Supervisor, Lifesaving & Care

Best Friends Animal Society (Company); United States; On-site; USD 70,304 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

Best Friends Animal Society Lifesaving & Care Supervisor for the Kitten and Puppy Nursery is based in Los Angeles, CA. You will lead staff and volunteers, oversee daily lifesaving activities, and ensure high standards of animal care, operations, and customer service in a collaborative environment.

The role focuses on developing and implementing strategies to increase lifesaving capacity through foster engagement, volunteer development, and cross-department partnerships, balancing strategic

Qualifications

• High School Diploma or GED required; additional education in animal welfare, leadership, animal related programs, or related field preferred.
• 1-3 years’ experience leading teams, supervising staff, or equivalent work experience leading volunteers and implementing new programs.
• 1-2 years’ experience working in animal welfare in a shelter environment with shelter medicine, foster programs or veterinary medicine.
• Strong communications skills: written, verbal, organizational, and presentation skills.
• Bilingual or multilingual skills preferred but not required.

Responsibilities

• Provide day-to-day leadership through coaching, scheduling, hiring, onboarding, and training while ensuring team members have the knowledge, resources, and feedback needed to achieve their fullest potential.
• Coordinate daily lifesaving outcomes & care, including supply inventory and ordering, maintenance of storage areas, animal intake, feeding, cleaning, enrichment, transport, walking, daily care, and medicating animals.

Skills

Leadership experience

Animal welfare knowledge

Team coordination

Strong communication skills

Volunteer management

Education

High School Diploma or GED

Tools

Microsoft Office

Shelter software

Job description

Position Title

Supervisor, Lifesaving & Care (Kitten and Puppy Nursery)

Location

Los Angeles, Pet Adoption Center-1845 Pontius Los Angeles, CA 90025

Hiring Range

$70,304-$75,000 annually, depending on experience.

Position Summary

Lifesaving & Care Supervisors are responsible for conducting and overseeing the daily functions, and growth of lifesaving programs including outcomes, foster and direct animal care for animals in our program locations at the direction of their managers. This role leads staff, volunteers, and daily program execution while ensuring exceptional standards of animal care, operational excellence, and customer service. Lifesaving & Care Supervisors work closely with their leadership to develop and implement strategies that increase lifesaving capacity through foster engagement, volunteer development, efficient operations, and collaborative partnerships across departments. This is a highly collaborative, hands‑on leadership role that balances strategic thinking with day‑to‑day operational oversight. Supervisors act with urgency to accomplish important tasks and play a direct role in achieving Best Friends Animal Society’s no‑kill mission and organizational success. Supervisors may receive intensive assignments in a particular program, based on organizational needs.

