PAWS Chicago is seeking a dynamic senior leader to drive lifesaving operations as Senior Director, Shelter Population. In this critical role, you will oversee the rescue, care, and adoption of 5,000 animals annually while helping sustain our 97%+ save rate.
As a cross-functional, matrixed leader, you will own the end-to-end flow of animals from intake through adoption and post-adoption support. With a relentless focus on No Kill population management, operational efficiency, and reducing length of stay, you will ensure every animal receives an individualized, proactive pathway to a loving home. You will lead intake, foster, behavior, animal care, and facilities teams while partnering closely with veterinary leadership to eliminate barriers, optimize capacity, and deliver best-in-class animal welfare outcomes at PAWS Chicago.
Job Responsibilities
Animal Throughput & Population Management
- Own overall operational performance for animal flow from intake through adoption and post-adoption needs. Maintain a laser focus on minimizing length of stay and maximizing daily animal throughput while ensuring adoption centers feature a diverse population of animals.
- Align intake with diverse population goals, adoptions and available capacity in both shelter and foster environments; utilize lean management tools (e.g., Kanban) for proactive population planning.
- Prioritize lifesaving at Chicago Animal Care & Control and other local sources as capacity allows. Identify and eliminate operational bottlenecks, develop efficient workflows, and foster open communication across teams to support timely movement from intake to adoption.
- Ensure every animal has a tailored plan integrating medical treatment, behavioral support, foster care, and placement strategies.
- Partner closely with veterinary leadership to align medical care timelines with operational capacity and lifesaving priorities.
- Ensure treatment plans, recovery timelines, and behavioral interventions support timely movement toward adoption or placement.
- Drive continuous improvement by evolving operations to industry-leading standards for animal care, throughput and lifesaving.
- Implement 5S practices and, in concert with executive leadership, develop/maintain the PAWS Operating Manual (including policies, SOP’s training materials, job descriptions, and RASCI matrices.)
- Routinely benchmark to ensure PAWS is at the forefront of industry best practices.
- Develop, audit and ensure compliance with all managed department Standard Operating Procedures working in collaboration with leadership.
Team Leadership & Operations
- Provide hands-on, and highly detailed oversight of daily Medical Center workflows and cross-departmental collaboration.
- Partner with executive leadership in resource planning; lead hiring, onboarding and development for all Shelter Population teams.
- Optimize the operating model for efficiency, productivity, technology/systems integration, and budget management.
- Cultivate a positive, mission-driven culture,, ensuring staff members consistently acknowledge, effectively direct, and build strong relationships with volunteers and the public.
- Integrate volunteers into all PAWS Chicago operations to scale lifesaving.
Cross-Functional Collaboration & Leadership
- Partner across departments to create synergy and deliver outstanding customer experiences for adopters, volunteers and the community..
- Collaborate with PAWS Chicago Communications team on innovative marketing and promotional strategies designed to increase awareness of key programs and advance PAWS Chicago’s mission.
- Participate in large-scale PAWS Chicago events and share leadership responsibilities as needed.
Facilities, Safety & Compliance
- Maintain the highest standards of safety, cleanliness, and professional appearance across all facilities. Partner with internal PAWS departments to achieve desired results.
- Ensure full compliance with all regulatory requirements, including OSHA, Cook County Department of Animal Control and the Illinois Department of Agriculture.
- and safety at all times.
PAWS Chicago Values-in-Action
Respect: for each and every life.
Community: of people and organizations committed to helping homeless pets.
Innovation: to constantly improve best practices and seek out new ideas and strategies to save more lives. To be a Learning Center that evolves and grows.
Pro-activity: to solve difficult problems and to be prepared to offer emergency and crisis support.
Transparency: that informs the public about the fate of homeless animals.
Education: that raises awareness about the realities that homeless animals face in the community and across the nations, providing a forum for people to get involved in effecting change. Promotes and support reasonable pet ownership.
Sustainability: through financial management practices that maximize the impact and reach of our resources and endure that PAWS Chicago will always be a resource for homeless animals.
Compassion: towards all people and animals
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree preferred.
- 8+ years of leadership experience in animal welfare, shelter operations, or other high-volume companion animal care environments.
- 5 years' experience with animal behavior and/or veterinary medicine preferred.
- Experience using lean management tools preferred.
- Exceptional collaboration skills and ability to positively influence others to achieve results.
- Expertise in process design, resource, and labor modeling to support business planning.
- Experience successfully leading a team of people - salaried, hourly and volunteers.
- Demonstrated and successful project management skills and excellent organizational skills.
- Excellent written and oral communication skills. Ability to communicate effectively with all levels of management, key partners, special friends and public.
- Ability to work independently and multitask in a fast-paced environment.
- Ability to work well under pressure in a dynamic, team environment.
- Strong knowledge of Microsoft Office including Excel, Word, and Outlook, and technological proficiency.
- Frequent weekend workdays (self-scheduled) as the PAWS Chicago is a 7-day-per-week operation and requires management presence.
- Ability to occasionally lift up to 25 lbs.
- Ability to stand for prolonged periods of time; ability to crouch and kneel.
- Availability to occasionally work holidays and evenings.
- Passion for animals, animal welfare and No Kill.
- Knowledge of and commitment to PAWS Chicago’s No Kill model.
Benefits:
- Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance, including ancillary options and an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) through Blue Cross Blue Shield
- 403(b) retirement plan with employer match
- Paid time off, including vacation, sick days, and holidays
Application Instructions: A cover letter is required with your application. In your cover letter, please detail why you are the best candidate for this role and hw your experience aligns with PAWS Chicago’s No Kill mission. Applications without a cover letter will not be considered.