Dog Care Manager

CommonSpirit Health•Austin, TX

8d•Onsite

About The Position

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

Nice To Haves

Able to work evenings, weekends, and holidays as needed
Able to work in a high-volume, fast-paced, high-stress environment

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