Animal Welfare & Field Services Manager

Reporting to the Executive Director, the Animal Welfare & Field Services Manager is the agency’s senior leader responsible for animal care and behavior, field services, humane law enforcement, cruelty investigations, and related public-safety operations. The position directs Animal Care Technicians, Field Services Officers, and other assigned staff and establishes professional standards for animal welfare, investigations, evidence management, officer safety, capacity for care, and behavioral well-being.

As a member of the Leadership Team, the Manager translates organizational priorities into effective programs, policies, and operating practices. The position provides leadership during complex investigations, search-warrant responses, large-scale seizures, emergencies, and other critical incidents and ensures compliance with applicable laws, court requirements, professional standards, and agency policies.

This position requires exceptional customer service skills and a genuine desire to make a positive impact in the community. Presents a positive, enthusiastic, and professional image when representing Joint Animal Services internally and externally.  Models and promotes a diverse and inclusive staff culture that is friendly and outgoing, collaborative, and free of judgment. 

May serve as the Executive Director in their absence.

Please note: The Hiring Manager reserves the right to make changes to this posting at any time.

First round interviews are tentatively scheduled for October 14, 2026.

Second round interviews are tentatively scheduled for November 4, 2026.

*This recruitment may be used to fill other positions of the same job classification. Once all the position(s) from the recruitment announcement are filled, the recruitment may only be used to fill additional open positions for the next six (6) months.*These duties include but are not limited to the following:  

Team Leadership and Development

• Directs and supervises Animal Care Technicians, Field Services Officers, and other assigned staff, including recruitment, scheduling, work assignment, coaching, performance management, corrective action, and staff development.
• Ensures effective staffing and deployment across field services and animal welfare operations based on service demand, call priority, animal care needs, officer safety, and organizational capacity.
• Establishes professional and technical standards for assigned staff and provides or coordinates continuing education, cross-training, scenario-based instruction, leadership development, and succession planning.
• Promotes a respectful, inclusive, collaborative, service-oriented, and professionally impartial workplace culture.
• Establishes professional development expectations for Field Services Officers and Animal Care Technicians, including continuing education, cross-training, leadership development, and succession planning.
• Enhances the investigative and technical skills of Field Services Officers through case reviews, coaching, mentoring, scenario-based training, and quality assurance. Ensures that officers receive continuous training in investigative interviewing, report writing, constitutional issues, search and seizure procedures, evidence handling, courtroom testimony, and relevant animal laws.

Field Services 

• Directs day-to-day field services operations, including call prioritization, deployment of officers, workload management, service-level monitoring, and response to urgent or complex incidents, and provides technical guidance in complex cruelty, neglect, abandonment, animal fighting, dangerous-dog, and other animal-related cases.
• Establishes a call-prioritization framework and provides supervisory field support for urgent, complex, or potentially hostile incidents. Ensures consistent and equitable application of laws, ordinances, policies, and professional discretion.
• Promotes community-centered field practices, including education, problem-solving, voluntary compliance, access to resources, alternatives to impoundment when appropriate, and enforcement proportionate to the circumstances.
• Oversees the effective use of field equipment, vehicles, permitting systems, shelter-management software, licensing systems, and related operational technology.
• Establishes and monitors officer-safety, risk-assessment, de-escalation, field-communication, personal-protective-equipment, and law-enforcement-assistance protocols. 
• Reviews investigative reports, probable-cause documentation, affidavits, citations, notices, case files, and prosecution referrals for legal sufficiency, completeness, accuracy, and adherence to agency standards.
• Oversees the Animal Cruelty Response Team Volunteer and Foster Program, including recruitment, training, continuing education, readiness, and activation for warrant responses and large-scale cases.
• Serves, or designates a qualified staff member to serve, as Lead Investigator or incident lead for complex investigations, search warrant operations, large-scale seizures, and other critical responses.
• Develops and oversees operational plans for complex cases, including staffing, scene safety, evidence collection, animal documentation, transportation, forensic veterinary evaluation, housing, placement, and resource coordination.
• Reviews dangerous-dog, potentially dangerous-dog, and other administrative appeal files to ensure accuracy, completeness, and compliance before final agency action.
• Provides or coordinates testimony in criminal, civil, administrative, dangerous-dog, and other legal proceedings.
• Monitors court and administrative proceedings and maintains required case-status information.

