Animal Behavior Manager

The QTI Group; Madison (WI); On-site; USD 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

The QTI Group, in partnership with Dane County Humane Society (DCHS), seeks an Animal Behavior Manager to lead the Behavior Department and oversee behavioral care for shelter animals in residence. You will design in-house behavior modification plans and ensure daily enrichment, training, and welfare across dogs and cats.

Responsibilities include supervising the Behavior team, conducting assessments for placement, and coordinating with other departments to ensure proper flow and humane outcomes.

Qualifications

• Requires BA/BS in animal behavior or related field; MS preferred.
• Certification in animal behavior/training from ABS, IAABC, CCPDT is required.
• 5+ years’ experience working with animals in captivity (shelters or zoos).
• 2+ years’ management experience; shelter experience preferred.
• Expertise in dog behavior is particularly required.
• Strong leadership, accountability, and communication skills.
• Sincere commitment to positive, science-based training and welfare.

Responsibilities

• Build alignment and a high-performance culture within the Behavior team; foster engagement with new strategies and goals.
• Review incoming animal behavior profiles and collaborate on pathway planning for new intakes.
• Oversee evaluation processes for shelter dogs and assist with placement, foster, rescue or euthanasia decisions.
• Attend daily rounds; create SOPs for common behavior concerns; tailor plans for each dog/cat.
• Ensure partnerships with rescue groups and provide enrichment opportunities; track progress and benchmarks.
• Oversee dog training classes for the public and staff; develop volunteer training and positive reinforcement protocols.
• Coordinate surrender, adoption, foster, and post-adoption counseling with other departments.

Skills

Leadership

Team management

Behavior modification

Communication

Collaboration

Education

Bachelor's in animal behavior or related field

Master's degree preferred

Job description

The QTI Group is partnering with Dane County Humane Society (DCHS) to hire an Animal Behavior Manager. In this newly created role, the Animal Behavior Manager will manage the Behavior Department and oversee the behavioral care of animals in residence at DCHS. Ensure the proper assessment of shelter dogs and cats and oversee recommendations for placement, foster, rescue or euthanasia as appropriate. Design in-house behavior modification plans for individuals in need of behavioral adjustment during their stay. Ensure that the shelter populations are provided with daily stress reduction, enrichment, training and behavior modification as needed and collaborate with other departments to ensure proper flow of the animals.

Supervision of DCHS Animal Behavior Team

• Build alignment, engagement and commitment within the Behavior team to new strategies, processes, and goals
• Foster a high-performance culture through effective coaching, clear expectations, accountability, and development of team members
• Monitor and ensure success of Behavior team in identification, treatment, planning and prevention of behavior issues for shelter dogs
• Ensure that all behavior protocols, policies and procedures are properly implemented
• Promote teamwork, communication, and cooperation between all departments

Animal Behavior Assessment

• Review behavior profiles for incoming animals
• Collaborate cross-departmentally on pathway planning for new intakes
• Oversee evaluation processes for shelter dogs and collaborate with team on recommendations for placement, foster, rescue or euthanasia as appropriate for shelter dogs
• Identify animals in need of additional behavioral support

Animal Behavior Management and Interventions

• Attend daily population rounds for dogs and cats
• Create and implement standardized SOPs for managing common behavior concerns in dogs
• Create individualized plans to meet the needs of individual dogs and cats
• Create systems for tracking individual dog and catprogress and establish benchmarks for success
• Ensure that partnerships with rescue groups are created and maintained
• Provide enrichment opportunities for shelter animals within the shelter environment
• Monitor behavior information shared by staff and volunteers on interaction sheets and via behavior boards in shelter database.

Training and Consultations

• Oversee dog training classes for the public and supervise the training class staff
• Develop and provide volunteer and staff training opportunities to A) provide enrichment and improve the adoptability of DCHS animals, and B) ensure safe handling in the shelter environment
• Create and implement positive reinforcement training protocols
• Direct and support to volunteers and staff on the basics of positive reinforcement training protocols
• Oversee training and behavior support to foster parents
• Provide surrender, adoption, foster and post-adoption counseling as needed in coordination with other departments

Qualifications/Requirements:

• B.A. or B.S. required, with specialized education in an animal behavior field; M.Sc. or M.A. preferred.
• Certification in animal behavior/training from a nationally recognized certifying body (ex: ABS, IAABC, CCPDT) is required.
• 5+ years’ experience working with animals in captivity such as in animal shelters or zoos.
• 2+ years’ management experience, preferably in an animal-related industry; experience managing a behavior team in a shelter strongly preferred
• Expertise in dog behavior is particularly required.
• Exceptional leadership skills with the ability to inspire, influence and motivate teams through change
• Demonstrated success leading teams with a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and high performance
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Sincere desire to make a positive difference in the lives of animals by using only positive, science-based training and behavior modification methods
• Must possess or acquire a thorough understanding and dedication to the philosophies of animal welfare and DCHS