About us

The Lost Dogs’ Home is one of Victoria’s most iconic animal welfare organisations, caring for around 16,000 lost and abandoned dogs and cats each year. We provide a wide range of animal welfare and community programs and services. We pride ourselves on employing passionate individuals who demonstrate a strong personal connection to animals, the community and the cause.

The Role:

The Shelter Manager Cranbourne will be responsible for overseeing high quality animal care for all incoming and outgoing animals to the shelter, enabling and promoting best-practice animal welfare outcomes based on the Shelter Medicine model. The Shelter Manager will provide effective leadership to a team of animal welfare professionals and a core responsibility is the management of the operational shelter processes in accordance with the Code of Practice of Shelters and Pounds.

The key accountabilities of this role include, but not limited to:

• People management; setting and monitoring shelter performance objectives across Cranbourne, and proactively motivating the Shelter Team to deliver improvements in services and outcomes
• Lead and contribute to a positive and inclusive work environment by effectively communicating and collaborating across departments
• Monitor and manage animal welfare development and decisions, including enrichment, rehabilitation, fostering, re-homing and euthanasia of shelter animals
• Ensure Animal Act and relevant Codes of Practice are adhered to consistently across the site
• Develop and maintain shelter processes and procedures to achieve outcome improvements and management of resources
• Effectively manage allocated budget, including regular reviews to ensure spending patterns are within desired range

About you:

Our ideal candidate will have demonstrated success in leading and managing a team in a busy animal welfare environment, with extensive knowledge of shelter management and effective animal handling practices. We are looking for a Shelter Manager who will actively seek to develop and enhance the skills of others to achieve the best possible outcomes. You will have exceptional communication skills and the ability to strategically plan and operate.

Additionally, you will bring:

• Certificate II (or higher) in Animal Studies or equivalent experience
• Cert IV or Diploma in Frontline Management (or equivalent experience
• Knowledge of applicable codes, legislation & regulations (Domestic Animals Act, Shelters Code of Practice)
• Ability to identify and propose practical solutions to problems in a timely manner and sometimes under pressure
• Resilience and emotional intelligence, with the ability to communicate effectively in difficult circumstances
• Knowledge of Shelter Management programs that will enhance overall husbandry and behavioural health of shelter animals

If you are interested in this position, please apply now, ensuring you have included a cover letter and current resume. We are more than happy to provide more information on request, please email us at [email protected] using the subject line: Shelter Operations Manager enquiry via EthicalJobs.

If you would like to learn more about The Lost Dogs’ Home visit us at https://dogshome.com/.

The successful applicant will be required to complete satisfactory background screening checks.

The Lost Dogs' Home is an equal opportunity employer committed to providing a working environment that embraces and values diversity and inclusion. Only candidates with the right to work in Australia may apply for this position.