Director, Veterinary Services

Summary:

Are you a skilled leader, coach and mentor with experience in a fast-paced, dynamic veterinary clinic or animal shelter?  Do you enjoy building collaboration and teamwork?  Are you passionate about delivering high-quality medical care to animals in need? If so, the position of Director of Veterinary Services at the ASPCA’s Adoption Center may be right for you!

The Director of Veterinary Services (the Director) leads a team of 15 medical staff – including veterinarians, licensed veterinary technicians and adoptions veterinary assistants – in providing excellent patient care following shelter medicine best practices. The Director is responsible for staff management and day to day operations including patient evaluation, treatment and documentation, and ensures the animals’ physical and behavioral needs are met on both the individual patient and population levels. The Director works closely with the Senior Director, Adoption Center & Kitten Nursery (the Senior Director) to establish, implement, and maintain proper medical, training, and communications protocols, and also with the Adoption Center Leadership Team to strategize ways to increase operational efficiency and impact.

The Adoption Center currently provides shelter and adoption for approximately 2,500 animals annually, including:

• Animal victims of cruelty and neglect brought to us by the NYPD
• Animals brought to us through our community engagement team
• Underage kittens and other medically-compromised stray animals  
• Animals surrendered by their owners and in need of adoption into new home
• Animals transferred in from shelter/rescue partners

The Director is a key player on a high-performing Adoption Center leadership team working collaboratively and effectively for the successful placement of cats and dogs in new, loving homes.

To succeed in this role, the Director must be an excellent and enthusiastic manager of both people and processes and a champion for great teamwork. Success also hinges on the ability to collaborate with internal and external stakeholders to further the ASPCA’s ultimate desired outcome that all animals live good lives.

The schedule for this role is 5 days/40 hours weekly, including one weekend day. There may be some limited flexibility with shift times, based on availability and business needs. Shifts are subject to change at the sole discretion of the ASPCA

Responsibilities:

Responsibilities will include, but are not limited to:

Lead Medical Operations (50%)

• In partnership with the Senior Director and the Adoption Center Leadership Team, execute on goals for the Adoption Center to continuously improve its operations and service delivery
• Partner with the Senior Director to develop and update Adoption Center medical protocols that follow shelter medicine best practices and are aligned with the Association of Shelter Veterinarians’ “Guidelines for Standards of Care in Animal Shelters.” Develop written materials (protocols, information sheets, data sheets, etc.) and oversee their use by staff and volunteers
• Oversee all aspects of medical operations at the Adoption Center, including (but not limited to): intake exams and vaccinations; infectious disease and other safety protocols; records management; individual and population-level monitoring and management; pre- and post-operative care; and emergency response.
• Ensure the medical team is attending to the Five Freedoms (freedom from hunger and thirst; from discomfort; from pain, injury or disease; from fear and distress; and to express normal behavior) for our animals, and the team is supporting animal care and behavior staff in doing the same
• (for a DVM) Weekly clinical hours to support patient care
• Provide a safe and compassionate environment for animals in our care, our staff, and for our clients by ensuring the use of low-stress handling techniques.
• Play a leadership role in daily rounds to ensure decisions are made and treatments, services, and interventions are delivered with urgency
• Lead the coordination and collaboration between medical and other Adoption Center teams to provide for the best and most appropriate care possible for the animals
• In collaboration with staff DVMs and in accordance with approved protocols and guidelines, oversee care and decision-making for patients
• Ensure proper intake protocols and set-up of wards; ensure isolation and quarantine is appropriately maintained, as needed
• Model a standard of continual commitment to improvement in all aspects of Medical Operations’ care and handling of animals
• Ensure an efficient system for supply ordering and inventory for Medical Operations, as well as maintenance of an organized and clean stocking space
• Oversee weekly audits regarding vaccines, controlled substances, medications, signage, equipment handling, and other facility needs
• Monitor appropriate budget lines and manage medical expenses
• Regularly monitor metrics, volume and flow into and out of the Adoption Center – with particular attention to data related to medical care; in consultation with the Senior Director, make adjustments to operations as needed to improve service and efficiency
• In partnership with ARC/CARE, Community Engagement, the ASPCA Animal Hospital and other Adoption Center teams, proactively plan for and support medical needs of animals transitioning into Adoptions from other areas, and from large-scale intakes
• Ensure Medical Team participation in foster and adoption consults, as needed
• Maintain an effective, streamlined system for attending to foster re-checks and vaccine visits
• Ensure medical team participation in an effective emergency mobilization plan (e.g. storms and large-scale animal intakes). Provide and ensure overnight management presence as needed 
• Continuously seek out, learn and implement best practices in the field related to shelter medicine and animal welfare
• Be an early adopter, champion and teacher of organization-wide priorities to bring and keep people and pets together
• Deploy with Community Engagement, Community Medicine, Relocation or National Field  Response Teams twice per year

People Management and Training (50%)

