Chief of Veterinary Services

Pima County • Tucson, AZ

18h • $163,321 - $244,940

About The Position

The Chief Veterinarian serves as the senior clinical leader for a complex, high-volume animal welfare system spanning Pima County’s 9,200 square miles. This role directs the full veterinary operation within an open-admissions shelter environment, where compassionate, high-quality care must be delivered across a wide spectrum of medical and behavioral conditions. Reporting to executive leadership, the Chief Veterinarian provides oversight and mentorship to a team of staff veterinarians, while partnering closely with a robust clinic support structure that includes a clinic operations manager, operations coordinator, surgery and triage supervisors, and veterinary technical staff. Together, this team supports an annual intake of approximately 19,000 animals, in addition to managing the medical care of roughly 1,200 animals in foster at any given time. The veterinary program operates at significant scale and pace, performing an average of 40 spay/neuter surgeries daily while also responding to emergency intakes, including those generated by Animal Protection Services (APS). The Chief Veterinarian ensures clinical excellence, operational efficiency, and humane outcomes across all service areas, balancing population-level medicine with individualized care. This position also plays a critical role in advancing animal welfare and public accountability, as APS impound cases frequently involve forensic medical evaluation and require expert veterinary testimony in court related to cruelty and neglect. The Chief Veterinarian must therefore bring not only strong clinical and leadership expertise, but also the ability to operate effectively at the intersection of medicine, law enforcement, and community service. This classification is in the unclassified service and is exempt from the Pima County Merit System Rules.

Requirements

• Current Arizona license to practice veterinary medicine (per A.R.S. 32-2215 et seq) AND four years of experience in administration or supervision in veterinary care or medicine, animal care/control or a closely related field as determined by the appointing authority at the time of recruitment.
• Qualifying education and experience must be clearly documented in the "Education" and "Work Experience" sections of the application.
• Do not substitute a resume for your application or write "see resume" on your application.

Nice To Haves

• Minimum five (5) years experience as a Veterinarian.
• Minimum three (3) years experience in high volume or emergency veterinary setting.
• Minimum five (5) years experience overseeing a team in a veterinary setting.

Responsibilities

• Directs all veterinary, pharmaceutical and clinical operations in the PACC facility
• Performs daily observations and examinations of impounded animals or directs other staff veterinarians or veterinary service providers to conduct such observations and examinations of impounded animals, including evaluating the activities of staff veterinarians or veterinarians providing veterinary services to the animal care activity/facilities
• Examines/assesses impounded and found animals that have bitten humans for symptoms of rabies and directs quarantine and/or euthanasia and post-mortem analyses to determine presence/absence of rabies
• Documents animal welfare medical investigations and the identification of rabies in impounded or found animals, and assures proper notification of local/state health agencies, individuals who have been in contact with rabies-infected animals and their physicians, health-care and public health agencies
• Conducts animal alteration surgeries, or oversees those conducted by staff veterinarians or veterinary service providers
• Manages the control, security, record keeping and use of controlled drugs by staff and veterinary service contractors in the PACC and ensures conformance with local, state and federal laws, rules and regulations to maintain the facility and personal Drug Enforcement Agency licenses and permits
• Advises PACC, Public Health management and the Board of Health on all veterinary issues or aspects impacting County operations, public health and welfare
• Develops and provides outreach briefings and presentations to boards, commissions and the public on veterinary issues, veterinary services in response to identified/requested needs, which may include grant-writing and the PACC
• May testify in court as an expert witness relative to veterinary issues related to PACC operations.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Executive
• Education Level: No Education Listed
• Number of Employees: 1,001-5,000 employees