Culture Statement and Responsibility

We believe in treating everyone with kindness and compassion, building trust through authenticity and following through on commitments. We prioritize well‑being alongside our mission, fostering strong relationships through open communication and transparent feedback. Diversity and inclusion are integral to our culture, enriching team dynamics by valuing diverse perspectives. Each team member is responsible for creating an inclusive environment where all voices are respected and contributing to a workplace that embodies our shared values and commitment to progress. By consistently aligning our actions with our Guiding Principles, we strengthen our culture and ensure that our values are lived every day.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Provide day‑to‑day leadership through coaching, scheduling, hiring, onboarding, and training while ensuring team members have the knowledge, resources, and feedback needed to achieve their fullest potential in support of Best Friends’ mission. Work alongside staff and volunteers to coordinate daily lifesaving outcomes & care, including supply inventory and ordering, maintain onsite and off‑site storage areas, animal intake, emergency communications, feeding, cleaning, enrichment, transport, walking, daily care, and medicating animals housed or transported within Best Friends’ vehicles or facilities. Implement approved treatment protocols, follow policies, procedures, and task lists, and ensure accurate and timely communications and record‑keeping. Provide thoughtful feedback regarding end‑of‑life decisions for Best Friends Program animals, balancing medical and behavioral considerations with their well‑being and quality of life. Ensure that all decisions are approached with care, respect, and commitment to minimizing suffering while honoring our mission to save Them All. Carry out euthanasia for program animals when necessary, upholding the highest standards of compassion and ethical responsibility while ensuring all organizational policies are followed, including the appropriate logging of all controlled substances as directed by the Veterinarian of Record. Collaborate with Admissions, Medical, Adoptions, Foster, Marketing teams, and other teams to assess animal capacity, determine lifesaving priorities, monitor population trends and length of stay, and implement strategies that increase placement opportunities and lifesaving outcomes. Support foster caregivers and volunteers through responsive communication, vaccine appointments, medical follow‑up, training, coaching, education resources, and direct operational support during periods of increased program demand. Recruit, train, engage, and retain volunteers to expand lifesaving capacity across Nursery and Foster programs, including creating meaningful opportunities, facilitating orientations and trainings, and partnering with Community and Volunteer Engagement teams on recruitment and retention. Serve as a Best Friends ambassador in media relations when requested and provide exceptional customer service in all interactions, responding to questions and concerns, developing strong community partnerships, and matching animals with adopters, fosters, and transfer partners through thoughtful, relationship‑focused conversations that support positive constituent experiences and lifesaving outcomes. Lead the maintenance of a safe, organized, and compliant workplace by modeling safe work practices, ensuring adherence to organizational safety standards, medical protocols, and operational procedures. Proactively identify and communicate unsafe conditions or practices to leadership. Promote continuous improvement and accountability, and perform other duties as assigned in support of Best Friends Animal Society’s lifesaving mission.

Skills and Experience

High School Diploma or GED required; additional education in animal welfare, leadership, animal related programs, or related field preferred. 1‑3 years’ experience leading teams, supervising staff, or equivalent work experience leading volunteers and implementing new programs. 1‑2 years’ experience working in animal welfare in a shelter environment with shelter medicine, foster programs or veterinary medicine. Strong communications skills: written, verbal, organizational, and presentation skills. Experience facilitating trainings and presenting to groups preferred. Bilingual or multilingual skills preferred but not required. Customer‑centric, non‑judgmental, and solution‑oriented approach to engaging with adopters, partners, visitors, volunteers, and colleagues. Ability to work with, leash, kennel, walk, and handle cats and dogs, including those with health and/or behavior conditions/concerns; ability to identify and speak to medical and behavioral characteristics of dogs and cats. Strong interpersonal skills, a team player, personable, professional, and able to get along with people from different backgrounds, as well as the ability to handle sensitive and confidential situations. Ability to work in a fast‑paced environment with well‑developed organization skills to juggle multiple competing tasks and demands. Resourceful, adaptable, get‑it‑done attitude; initiative to assist in any area or process; problem solving, seeking answers independently and enthusiastically; flexibility to persist until goals are achieved. Proficiency with Microsoft Office products; familiarity with shelter software/animal management software, or desire to learn.

Physical & Other Requirements

Must be able to routinely lift 40 pounds. Perform daily strenuous activity including, but not limited to, lifting, carrying, kneeling, reaching, stooping, squatting, cleaning, bending, and standing for extended periods. Perform repetitive tasks for extended periods of time including typing, sitting, walking, arm, and hand motion. Work indoors and outdoors in a variety of weather conditions including extreme heat and cold. Exposure to dogs, cats and other animals of all sizes, temperaments, and medical status. Daily hours and days of the week may vary according to the needs of the department schedule; position includes weekends, evenings, nights, holiday work, and rotating on‑call responsibilities. After‑hours flexibility to monitor a designated phone line for urgent foster care, staff, or volunteer‑related issues, such as animal emergencies, or scheduling issues. This responsibility may be assigned on a rotating schedule or as needed based on program demands.

Equal Opportunity Statement

Best Friends Animal Society is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to their race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, disability, marital status, or domestic partner status. Applicants for employment in the U.S. must have valid work authorization that does not now and/or will not in the future require sponsorship of a visa for employment authorization in the U.S. by Best Friends Animal Society.