Dog Care Manager (PM Shift)

CommonSpirit Health • Austin, TX

7d • Onsite

About The Position

Dog Care Manager - PM Shifts

Austin Pets Alive! (APA!) is one of Austin’s most dynamic and beloved nonprofits. The organization leads the No Kill movement nationally and is considered a national thought leader in animal welfare. APA! locally rescues, treats, and adopts out 10,000 homeless dogs and cats each year, providing the safety net for Austin’s most at-risk shelter pets, which helps Austin to be a No Kill city, while also assisting other communities in saving homeless animals. The organization is distinguished by the scrappiness of its grassroots and its non-traditional, community-based animal rescue work.

At APA!, care professionals are valued as animal champions, advocates, and guardians. Their passion and strong bonds glue the mission itself together. We believe quality care is dependent on quality relationships, because those relationships teach us about the individual animal and inform us of what we can share about them with others, in hopes of them finding a home. APA! encourages strong connections not just for the welfare of pets, but for purpose-driven people too.

BRIEF POSITION SUMMARY/OVERVIEW: The Dog Care Manager oversees operations for the standard dog population at APA!, focusing primarily on the TLAC campus. This includes daily outings, kennel cleaning, feeding, and other animal case management activities. They also serve as a Manager on Duty (MOD) figure who is the primary point of contact when various needs and questions arise. In collaboration with other staff and volunteer teammates, this position ensures animal care at APA! is equitable, timely, and integrated for dogs, cats, puppies, and kittens.

The Dog Care Manager leads and oversees the strategic direction, growth, and daily operations of APA!’s care program. This role ensures alignment with APA!’s broader mission to increase the live release rate across Texas, while building a sustainable, inclusive, and high-impact model for shelter operations.

The Dog Care Manager is responsible for managing daily workflows, supervising staff, and setting clear, mission-aligned goals. This includes creating structured plans, tracking progress toward outcomes, and ensuring accountability and follow-through on team priorities. The role uses data to guide decisions and helps keep the team focused on consistent, measurable impact. This is a leadership role rooted in empowerment, facilitation, and values-driven oversight.

Rather than working independently, the Dog Care Manager sets the tone that APA! is a volunteer-powered organization—every staff member is expected to work collaboratively with volunteers and to help create meaningful opportunities for them to lead and contribute. This includes pairing with volunteers to complete day-to-day tasks, modeling strong partnership, and developing a culture of shared effort and team accountability.

This position requires a high level of responsiveness and Manager on Duty (MOD) availability. The work is often fast-paced and dynamic, with weekend or shift flexibility expected. While APA! strongly encourages work-life balance, during on-duty shifts, the Dog Care Manager is expected to be highly present, solutions-oriented, and ready to support the team with real-time problem-solving.

Every individual at APA! is responsible for working in collaboration with volunteers; making sure volunteers are recruited, trained and feel impactful through their efforts at APA!. A core part of this role is creating a welcoming and empowering experience for volunteers, including assisting with onboarding, training, and volunteer engagement as part of the day-to-day workflow.

Requirements

• 1 year+ experience in management role
• Commitment to the wellbeing of every animal in the organization’s care
• Excellent communication skills and ability to work with passionate people
• Knowledge of and passion for the No Kill movement and its aims in Austin and throughout the region
• Strong work ethic with a proven track record of accomplishment
• Must be able to pass dog walking training and follow the dog handling procedures and safety protocols
• Continue to review and revise all practices to achieve a shorter service time without sacrificing quality or oversight
• Maintain a positive and enthusiastic attitude
• Committed to embodying APA!’s Core Values: Innovation, Respect, Drive, Resourcefulness, and Inclusion and cultural values: Humble, Hungry, Smart
• Commitment to APA!'s customer experience expectations
• Passion for working well with staff, volunteers, and customers—helping all individuals feel successful, appreciated, and connected to APA!’s mission
• Strong commitment to volunteer engagement and support; dedicated to working well with volunteers across all roles
• Comfortable working cross-functionally and serving as a liaison between volunteers, customers, and team members
• Effective written and verbal communication skills; able to interpret rules, procedures, and instructional materials
• Self-starter with strong time management; able to work independently and collaboratively
• Excellent interpersonal skills; maintains a calm and professional presence in all situations
• Strong attention to detail and high standards for quality
• Adaptable to change and able to perform related duties as needed
• Dedicated to delivering an exceptional and inclusive customer experience
• Must be able to routinely lift 40-50 pounds
• Must be able to work around animals (including diseased, injured, and/or potentially aggressive animals), loud noises, chlorine or other chemicals, and inclement weather
• Be able to bend and use your arms in a repetitive manner
• Can be on one’s feet for an entire 8-hour shift
• Must be able to handle and walk large dogs that pull and jump

