate organizational leadership.
• Establish effective mechanisms for staff communication, feedback, recognition, and engagement, including regular individual, management-team, and departmental meetings; promote collaboration across roles and departments in support of shared organizational goals.
• Establish and monitor departmental KPIs, interpret operational data, and coach teams in using results to improve performance and advance organizational goals.
• Maintain regular, proactive communication with the Executive Director regarding departmental performance, emerging challenges, significant decisions, and resource needs.
• Foster a respectful, approachable, inclusive, and psychologically safe workplace that…