Manager, Veterinary Services (Shelter Medicine)

HSSV•Milpitas, CA

2d•$75,000 - $92,500

About The Position

Humane Society Silicon Valley (HSSV) is a privately funded, 501(c)(3) nonprofit serving people and pets since 1929. Its mission is to save lives, keep families together, and create a better future for pets and their people. The Manager, Veterinary Services oversees medical services and programs for animals in HSSV’s shelter and community. The role manages veterinary support staff, including RVTs, veterinary assistants, students, and volunteers, in a state-of-the-art facility, and advances organizational and departmental strategies, productivity, and resource planning. HSSV’s in-house shelter medicine service treats thousands of animals, including cases involving traumatic injuries, complex internal medical conditions, and infectious diseases. The position works closely with shelter operations to optimize stays for hospitalized animals, maintain animal flow, and ensure a high standard of care. The manager promotes operational and people excellence, develops staff, and supports innovative, scalable care and treatment programs. This is a full-time position with flexible hours based on organizational need. It includes one weekend day, rotating holiday coverage, and may involve occasional rotating after-hours emergency on-call phone shifts. The work involves lifting and carrying up to 50 pounds with assistance, various physical movements and sustained sitting or standing, and working indoors and outdoors in all weather and lighting conditions. It includes frequent exposure to noise, odors, chemicals, and animals with unknown histories or behaviors.

Requirements

Experience working cross-functionally in an animal shelter or veterinary clinic management role, leading staff and/or volunteers.
A solid foundation and knowledge of animal-related operations, programs, and policies.
Understanding of active population management, capacity for care, and data-driven decision-making.
Flexibility in learning new techniques and skills to meet changing community needs.
Excellent fear-free animal handling skills, including handling fearful or aggressive canines and felines.
Effective problem-solving and decision-making skills, strong initiative, and the ability to strive for results and growth; resilience and adaptability are essential.
Passion for animal welfare and community impact, and the ability to work empathetically and positively in an emotional field.
Outstanding interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills, with the ability to build trust, engage internal and external audiences, and influence stakeholders.
Experience with spreadsheets, Microsoft Office, Outlook, shelter management databases, and veterinary practice management systems.
Ability to lift and carry up to 50 pounds with assistance from floor to waist level; kneel, bend at the waist, reach forward, rotate the upper body, and sit or stand for sustained periods.
Ability to walk on wet or dry surfaces and work indoors and outdoors in all weather conditions, both during daylight and after dark.
Ability to work with frequent exposure to loud noise, odors, and chemicals, and exposure to animals with unknown histories and behaviors.
Availability for flexible hours based on organizational need, including one weekend day, rotating holiday coverage, and possible occasional rotating after-hours emergency on-call phone shifts.

Nice To Haves

Registered Veterinary Technician (RVT) certification.
Experience with Shelter Buddy and/or Vetter veterinary practice management systems.

Responsibilities

Promote a work environment that supports high-quality service, accountability, communication, resilience, employee empowerment, innovation, and teamwork.
Develop a learning and feedback culture by implementing ongoing staff skill-building to support professional development and safe working conditions.
Collaborate with the Medical management team and cross-functional groups to advance strategic priorities, best practices, and daily workflow.
Develop innovative, scalable care and treatment programs and manage treatment capacity.
Respond to post-adoption medical inquiries, communicate clearly, and escalate clinical questions to appropriate medical professionals in a timely manner.
Ensure medical software systems are fully utilized and improve department efficiency.
Establish metrics and reports to analyze activities and programs; monitor and share critical data related to capacity management and animal flow.
Handle animals safely and humanely using proper restraint and low-stress handling techniques, model best practices, and hold staff and volunteers accountable to those practices.
Support staff with scheduling, timecard management, and time-off requests.
Partner with the Volunteer Department to meet volunteer recruitment needs and supervise volunteers assigned to the department.
Perform other duties as assigned.