Animal Welfare

• Directs animal care and behavior operations, including daily care, population flow, enrichment, behavioral well-being, capacity for care, and humane handling.
• Ensures shelter operations comply with applicable laws, veterinary direction, organizational policies, and recognized professional standards, including the Guidelines for Standards of Care in Animal Shelters.
• Establishes performance standards and quality assurance processes for sanitation, feeding, housing, enrichment, animal observation, documentation, and timely escalation of medical or behavioral concerns.
• Oversees, supervises, and trains staff in animal handling in accordance with Fear Free Certification best practices and euthanizing animals according to established procedures, including proper documentation required by law. 
• Oversees behavior and enrichment practices and ensures behavioral information is documented and appropriately incorporated into handling, housing, foster, transfer, adoption, safety, and outcome decisions.
• Collaborates with veterinary and operations staff regarding population management, disease control, housing decisions, length of stay, placement pathways, and animals with complex medical or behavioral needs.

Data, Quality Assurance, and Program Accountability

• Develops and monitors performance measures and uses operational data, case audits, quality-assurance reviews, staff feedback, and community concerns to identify trends, service gaps, risks, and opportunities for improvement.
• Prepares regular and annual reports in coordination with the Operations Manager and Executive Director and advises the Executive Director regarding significant cases, service demands, program outcomes, emerging risks, resource needs, and recommended changes.
• Provides subject-matter review and assistance for public records requests related to field services, investigations, and animal care in coordination with the staff responsible for records administration.
• Develops, maintains, and evaluates policies, standard operating procedures, safety protocols, and professional standards for assigned functions.
• Establishes and audits evidence-management and case-documentation practices, including collection, preservation, storage, chain of custody, release, disposition, legal compliance, and readiness for proceedings.

Budget Management

• Develops recommendations regarding staffing, vehicles, equipment, training, technology, contracted services, and other resources needed to support field services and animal welfare operations.
• Coordinates with the Operations Manager and appropriate City departments regarding purchasing, payroll, personnel processes, technology, contracts, and other administrative support needed for assigned programs.
• Manages assigned program budgets and administrative responsibilities, including payroll review, purchasing, inventory, credit-card compliance, contracts, and audit requirements.
• Maintains operational relationships with contract jurisdictions and verifies service information necessary for contract administration and billing.

Other duties as assigned

• May provide operational support during emergencies, critical staffing shortages, large-scale cases, or other exceptional circumstances.
• Participates in an assigned leadership on-call rotation and responds to significant after-hours incidents involving field services, animal welfare, public safety, or organizational continuity.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

H.S. Diploma or G.E.D. ANDfour (4) years of practical work experience in the care and handling of animals in an animal shelter, the veterinary field or similar work environment, including two (2) years’ direct work experience in a busy, public oriented office with practical experience relating to the work activities and responsibilities of the position.  Must have one (1) year of supervisory or lead experience, which may have been obtained concurrent.  An Associate’s Degree in Veterinarian Technology or Biology, Certification as a Veterinary Technician or closely related field AND two (2) years of practical work experience in the care and handling of animals in an animal shelter, the veterinary field or similar work environment, including two (2) years’ direct work experience in a busy, public oriented office with practical experience relating to the work activities and responsibilities of the position. Must have one (1) year of supervisory or lead experience, which may have been obtained concurrently.  

