Shelter Care Supervisor

Job Description

Position Summary
The Shelter Care Supervisor is an active, hands-on first-line supervisor responsible for the consistent daily execution of animal care and shelter-floor operations at Rescue Village.
This position directly supervises Shelter Specialists and ensures that animal care, cleaning, feeding, enrichment, disease-control routines, animal housing and movement, documentation, staff assignments, checklists, opening and closing procedures, and shift handoffs are completed consistently and to Rescue Village standards.
The Shelter Care Supervisor coordinates daily assignments, monitors animal care and shelter conditions, provides immediate direction and coaching, addresses incomplete or unsafe work, and assists directly with animal care when staffing, workload, or operating conditions require it.
The position works closely with an actively involved Shelter Services Director and helps translate department standards into consistent daily performance.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Daily Shelter Operations
• Assign and redirect Shelter Specialists based on animal population, staffing, cleaning needs, public hours, intake and adoption activity, medical needs, animal movement, and other priorities. 
• Maintain awareness of animal care, cleaning progress, enrichment, laundry, dishes, public areas, supplies, equipment, and unfinished work. 
• Ensure opening, closing, cleaning, animal-care, safety, and operational checklists are completed accurately and on time. 
• Address incomplete, delayed, unsafe, or substandard work promptly and professionally. 
• Provide clear instruction, coaching, retraining, support, and performance feedback. 
• Document recurring performance, conduct, attendance, safety, communication, or task-completion concerns and provide factual information to the Shelter Services Director. 
• Contribute to performance reviews, staff training plans, and candidate evaluation when requested. 
• Ensure weekends, holidays, and all operating periods follow the same care and accountability standards. 
• Ensure each shift ends with the shelter prepared for the next operating period or with unfinished work clearly communicated and escalated. 
• Assist directly with cleaning, feeding, animal handling, enrichment, animal movement, adoptions, customer service, and other Shelter Specialist duties when needed. 
• Maintain the operating expectation: finish it, reset it, or escalate it. Do not silently hand it off. 
• Perform other related duties as assigned. 
Animal Care, Housing and Safety
• Ensure animals receive appropriate feeding, housing, handling, observation, enrichment, exercise, socialization, and daily attention. 
• Maintain high standards of cleaning, sanitation, disease control, animal handling, and workplace safety. 
• Monitor animal health, behavior, appetite, comfort, cleanliness, and other changes in condition. 
• Ensure medical, behavioral, safety, and welfare concerns are documented and communicated to the appropriate staff. 
• Work safely and confidently with dogs, cats, small animals, and barn animals. 
• Stop and correct unsafe animal handling, cleaning practices, equipment use, or shelter conditions. 
• Coordinate routine animal housing and movement based on medical, behavioral, disease-control, adoption, capacity, and operational needs. 
• Ensure animal locations, statuses, restrictions, behavioral observations, and other required information are accurately updated in ShelterLuv. 
• Ensure approved animal housing and movement decisions are completed accurately and are not independently reversed or delayed. 
• Escalate unusual, disputed, medically sensitive, behaviorally sensitive, high-risk, or capacity-related housing decisions. 
• Monitor supplies, equipment, and facility needs and report concerns before they affect animal care or operations. 

Cross-Training, Teamwork and Accountability
Rescue Village’s Shelter Specialists are cross-trained to work across animal populations and shelter functions. The Shelter Care Supervisor supports employee development while maintaining clear assignments and individual accountability.

The Shelter Care Supervisor will:
• Assign work based on animal-care and organizational needs. 
• Use experienced employees as trainers and resources without creating informal supervisory roles. 
• Encourage knowledge-sharing, teamwork, professional communication, and consistent use of approved procedures. 
• Ensure employees can complete assigned work without seeking permission from or being informally supervised by another Shelter Specialist. 
• Address territorial behavior, unauthorized peer direction, information withholding, exclusion, social pressure, or other conduct that interferes with assignments, cross-training, teamwork, or animal care. 
• Evaluate employee concerns through facts, direct observation, established standards, and consultation with the Shelter Services Director. 
• Support employees while maintaining reasonable performance expectations and accountability. 
Volunteers, Adoptions and Interdepartmental Support
• Provide day-to-day direction to shelter volunteers working within approved roles, training requirements, and animal-handling limitations. 
• Treat volunteers with professionalism, appreciation, fairness, and respect while maintaining staff responsibility for core shelter functions. 
• Coordinate volunteer placement, training, role fit, and performance concerns with Volunteer Services. 
• Maintain appropriate confidentiality and professional boundaries between employees and volunteers. 
• Work with the Adoptions & Client Services Coordinator to provide Shelter Specialist coverage for adoptions, animal introductions, customer questions, and public service. 
• Reinforce professional customer service, accurate documentation, and conversation-based adoption counseling. 
• Ensure staff pause, verify, and escalate apparent discrepancies involving animal identity, age, medical history, behavior, ownership, location, status, or other adoption information. 
• Coordinate with the Shelter Services Director, Intake Coordinator, Adoptions & Client Services Coordinator, Shelter Animal Hospital, Volunteer Services, and other departments regarding incoming animals, housing readiness, capacity, medical needs, adoption readiness, and operational support. 

Qualifications
• High school diploma or equivalent required; additional education, supervisory training, or animal-welfare coursework preferred. 
• Minimum of three years of hands-on animal-care, sheltering, veterinary, boarding, or comparable experience.
• At least one year of lead, training, staff-direction, or supervisory experience required. 
• Previous responsibility for assigning work, correcting deficiencies, documenting performance, or overseeing a shift strongly preferred.
• Knowledge of animal behavior, health observation, safe handling, shelter sanitation, disease control, feeding, enrichment, and daily animal care. 
• Ability to give clear direction, address incomplete work, document concerns, manage conflict, and follow through consistently. 
• Ability to supervise former peers while maintaining professional boundaries. 
• Strong judgment, emotional steadiness, organization, communication, documentation, and problem-solving skills. 
• Ability to remain effective during urgent, stressful, emotionally charged, or confrontational situations. 
• ShelterLuv or other shelter-management database experience preferred. 
• Certified euthanasia technician, or willingness to become certified within one year, preferred. 
• Valid Ohio Driver’s License, reliable transportation, and an insurable driving record required. 
• Ability to pass a background check and drug screening required. 

Physical and Work Environment
Work is performed in an active animal shelter operating seven days per week. The position includes exposure to animals of varying species, sizes, health conditions, and temperaments, as well as noise, odors, cleaning agents, zoonotic disease risk, animal bites or scratches, emotionally difficult situations, and outdoor weather conditions.
The position requires frequent standing, walking, bending, reaching, lifting, carrying, cleaning, and animal handling. Must be able to lift or move animals and objects weighing up to 50 pounds with assistance.

Schedule and Benefits
This is a full-time, hourly, non-exempt position. The schedule includes regular weekend coverage and may include evenings, holidays, overtime, emergency coverage, and adjusted hours based on operational needs.

Benefits include health, dental, and vision insurance; 401(k) with employer match; life insurance; Employee Assistance Program; and paid time off.

Rescue Village is an equal opportunity employer. 

This is a full time job

Contact Information

Closing Date: Saturday, August 1, 2026

Posting Date: July 23, 2026

Closing Date: August 1, 2026