Team Leader, Animal Care - Animal Shelter

Description

Humane Colorado is seeking a compassionate and experienced Animal Care Team Lead to support daily shelter operations. In this role, you’ll lead and coach a team of animal care associates, ensuring high standards in animal handling, housing, sanitation, enrichment, and wellness. You'll work hands-on with animals while helping to train staff, coordinate shelter needs, and maintain clean, safe environments.

Ideal candidates have professional animal care experience, strong communication skills, and the ability to lead in a fast-paced, emotionally challenging environment. Supervisory experience is preferred. This position includes physical work, team coordination, and occasional support with humane euthanasia tasks.

Join a team that’s making a difference for pets and people every day!

Purpose of Position: Directly lead and provide oversight for the work of the animal care department associates, ensuring humane and compassionate handling, housing, enrichment and treatment of sheltered animals.

Responsibilities

• Direct, monitor, and support the day-to-day work of the team, ensuring the work of the team is done, and done well. Utilize metrics provided to evaluate and create an appropriate plan.
• Work alongside the animal care team, providing support and guidance in the moment on all aspects of their work including animal care, grooming, shelter assistant duties and enrichment.
• Provide onboarding support and training to staff and volunteers new to the team.
• Direct enrichment activities to support the physical and mental wellbeing of the animals in care.
• Collaborate with Team leads throughout the organization to address logistical issues related to flow, space, scheduling, staff absences, and other shelter concerns. Effectively communicate and elevate challenges to management team as needed.
• Approach challenging situations with a positive perspective, helpful attitude and flexible strategies, seeking the best possible experiences and outcomes for pets and patrons.
• 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. 
• Improve the quality of care provided by cultivating independent thought and action by staff in response to situations not effectively addressed by established procedures. 
• Counsel and support staff in regard to their day-to-day work and provide input to managers regarding staff performance. 
• Monitor data entry and documentation to ensure accurate and up to date animal records.
• Provide information and data to assist with development and management of budget.
• Work in partnership with manager to provide training and mentorship for associates who demonstrate interest and capacity to take on additional and/or higher-level responsibilities.
• Partner with manager and provide support for ensuring work materials and consumables remain well stocked for the team
• Responsible for maintaining the organization's high standard of neat and clean facilities in assigned work areas. 
• Partner with Facilities and others as needed to ensure equipment is in good working order. 
• Perform opening and closing duties weekly as needed by the organization, including at least two holiday shifts throughout the calendar year.
• Thoroughly clean and sanitize animal kennels and other work areas.
• Perform euthanasia and related tasks as needed.
• Ensure that local, state, and federal safety animal care standards are met.

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 Key Competencies

• Analytical thinking
• Strategic thinking
• Critical thinking
• Innovation
• Project management 
• Conflict management
• Successful de-escalation

Supervisory or Managerial Responsibility

• Volunteers
• Provides on the floor direction to Animal Care team members

Travel

• None

Compensation: Starting at $22.50 - $23.65 hourly (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
• Sabbatical
• Holiday Pay
• 401(k) with matching
• Employee discounts
• Discounted Pet Insurance
• 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.

We will begin reviewing applications as they are received and anticipate closing the application period on December 11, 2025  

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

Desired

• Supervisor or lead role experience
• Ability to effectively problem solve and make decisions
• Experience with developing and delivering staff training
• Experience in animal welfare or other professional animal care field
• Ability to work with multiple levels of leadership to problem solve and implement solutions