• With Senior Director and Leadership Team, nurture a culture of learning including ensuring a respectful and welcoming environment, active participation in goal setting and monitoring, clear expectations, and regular practice of feedback and after-actions
• Be a consistent and visible presence “on the floor” to answer questions, make timely operational and staffing adjustments, receive feedback, lend a hand, and ensure deep understanding of and compliance with the Adoption Center’s philosophy and operations
• Direct supervision of all Medical Team leaders (DVM Manager, LVT Manager, AVA Manager)
• Oversee the onboarding and training of all new Medical Operations staff (LVTs, AVAs, and DVMs)
• Provide training, supervision, modeling, coaching and ongoing guidance for direct reports and medical team as a whole
• Provide regular, timely and direct feedback via 1:1 check in’s and quarterly feedback sessions with direct reports; conduct periodic skip level meetings
• Supervise and coach staff on all aspects of care techniques
• Instill the guiding principle that everyone can—and should—actively support the animals’ behavioral and mental health in everything they do.
• Ensure that all team members have received training and mastered the skills to handle in a low stress manner, and that they implement these handling techniques consistently in all their interactions with animals.
• Ensure Fear Free® and Euthanasia certifications are achieved and maintained; Ensure all licenses are current and staff are accessing appropriate and required CE
• Teach the team about animal welfare, ASPCA policies and philosophy and the reasons behind policies and practices so that they can make good decisions in carrying out their work and can teach volunteers and visitors effectively
• Guide the team in training, supervising and coaching volunteers
• Maintain adequate staffing levels at all times; assign and/or re-assign appropriate responsibilities, as well as direct work flow in order to maximize productivity and maintain coverage in the event of planned absences, call outs, injuries, increased volume, etc. Ensure continuous coverage for events/ team meetings and trainings to ensure staff and animal safety
• Rotate on-call coverage for weekends, evenings, holidays and events with other Adoption Center Directors
• Serve as a champion in times of change and work with the Senior Director and Leadership Team in identifying ways to improve medical and behavior protocols
• Other duties as assigned by supervisor

Exemplifies the ASPCA’s Core Values:

• Has Commitment and dedication to improving the lives of animals
• Demonstrates Ownership and feels responsible for outcomes
• Believes in Team – that we are stronger together
• Seeks to Elevate others and reimagine what is possible
• Focuses on Impact, specifically making change for animals

Qualifications:

• Demonstrated exceptional leadership skills in managing a veterinary medical team and prioritizing their development
• Proven history of building and maintaining positive and productive relationships with internal and external stakeholders
• Demonstrated understanding of veterinary medicine and animal health and welfare; knowledge of shelter medicine and herd health management preferred
• Excellent time management skills with the ability to prioritize multiple projects and be responsive to shifting priorities.
• Ability to quickly, calmly, and efficiently adjust to changes in direction and re-prioritize work
• Displays care and concern for the safety and well-being of self, animals and others, especially during stressful situations
• Excellent supervisory and team development skills
• Excellent ability to teach and coach 
• Ability to give and receive timely, productive and relevant feedback
• Excellent low stress feline and canine animal handling skills
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Excellent interpersonal skills

Compensation & Benefits:

Starting pay for the successful applicant will depend on a variety of factors, including but not limited to education, training, experience, location, business needs, internal equity, market demands or budgeted amount for the role. The target hiring range is for new hire offers only, and staff compensation may increase beyond the maximum hiring range based on performance over time. The maximum of the hiring range is reserved for candidates with the highest qualifications and relevant experience. The expected hiring salary range for this role is set forth below and may be modified in the future. 

The target hiring range for this role is $221, 500 - $228, 500 for a DVM and $115, 000.00-$122, 000.00 for a non DVM.

For more information on our Benefit offerings, please see the APCA Benefits site. careers.aspca.org/creative/benefits

Join our Talent Community:

If you are interested in joining our team but do not see a position listed that fits your experience or interests, please click this link and join our Talent Community to stay connected to future opportunities with the ASPCA.

Education:

• DVM preferred

Qualifications:

See above for qualifications details.

Language:

English (Required)

Education and Work Experience:  Bachelors: Animal Science

  2+ years of people management and leadership experience, 2+ years’ experience in direct animal or patient care in an animal shelter or veterinary practice, Experience working with unions preferred, Fear Free® certified or within 60 days of employment

Our EEO Policy:

The ASPCA is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer.  All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, gender, gender identity or expression, age, marital or domestic partner status, citizenship status, sexual orientation, disability, genetic information, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state or local laws, regulations or ordinances.

Applicants with disabilities may be entitled to a reasonable accommodation under the terms of the Americans with Disabilities Act and certain state or local laws.  A reasonable accommodation is a change in the ASPCA’s standard application process, which will ensure an equal employment opportunity without imposing undue hardship on the ASPCA.  Please inform the ASPCA’s People Team if you need an accommodation in order to complete any forms or to otherwise participate in the application process.

Individuals seeking employment are considered without regards to race, color, creed, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, gender, gender identity or expression, age, marital or domestic partner status, citizenship status, sexual orientation, disability, genetic information, military or veteran status,  or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state or local laws, regulations or ordinances.

ASPCA is an Equal Opportunity Employer (M/F/D/V).

Employment Type: Full Time
Years Experience: 3 - 5 years
Salary: $115,000 - $228,500 Annual
Bonus/Commission: No