Responsibilities

• In partnership with the other Dog Care Manager (AM Shift), oversees the management, organization, decision-making, problem-solving, implementation, and communication associated with Dog Care at APA!
• Manages personnel and administrative tasks including recruiting and onboarding new staff and volunteers, creating staff schedules, resolving interpersonal disputes, and other activities as needed
• Develops and strengthens relationships with other APA! Managers, leaders, and volunteers to help build a “one team” ethos around the mission
• Works in collaboration with staff and volunteers to assure that all dogs and puppies attain and maintain the highest practical level of physical and mental well-being and quality of life
• Evaluates the performance and documentation of care staff and volunteers to ensure they are following a “case management” framework and addressing individualized needs of animals within reason in the shelter environment
• Builds care team training and leadership development initiatives
• Owns quality improvement activities including rounds, problem identification, and resolution
• Facilitates efficient operations, including staff and volunteer assignments
• Responds in a leadership capacity to TLAC emergency situations and notifications
• Performs MOD tasks when on-site, including management of the MOD inbox (customer feedback, rescue requests, record entry, and reporting), hands-on assistance of on-site teams whenever necessary, customer assistance, and inter-team liaisons
• Acts as a hands-on helper with all tasks and duties when team capacity is limited, or when it acts as a strategic use of time and skills
• Works and covers all care time shifts as needed or requested
• Enhances department and organization reputation by accepting ownership for accomplishing new and different requests, and by exploring opportunities to add value to job accomplishments
• Communicates the goals, policies, and procedures of APA!, and develops plans to implement those needs
• Foster and model a volunteer-powered culture across the team by ensuring that every staff member is partnered with volunteers on every shift, with the goal of empowering volunteers to lead and grow within the program.
• Serve as a facilitator and coach to staff and volunteers, ensuring the work is shared, not siloed, and that volunteers are supported in completing daily tasks.
• Ensure active recruitment, onboarding, and engagement of volunteers using volunteer engagement tools and resources
• Support retention by matching volunteers to appropriate tasks, offering guidance, and providing regular check-ins and staff mentorship.
• Identify strong volunteers for deeper roles and seek out customer to volunteer conversion opportunities.
• Recognize volunteer contributions through consistent appreciation and shoutouts.
• Provide clear expectations, hands-on training, and in-the-moment coaching to set volunteers up for success.
• Job duties may include some or all of the above, and other duties as assigned by manager

Benefits

• Austin Pets Alive! is proud to offer a competitive benefits package for full-time employees, including subsidized employer-sponsored medical coverage, subsidized and voluntary life insurance, voluntary dental, vision and short-term disability options, all effective the first day of employment.
• We also offer voluntary wellness and emergency sick plans, up to 2% match on 401(K) retirement plan, supplemental benefits, flexible spending accounts and additional life coverage.
• Full-time employees receive 10 paid holidays and accrue 10 days paid time off during the first year of employment, with an additional 5 days of PTO accrual upon completion of 12 months of employment.
• Employees will also receive professional development opportunities through APA!’s ongoing mission to advance our animal welfare professionals in our life saving work.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager
• Education Level: No Education Listed