Behavior & Training Supervisor

San Diego Humane Society; Oceanside (CA); On-site; USD 41,000 - 45,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive pay and paid time-off

Comprehensive benefits package

403(b) retirement plan with 5% match

Free pet adoptions, vaccines and spay"

Birthday Day Off

Job summary

San Diego Humane Society is seeking a full-time Behavior & Training Supervisor for the Oceanside Campus. You will supervise staff, coordinate care for animals in training programs, and mentor team members to ensure compassionate, high‑standard service.

Requirements include an associate degree or coursework, CPDT-KA (or advanced degree in animal behavior), and at least three years of related experience. You’ll work 40 hours weekly at our Oceanside location with competitive pay and benefits.

Qualifications

• Associate degree or coursework sufficient to perform duties.
• CPDT-KA certification or advanced degree in animal behavior.
• Three years of full-time related experience with animals in a kennel, shelter, or veterinary setting.
• Ability to handle the physical and emotional aspects of shelter work, including euthanasia.

Responsibilities

• Supervise Behavior & Training staff, including hiring recommendations, orientation, coaching and performance evaluations.
• Lead development and execution of behavior programs, housing and care plans for enrolled animals.
• Develop enhanced programs to support transition from enrollment to adoption and post-adoption support.
• Provide professional case reviews and recommendations on challenging cases, including euthanasia considerations.
• Coordinate with leadership to implement training, behavior modification and enrichment across cats and dogs.

Skills

CPDT-KA certification

Supervisory experience

Animal handling experience

Education

Associate’s degree or equivalent coursework

Job description

Job Details: Job Location: Oceanside Campus - Oceanside, CA 92058, Position Type: Full-Time, Salary Range: $29.61 - $32.61 Hourly, Job Category: Behavior & Training, San Diego Humane Society is hiring a full-time Behavior & Training Supervisor for our Oceanside team!

How you’ll impact our mission:

At San Diego Humane Society, we’re united by our mission to Inspire Compassion, providing hope and advancing the welfare of animals and people. The Behavior &Training (B&T) Supervisor is responsible for the direct supervision and completion of duties of B&T staff at the Oceanside Campus. This position plays a vital role in coordinating care for animals enrolled in training programs, mentoring staff, collaborating across departments and helping pets transition successfully into new homes.

This role delivers service at the gold standard level in alignment with the SDHS Way, to meet the needs of animals and the people who love them by leading with compassion, finding creative solutions, providing personalized care and building connections. If you’re passionate about making an impact in the animal welfare movement, we’d love to talk to you.

What’s in it for you?

At SDHS, we’re proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer and commit to being a place where every person – staff, volunteer, and guest – can feel a sense of belonging. We support and invest in employees through conscious delivery of benefits and a workplace environment based on our Core Values.

As an employee you’ll enjoy:

• Competitive pay and paid time-off (including your Birthday Day Off!)
• Comprehensive benefits package, training and well-being programs
• 403(b) retirement plan with 5% match after 1 year
• Free pet adoptions, pet vaccines and spay/neuter services
• and so much more!

What you’ll do:

• Supervise B&T staff including making recommendations for hiring and termination. Provides orientation, training, coaching for success, conducts performance appraisals, and issues corrective action as needed.
• Take a lead role in development and implementation of behavior program activities including assessment of candidates for enrollment, setting of behavior intervention plans, animal re-checks, working with the animal services team and leadership on housing and care requirements, recommending housing changes if needed to assist in behavioral improvement/maintenance, assigning cases to staff trainers, supervise progress of cases, etc.
• Develop and implement enhanced programs to aid in transition from enrollment to Adoptions, and from Adoptions into the new home, and for continued support of adopters and animals once in the new home.
• Provide professional opinions while writing case reviews and recommendations on cases that are not showing progress or are deteriorating, up to and including recommendations for humane euthanasia utilizing the SDAWC Asilomar Conditions list. Participate in leadership discussions regarding all options for Behavior and Training cases, including euthanasia.
• Under the direction of the Associate Director of Behavior Programs, develop and coordinate the implementation of animal training, behavior modification, and enrichment programs for cats and dogs.

What we’re looking for:

• Requires an associate’s degree in related field or completion of sufficient coursework to successfully perform the required duties of the position.
• CPDT-KA certification or equivalent certification is required, or another advanced degree in the field of animal behavior.
• Requires three (3) years of full-time related, paid experience working with animals in a kennel, shelter, or veterinary environment, or any equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Must be able to handle the physical and emotional aspect of work in an animal shelter environment, including the use of euthanasia.
• Prior supervisory experience highly preferred.
• Must become an SDHS Certified Euthanasia Technician (CET) within twelve (12) months of employment and maintain certification.
• Must have a valid driver’s license and be approved by SDHS insurance carrier to drive a company or personal vehicle for work purposes.

Location & Hours: Based at our Oceanside Campus. This position works 40 hours per week.

Pay: Starting range is between $29.61 – $32.61 per hour.

The listed hiring range for this position depicts the target range of pay rates for candidates. The maximum of the hiring range is reserved for candidates with the highest qualifications and relevant experience. Compensation for internal candidates may increase beyond the listed range based on performance over time. For all candidates, the actual starting pay rate is determined by a variety of factors, including but not limited to your years of related education and experience, internal pay equity, and position location.