*May have a combination of experience, education, and training that would substitute for the above requirements.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS OR LICENSE(S):

• Must complete a Personal History Statement, must pass a thorough background investigation and successfully complete pre-employment medical testing for the ability to perform the essential functions of the position.
• Must maintain a level of physical and mental fitness necessary to perform the essential functions of the position, with or without a reasonable accommodation.
• Must be attentive to job safety considerations and follows all required safety policies, procedures, and techniques. 
• Must possess a valid Washington State driver’s license at time of hire OR must obtain within 30 days from date of hire, and must have a driving record acceptable to the City and the City’s insurance carrier. 
• Must be certified in legend drugs and euthanasia procedures within one (1) year of the date of hire.
• Must attend the Animal Control Officer Academy with the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission within one (1) year from the date of hire.
• Must possess and/or be able to obtain an industrial first aid card within one (1) year from date of hire. 
• Must have the ability to work a flexible schedule (evenings and/or weekends) when required. 
• Verification of identity and United States work authorization must be completed as required by the Immigration Reform and Control Act.

Knowledge of:

• Criminal and administrative investigative principles, including probable cause, investigative interviewing, report writing, search warrants, constitutional considerations, evidence management, chain of custody, and courtroom testimony.
• Roles and responsibilities of law enforcement agencies, prosecutors, courts, forensic veterinarians, expert witnesses, and animal services agencies in animal-related cases.
• Federal, state, and local animal-control and animal-cruelty laws; law-enforcement protocols; court and administrative processes; and associated documentation requirements.
• Animal behavior, humane handling, capture equipment, staff safety, and recognized animal-welfare practices, including Fear Free principles and the Association of Shelter Veterinarians Guidelines for Standards of Care in Animal Shelters.
• Capacity for care, population management, enrichment, disease prevention and control, behavioral well-being, and humane outcome decision-making.
• Common office, communications, records, and shelter-management technology, including word-processing, spreadsheet, presentation, and online systems.

Skill in:

• Applying sound judgment and professional discretion when interpreting and enforcing animal-related laws and explaining regulatory requirements to staff, volunteers, animal owners, and the public.
• Leading, reviewing, and evaluating cruelty investigations and related enforcement actions, including investigative reports, affidavits, warrant materials, evidence records, citations, declarations, and prosecution referrals.
• Building and maintaining working relationships with law enforcement agencies, prosecutors, courts, forensic veterinarians, jurisdictional partners, animal welfare organizations, and other agencies; coordinates joint investigations and interagency procedures.
• Providing clear, credible, and professional testimony in court and administrative proceedings.
• Developing policies and procedures, managing projects, evaluating technology solutions, and using office and shelter-management software effectively.
• Handling sensitive information and communicating with tact, diplomacy, clarity, and appropriate confidentiality.
• Preparing or reviewing investigative reports, affidavits, search warrant materials, evidence records, citations, declarations, and prosecution referrals.
• Providing clear, credible, and professional testimony in court and administrative proceedings.
• Leading personnel during search warrants, seizures, disasters, and other critical incidents.

Ability to:

• Evaluate complex investigations, identify legal or evidentiary deficiencies, and direct appropriate follow-up.
• Develop Field Services Officers into capable, consistent, and professional humane law enforcement investigators.
• Balance public safety, animal welfare, legal requirements, community needs, staff safety, and available resources when making decisions.
• Build and maintain effective working relationships with staff, volunteers, community members, law enforcement, prosecutors, courts, veterinary professionals, animal welfare organizations, jurisdictional partners, and other stakeholders.
• Communicate clearly, credibly, and diplomatically, both verbally and in writing, including when explaining regulations or conveying complex, sensitive, or contentious information.
• Interpret and apply federal, state, and local animal-control requirements; maintain accurate operational, investigative, and public records; and protect confidential information.
• Use animal-capture and care equipment safely and learn specialized technology, shelter-management systems, and care practices for dogs, cats, reptiles, birds, and small mammals.
• Analyze complex or high-stress situations, establish priorities, select an effective course of action, coordinate multiple projects, and meet deadlines.
• Work independently and collaboratively, exercise initiative, generate practical improvements, and apply project-management principles to shelter and field operations.
• Organize and participate in community outreach activities and represent Joint Animal Services with professionalism, fairness, compassion, and a service-oriented approach.