Executive Director - Animal Protection Society of Durham

Armstrong Mc Guire • Durham, NC

18d • Onsite

About The Position

The Animal Protection Society of Durham (APS) seeks a steady, strategic, and relationship-centered Executive Director to build on recent organizational progress, strengthen people and systems, cultivate trusting partnerships, and turn the organization’s mission into clear, measurable priorities. The role will help shape the vision, partnerships, funding strategy, and planning for a potential new shelter facility to support animal care, community services, and long-term growth.

APS’s mission is to strengthen bonds between people and animals in Durham County through community engagement and compassionate care for animals in need. Founded in 1970, APS is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that has managed the Durham County Animal Shelter in partnership with Durham County Government since 1990. It operates the county’s only open-admission animal shelter and provides care to thousands of vulnerable animals each year, alongside foster care, community spay/neuter, behavioral services, pet food and supply assistance, rescue partnerships, medical care, and other support programs.

The Executive Director reports to a nine-member Board of Directors and currently leads seven direct reports. The organization has approximately 30 staff members, an annual operating budget of approximately $3 million, and support from hundreds of volunteers and foster caregivers. This is an on-site leadership position based in Durham, North Carolina, with an expected visible presence among staff, volunteers, animals, public-sector partners, donors, and the community. The anticipated salary range is $120,000–$145,000, commensurate with experience and qualifications. APS offers a competitive benefits package.

Requirements

• Significant senior leadership experience in a nonprofit, public-serving, or similarly complex mission-driven organization.
• Demonstrated success leading through change, transition, stabilization, or growth.
• Strong people leadership, including developing others, setting clear expectations, addressing difficult issues, and creating accountability while maintaining trust and respect.
• Exceptional communication and relationship-building skills, including the ability to listen, synthesize differing perspectives, make decisions, explain the rationale, and follow through consistently.
• Strong operational, financial, and systems-management skills, including prioritization, delegation, data-informed decision-making, and strengthening organizational infrastructure.
• Demonstrated ability to build productive partnerships with governing boards, public agencies, regulators, donors, volunteers, community partners, and other stakeholders.
• A steady, resilient, humble, and strategic leadership approach; skill in change management; comfort making difficult decisions; and ability to remain appropriately visible in day-to-day operations while focusing on executive responsibilities.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with facility planning, capital campaigns, or other significant organizational growth initiatives.
• Direct animal welfare or sheltering experience.
• For candidates without significant direct animal welfare experience: genuine commitment to animal welfare, learning agility, sound judgment, respect for technical expertise, and ability to quickly understand the complexities of open-admission sheltering.

Responsibilities

• Lead APS through organizational stabilization and into sustainable growth and strategic development.
• Build on progress in communication, transparency, cross-departmental collaboration, and accountability, fostering a shared one-team culture.
• Strengthen directors’ and supervisors’ leadership and management capacity through clear expectations, coaching, delegation, and consistent performance management.
• Support a healthy workplace culture that addresses the emotional demands of animal welfare work and promotes staff well-being, retention, professional growth, and resilience.
• Partner with the Board and staff to set short- and long-term strategic priorities and translate them into annual plans, measurable outcomes, and organizational accountability.
• Ensure effective operations across sheltering, medical care, intake, foster care, behavior, adoption, community programs, and administrative functions.
• Strengthen organizational systems, policies, technology, financial controls, safety practices, risk management, and regulatory compliance.
• Balance the urgency of an open-admission shelter with disciplined prioritization and systems that reduce reliance on crisis response.
• Ensure humane, high-quality, evidence-informed animal care and responsiveness to evolving animal welfare practices.
• Partner with veterinary, behavior, shelter operations, foster, and lifesaving professionals, relying appropriately on their technical expertise.
• Establish organizational priorities for intake, capacity for care, animal outcomes, foster care, rescue partnerships, prevention, and community services.
• Expand efforts to keep animals with their families when appropriate and use foster homes, volunteers, rescue partners, and community-based services to improve outcomes.
• Serve as a visible, credible APS ambassador in Durham and the broader animal welfare community.
• Maintain and deepen partnerships with Durham County Government, Animal Services, the Durham County Sheriff’s Office, and regulatory partners.
• Build constructive relationships with volunteers, rescue organizations, veterinary providers, donors, community organizations, and other stakeholders.
• Strengthen APS’s reputation through transparency, responsiveness, consistent performance, and clear communication, including when navigating difficult decisions or changing practices.
• Steward APS’s finances through sound budgeting, forecasting, controls, reporting, and greater departmental ownership of budgets.
• Partner with the Director of Development and Communications to strengthen donor engagement, diversify revenue, and grow annual, major, planned, corporate, and foundation giving.
• Build a strong, transparent partnership with the Board, providing information and strategic context for governance and oversight.
• Clarify the distinction between governance and management while engaging Board members in strategy, fundraising, advocacy, and key external relationships.

Benefits

• Comprehensive and competitive benefits package
• Generous health coverage
• Retirement contributions
• Paid time off
• Professional development opportunities
• Workplace practices intended to support employee well-being, growth, and work-life balance

What This Job Offers

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