Description

Humane Society of Truckee Tahoe (HSTT)

Founded in 1994, HSTT has grown from a small, grassroots non-profit to a leading animal welfare organization in the Lake Tahoe region. Our mission is to save and improve the lives of pets through adoptions, community spay/neuter services, and humane education programs. For more information, please visit www.hstt.org

Summary of Position

The Operations Director oversees and leads all operational, animal care, shelter facility, and programmatic functions of the Humane Society of Truckee Tahoe. This role is responsible for ensuring excellent animal care, providing high-quality customer service to the public, leading staff and volunteers, utilizing resources efficiently, ensuring regulatory compliance, fostering strong partnerships with shelter and government partners, and driving the strategic growth of shelter programs.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Oversee daily shelter operations to ensure humane animal care, cleanliness, safety, and efficiency.
• Supervise, mentor, and support shelter staff, specifically animal caretakers, adoption specialists, and foster program teams.
• Foster a positive, collaborative, and mission-driven workplace culture.
• Develop training programs to ensure staff are equipped with best practices in animal welfare and customer service.
• Ensure compliance with all regulatory, legal, and animal welfare standards.
• Manage/Oversee intake, adoption, foster, and transfer programs to maximize lifesaving outcomes.
• Work closely with county/town CSOs and ACOs to ensure all animal handling and shelter operations comply with legal requirements.
• Work closely with the veterinary team to support animal health and wellness protocols.
• Coordinate emergency and disaster response related to animal sheltering.
• Develop and implement policies, procedures, and protocols that support organizational goals and industry best practices.
• Monitor and enforce compliance with safety and sanitation standards for staff, volunteers, animals, and the public.
• Maintain accurate records and reporting systems to track operations, outcomes, and regulatory requirements.
• Collaborate with the CEO to develop and manage the operations budget.
• Oversee purchasing, inventory management, and vendor relationships related to shelter operations.
• Support reporting and data collection as needed.
• Build and maintain positive relationships with volunteers, rescue partners, and community stakeholders.
• Handle difficult conversations with members of the public regarding HSTT’s policies and procedures.
• Other duties as assigned.

 Qualifications

• Knowledge of and ability to provide a fear-free experience for all animals from intake to adoption.
• Experience working in a highly collaborative environment in an animal shelter or veterinary clinic.
• Understanding of the value of humane active population management, capacity for care, herd health, and data-driven decision-making.
• Excellent animal handling skills, including fearful or aggressive animals; Fear Free training and/or certification preferred.
• Demonstrated supervisory knowledge, including motivational techniques and professional development/training methods.
• Knowledge of laws and regulations relating to shelter operations.
• Effective problem-solving and decision-making ability, and self-motivation with demonstrated ability to work well independently and collaboratively.
• Outstanding interpersonal and relationship-building skills (with internal and external audiences), including excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Experience with the use of spreadsheets, MS Office and Outlook, shelter management databases, and veterinary practice management systems (PetPoint, preferably).
• Personal qualities of integrity, credibility, kindness, and dedication to the mission of the Humane Society of Truckee-Tahoe.
• Ability to work in an emotionally taxing field – a positive attitude and sense of humor are essential.
• Ability to work evenings, weekends, and holidays as needed.

 As a valued member of the HSTT family, you’ll receive a comprehensive benefits package that includes:

• Group medical benefits (80% premium coverage).
• Participation in a pre-tax flexible benefit plan (FSA) for healthcare and dependent care reimbursement.
• Generous flexible PTO package includes vacation, sick, holiday, and your birthday.
• Participation in a 401(k) plan.
• Group yoga, office snacks, etc.

 COMPENSATION: $95,000-$105,000 plus benefits

POSITION: Monday-Friday, occasional weekend and holiday work required

LOCATION: Town of Truckee Animal Shelter – 10961 Stevens Lane, Truckee, CA 96161

REPORTS TO: Chief Executive Officer

Requirements

Education and Experience

• Bachelor's degree in a related field (or equivalent experience).
• Significant experience (minimum 5 years) in animal shelter operations, or equivalent nonprofit operations management in animal welfare.
• Demonstrated supervisory experience in leading teams, managing managers, and developing staff.
• Strong organizational communication (verbal and written), problem-solving skills.
• Ability to multitask and thrive in a fast-paced, emotionally charged, changing environment.
• Knowledge of best practices in animal welfare, shelter medicine, behavior, enrichment, and capacity for care
• Experience with budgeting, financial oversight, metric-driven decision making

Physical Requirements (must be able to)

• Lift and carry weights of up to 50lbs from the floor to waist level.
• Stand, walk, sit, talk, hear, and see, stoop, bend, rotate, squat, kneel, grasp, put fingers together firmly, and reach above and below shoulder level and lift; push, lift, or pull 50 pounds when restraining or moving animals and lifting supplies, material, and equipment.
• Sit/stand for sustained periods of time.
• Walk on wet or dry surfaces.
• Work indoors and outdoors in all weather conditions during both daylight and after dark.
• Sustain frequent exposure to loud noise, odors, and chemicals.
• Work with animals with unknown history and behaviors.
• Repetitively use hands to move animals around and operate computers
• Flex the neck upward and downward; twist the neck and the waist.
• Appropriately and humanely restrain cats and dogs; control dogs on a leash; work with a variety of animals in multiple settings, both in and out of the shelter.
• Be able to tolerate extended periods of 4 to 6 hours of performing moderately strenuous activities, standing, lifting, stretching, and bending.  
• Work in an environment with daily changes in climate.  
• Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.