Animal Behavior Manager

About the role

The Animal Behavior Manager will manage the Behavior Department and oversee the behavioral care of animals in residence at Dane County Humane Society (DCHS). This newly created role ensures proper assessment of shelter dogs and cats and oversees recommendations for placement, foster, rescue, or euthanasia as appropriate. The manager will design in-house behavior modification plans, provide daily stress reduction and enrichment, and collaborate with other departments to ensure proper flow of animals.

Responsibilities

• Supervise the DCHS Animal Behavior Team, fostering alignment, engagement, and a high-performance culture through coaching, clear expectations, and accountability.
• Monitor and ensure the success of the Behavior team in identifying, treating, planning, and preventing behavior issues for shelter dogs.
• Ensure all behavior protocols, policies, and procedures are properly implemented and promote teamwork across departments.
• Review behavior profiles for incoming animals and collaborate cross-departmentally on pathway planning for new intakes.
• Oversee evaluation processes for shelter dogs and collaborate on recommendations for placement, foster, rescue, or euthanasia.
• Identify animals in need of additional behavioral support and create individualized behavior modification plans.
• Attend daily population rounds for dogs and cats and create standardized SOPs for managing common behavior concerns.
• Develop systems for tracking individual animal progress and establish benchmarks for success.
• Ensure partnerships with rescue groups are maintained and provide enrichment opportunities for shelter animals.
• Monitor behavior information shared by staff and volunteers via interaction sheets and shelter database.
• Oversee dog training classes for the public and supervise training class staff.
• Develop and provide volunteer and staff training to improve animal adoptability and ensure safe handling.
• Create and implement positive reinforcement training protocols and support volunteers and staff on their use.
• Oversee training and behavior support for foster parents.
• Provide surrender, adoption, foster, and post-adoption counseling in coordination with other departments.

Requirements

• B.A. or B.S. required, with specialized education in an animal behavior field; M.Sc. or M.A. preferred.
• Certification in animal behavior/training from a nationally recognized certifying body (e.g., ABS, IAABC, APDT) is required.
• 5+ years’ experience working with animals in captivity, such as in animal shelters or zoos.
• 2+ years’ management experience, preferably in an animal-related industry; experience managing a behavior team in a shelter strongly preferred.
• Expertise in dog behavior is particularly required.
• Exceptional leadership skills with the ability to inspire, influence, and motivate teams through change.
• Demonstrated success leading teams with a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and high performance.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Sincere desire to make a positive difference in the lives of animals using only positive, science-based training and behavior modification methods.
• Must possess or acquire a thorough understanding of and dedication to the philosophies of animal welfare and DCHS.