Kennel Manager

Humane Society of the North Bay; Sonoma (CA); On-site; USD 42,000 - 64,000; Full time

Job summary

An animal welfare organization in Sonoma, California, is seeking a Kennel Manager to oversee animal care and manage kennel operations. The ideal candidate will supervise staff to ensure humane treatment, maintain accurate documentation for animal intakes, and ensure quality animal care is provided. Strong communication skills and the ability to perform in high-stress environments are required. The role includes physical demands such as lifting and handling animals of various ages under potentially challenging conditions.

Qualifications

• Good written and oral communication skills.
• Ability to operate standard office equipment and computer systems.
• Ability to lift up to 50 pounds alone.
• Understand and possess general animal handling skills for dogs and cats; basic animal behavior knowledge.
• Excellent customer service skills when dealing with internal and external customers.
• Recognize and understand de‑escalation techniques to help ensure a calmer experience in the shelter.
• Ability to listen intently, make decisions based on facts, and deal with high‑stress environments calmly and professionally.

Responsibilities

• Ensure humane management and treatment of all animals.
• Supervise kennel staff and ensure adherence to procedures.
• Help ensure animals sent to the Adoption Center have complete intake files.
• Supervise daily care, cleaning, and medical issue identification.
• Manage product/supply deliveries and daily policy reporting to accounting.
• Schedule tasks so animal care remains the priority with twice-daily care.

Skills

Good written and oral communication skills

Ability to operate standard office equipment

Ability to lift up to 50 pounds

General animal handling skills

Excellent customer service skills

De-escalation techniques

Capable of making decisions in high-stress environments

Job description

Job Title: Kennel Manager

Reports To: Executive Director

Department: Kennel Operations

Position Summary

The Kennel Manager oversees the overall health and welfare of all the animals at the Humane Society of the North Bay. The Kennel Manager owns several core responsibilities including managing inventory/ordering for all critical supplies, reporting daily animal inventory and dog pairing, and training and directing kennel staff and volunteers.

Key Responsibilities

• Ensure humane management and treatment of all animals in HSNB’s care.
• Supervise all kennel staff, ensuring that staff are trained in the Standard Operating Procedures relevant to their duties and that these are followed.
• Help ensure all animals sent to the Adoption Center have complete intake files, working with the Consulting Vet to resolve any gaps discovered.
• Supervise staff to ensure that all animals receive daily care and cleaning, kennel cards are present and updated, and medical issues are identified and addressed.
• Help ensure all product/supply deliveries are accurate and submitted to accounting daily per policy.
• Task scheduling: ensure animal care is always the priority, with all animals on‑site receiving food, water and cage or kennel cleaning at least twice daily.
• Manage adoption partner organizations and serve as secondary point of contact; ensure accurate processing of adoption partner animal transfers.
• Work with Spay/Neuter partner organizations to ensure scheduling is complete; record appropriate information on animal records.
• Ensure all animal processing is complete and accurate; update licensing program and surrender records as required.
• Ensure the facility is locked and all animals are secure at the end of each shift and be on call for emergency alarms.
• Provide “back‑up” animal caregiver coverage and create behavior plans for identified dogs.
• Monitor animal care area for needed repairs and report to Facilities Committee.
• Maintain clean, sanitized and organized animal care area; manage ongoing ordering of food, cleaning supplies and other animal care items.

Qualifications

• Good written and oral communication skills.
• Ability to operate standard office equipment and computer systems.
• Ability to lift up to 50 pounds alone and stand, bend, move and twist often for short to long periods of time.
• Understand and possess general animal handling skills for dogs and cats; basic animal behavior knowledge.
• Excellent customer service skills when dealing with internal and external customers.
• Recognize and understand de‑escalation techniques to help ensure a calmer experience in the shelter.
• Ability to listen intently, make decisions based on facts, and deal with high‑stress environments calmly and professionally.

Physical & Working Conditions

• Possible exposure to dangerous, diseased, frightened and injured animals.
• Must be comfortable handling dogs and cats of any age in a stressful environment.
• Physical restraint may be required to safely control animals (e.g., leashes, bite poles, towel wraps).
• Possible exposure to chemicals and prescribed veterinary drugs; frequent exposure to household and industrial cleaning supplies.
• Indoor and outdoor work in all weather conditions; exposure to animal feces, urine, vomit and blood.
• Emotional demands include witnessing animal abuse, neglect, terminal illness and euthanasia.