Description
Humane Colorado is seeking a compassionate, hands-on Team Lead for Shelter Veterinary Services to support daily operations at our Leslie A. Malone Center. In this role, you’ll guide veterinary technicians, assistants, and foster teams while ensuring efficient, high-quality care for animals at every stage of their journey.
You’ll coordinate workflow, support staff and volunteers, and help solve real-time operational challenges in a fast-paced, mission-driven environment. This position is ideal for someone who thrives under pressure, leads with empathy, and is passionate about advancing animal welfare.
Qualified candidates bring at least 2 years of animal welfare experience, strong communication and organizational skills, and a collaborative, solution-oriented mindset. Leadership or veterinary experience is a plus.
Join a team dedicated to providing exceptional care for animals and the people who love them!
Purpose of Position: Directly lead and provide oversight for the work of the shelter veterinary services and foster teams.
Responsibilities
- Lead, monitor, and support daily team operations, ensuring work is completed efficiently, accurately, and in alignment with established standards of care.
- Partner with managers to create daily work plans that maximize efficiency while maintaining high standards of patient and patron care.
- Coordinate workflow across departments, addressing logistical challenges related to animal flow, space, staffing, and scheduling.
- Proactively identify operational challenges and escalate issues to management with recommended solutions.
- Foster a positive, flexible, and solution-oriented team environment, especially in high-pressure or emotionally challenging situations.
- Utilize established SOPs to guide consistent and appropriate operating procedures. Provide productive feedback on implementation and potential challenges to be experienced by the team, and propose edits as needed.
- Provide day-to-day guidance, coaching, and support to staff and volunteers.
- Assist managers by providing input on staff performance and development needs.
- Support onboarding and training of new team members and volunteers.
- Monitor data entry and documentation to ensure accurate and up to date animal records.
- Support inventory management by ensuring departmental supplies are ordered and adequately stocked. Responsible for maintaining the organization’s high standard of neat and clean facilities in assigned work areas.
- Monitor medical equipment and instruments and coordinate maintenance or repairs with appropriate teams.
- Ensure that local, state, and federal safety animal care standards are met.
- Perform shelter opening and closing duties as needed.
Team Specific Responsibilities
Shelter Veterinary Services
- Work alongside the shelter veterinary services team, providing real-time leadership and guidance to Veterinary Technician, Veterinary Assistant and Foster Associate roles.
- Perform as shift “float”, providing additional support to teams and covering shifts as needed.
- Coordinate daily workflow of animals through the department, including emergent needs.
- Ensure efficiency and coverage of all departmental needs, including impactful oversight of SVS morning rounds.
- Support managers in leading team huddles for veterinary assistants and technicians.
- Perform euthanasia and other related tasks, as well as train others to do so.
- Deliver excellent customer service to patrons across veterinary services, admissions, and foster care.
- Triage requests for post adoption care and reimbursement requests.
People Care
People are the key to fulfilling our mission. Making internal and external patrons and their needs a primary focus is expected in all situations. This position interacts with and collaborates with employees at all levels of the organization. Communication occurs through face to face, telephone, and electronic interactions and may also include contact with the general public and business partners. Communication and contact must be clear, understandable, cooperative, professional, and respectful in all circumstances. Employees are expected to actively support a positive team environment, directly address conflict, and appropriately express concerns.
Competencies
Competencies are work behaviors and expectations necessary for successful job performance. They encompass knowledge, skills, abilities, attitudes, and actions. Additional definitions for competencies may be obtained from Human Resources.
Organizational Key Competencies
- Job Knowledge
- Excellence
- Adapting to Change / Agility
- Dependability
- People Care
Position Core Competencies
- Analytical Thinking
- Strategic Thinking
- Critical Thinking
- Innovation
- Project Management
- Conflict Management
- Successful De-escalation
Supervisory or Managerial Responsibility
- Provides on the floor direction to Veterinary Technicians (certified and not certified), Veterinary Assistants, Veterinary Services Representatives and Foster Care Associates
- Volunteers
Travel
- This position may require travel to different work sites
Schedule: 4 - 10 hour shifts, weekend availability required
Compensation: $24.30 - $26.15 (starting pay commensurate with market, experience, and equity)
Full Time Benefits – Please visit our website for a comprehensive list of all offered benefits.
- Benefits (medical, dental, and vision)
- Flexible spending accounts
- Life and Short-Term Disability Insurance
- Paid Time Off (PTO)
- Paid Sick Time
- Holiday Pay
- Sabbatical
- 401(k) with matching
- And more!
Work Conditions and Physical Requirements
Handle and restrain animals of various sizes, weights, and temperaments. Subject to animal bites or scratches. Work performed in high noise level areas. Exposure to cleaning chemicals, fumes, dust, animal dander, and feces. Physical efforts require constant bending, stooping, standing, climbing stairs, and walking. Frequent lifting of animals and objects with reasonable accommodation.
Posting will remain open until filled, with a minimum posting period of 5 days.
Requirements
Position Qualifications
Knowledge/Skills/Abilities
- Strong interpersonal and written communication skills
- Demonstrated organizational skills
- Ability to utilize effective problem solving/decision making skills
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office programs
Required
- Education: High School Diploma or Equivalent
- Work Experience: Minimum of 2 years’ experience in animal welfare
Desired
- Previous supervisory or lead role experience
- Experience working in veterinary medicine
