Operations Captain, Humane Law Enforcement

About the role

The Operations Captain supports San Diego Humane Society's Humane Law Enforcement team in delivering high-quality service to meet the needs of animals and people. Reporting to the Chief and Administrative Captain, the Operations Captain leads field operations, ensures operational excellence, and provides strategic direction.

Responsibilities

• Partner with the Chief and Administrative Captain to provide unified leadership and strategic direction for the HLE Department across all campuses.
• Serve as the department’s primary operational leader, overseeing day-to-day field response, deployment and scheduling, call/queue management, and operational prioritization.
• May serve as Acting Chief when required, or as Incident Commander/command staff as designated for SDHS participation in emergency situations/disasters.
• Provide overnight on-call duty coverage with other campus personnel as assigned on an as needed basis to support with emergent needs such as staffing or emergencies.
• On-call coverage assists public safety agencies or others in responding to Priority One calls.
• Direct and oversee daily field operations across campuses/jurisdictions, ensuring consistent service delivery and alignment with contractual obligations and SDHS standards.
• Own field staffing plans and scheduling practices, coordinating with Lieutenants and Sergeants.
• Monitor call demand and operational constraints; adjust deployment tactics and priorities to meet response expectations and animal welfare outcomes.
• Hold primary responsibility for daily/weekly/monthly operational reporting, including response times, call volume and call types, workload distribution and staffing impacts, productivity and service-level performance indicators, and field training progression metrics.
• Serve as an operational point of contact for investigation-related logistics and coordination with external stakeholders.
• Own the execution of the Field Training Program and readiness standards in partnership with Lieutenants and Sergeants.
• Collaborate with the Administrative Captain (SOP governance and compliance owner) and field leaders to implement and operationalize SOPs in the field.
• Aid in budget preparation by providing operational forecasting (staffing impacts, equipment needs, overtime drivers) to support the Chief and Administrative Captain.
• Work closely with Government Relations to support municipal animal field services and contracts by providing operational performance insight, metrics, and field coordination.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Administration of Justice, Animal Science, Public Administration, Human Resources, or related field with at least seven (7) years of full-time progressively responsible related experience in law enforcement, investigations, or animal control organizations, including at least three (3) years supervisory experience; or an equivalent combination of education and experience required.
• Must successfully complete P.O.S.T. 832 and CA state-approved humane academy and satisfy requirements of Government Code Sections 1029, 1030, and 1031 within one year of employment (as applicable to assignment).
• Must pass a full P.O.S.T. background check, medical and psychological screening, drug screening and LiveScan.
• Must have a valid driver’s license and be approved by SDHS insurance carrier to drive a company or personal vehicle for work purposes.
• Demonstrated strength in operational leadership, scheduling/deployment management, performance analytics, performance management and continuous improvement.
• Excellent organizational, problem-solving, interpersonal, conflict resolution, and verbal/written communication skills; strong report writing skills with ability to synthesize and translate information for diverse audiences.
• Bilingual in English/Spanish preferred.

Qualifications

• Must have a valid driver’s license and be approved by SDHS insurance carrier to drive a company or personal vehicle for work purposes.

Skills

• Operational leadership
• Scheduling/deployment management
• Performance analytics
• Performance management and continuous improvement
• Organizational, problem-solving, interpersonal, conflict resolution, and verbal/written communication skills
• Strong report writing skills
• Bilingual in English/Spanish preferred

Benefits

• Competitive pay and paid time-off (including your Birthday Day Off!)
• Comprehensive benefits package, training and well-being programs
• 403(b) retirement plan with 5% match after 1 year
• Free pet adoptions, pet vaccines and spay/neuter services
• and so much more!