Executive Director

Job Description: Executive Director

The Athens Area Humane Society is a donor supported, non-profit, no-kill organization dedicated to lowering euthanasia rates through rescue, adoption, spay/neuter, education and pet retention programs.  AAHS provides for the rescue and care of more than 5,000 animals in the Athens area annually.  Established over 25 years ago, AAHS is a group of animal welfare activists whose mission is to rescue, spay/neuter, and find homes for animals in Northeast Georgia and beyond.

Job Summary

The nonprofit Athens Area Humane Society Executive Director requires a passionate individual with a demonstrated commitment to animal welfare and organizational excellence.  Through the thoughtful leadership of the Executive Director, AAHS endeavors to prevent suffering, neglect, abuse and cruelty to animals, provide information, raise public awareness of animal issues and promote responsible guardianship and kindness toward all living things.

The Executive Director is responsible for all operational and administrative functions of the Athens Area Humane Society.  This individual provides oversight to the administration for all programs and services of the organization and is responsible for implementation of the organization’s strategic plan.  The Executive Director is responsible for the management and development of a dedicated team of staff members and volunteers, ensuring the fundraising objectives are met, and the community outreach efforts are both in alinement with and guiding the organization’s mission.  This position reports to a volunteer Board of Directors.

Essential Functions:

• Provides timely and complete information and insight to the Board of Directors as needed to establish strong, vision, plans, budgets, policies and programs
• Formulates policy, procedure and program recommendations for the Board of Directors
• Builds a trusting relationship based on transparency, accountability, candor, and respect
• Ensures AAHS’s compliance with all applicable laws, rules and regulations to include, but not limited to, animal care and control, personnel and controlled substances
• The Executive Director must be dedicated to the mission of the organization, working to eliminate euthanasia of healthy and treatable animals throughout Northeast Georgia

Personnel leadership and management — Fulfill Board approved mission, vision, plans, budgets, policies and programs by:

• Effectively leading and managing a five-person Leadership Team with responsibilities of Veterinary Services Director, Development Director, Community Outreach Director, Adoption Center Manager, Office Administrator
• Providing effective overall leadership and management for staff and volunteers, including but not limited to evaluating, scheduling, training, recruiting, hiring, discipline, and general direction
• Ensuring compliance with Board approved personnel policy and all laws and regulations
• Working with the Office Administrator and Leadership Team to implement and maintain human resources best practices
• Sustaining a culture of learning and innovation committed to ongoing improvements, continually evolving best practices and seeking new and better ways to fulfill the organizations mission

Strategic Planning — Help the Board of Directors set a powerful course for the future by:

• Continually assessing organizational strengths and weaknesses
• Identifying opportunities and threats
• Formulating strategies and plans for addressing them in the Annual Strategic Plan Report

Fundraising — Partner with the Board of Directors and Development Director to maximize charitable income by:

• Developing and supporting an effective Major Gifts and Planned Giving program based on long term relationship building and effective personal gift solicitation
• Engaging the Board of Directors in effective ongoing major planned gift solicitation
• Increasing foundation grants by developing multi-year and annual grant solicitation plans and internal resources for conceiving, writing and administering effective grant proposals
• Increasing corporate sponsorships by developing multi-year and annual corporate sponsorship plans and internal resources for conceiving, soliciting and stewarding corporate sponsorships
• Working with the Development Director to support successful annual direct mail, membership, and event fundraisers

Financial management — Preserve and enlarge the organization’s financial resources by:

• Developing an annual operating budget for board approval
• Prudently managing the organization’s resources within board approved budget guidelines and current laws and regulations
• Ensuring the timely completion and accuracy in financial reporting to the Board of Directors of the monthly, quarterly and annual financial statements
• Enlarging the organization’s operating endowment
• Conceiving and managing fee based programs to maximize earned income

Communications and public relations — Work with Board of Directors, Development Director and Community Outreach Director to strategically strengthen the organizations public image by:

• Effectively communicating the organization’s mission, vision, and programs to outside organizations and the public through presentations and written communication
• Maintaining and strengthening partnerships with local governments and independent rescues and foster programs
• Maintaining and strengthening partner relationships with the regional veterinary community

Operations management — Effectively manage overall AAHS operations by:

• Ensuring compliance with all applicable state, local and federal laws
• Developing and implementing organizational risk management plan to effectively manage legal and health risks to the public, employees, volunteers and animals

Core Competencies:

• A passion for the mission of AAHS and desire to work with animals and people are required
• Comfortable working with the general public over the phone and in person—a large part of this job is public relations
• Dedication to the highest standards of professional integrity
• Maintains professional internal and external relationships meeting the organization’s core values
• Excellent interpersonal, relationship and team building skills with demonstrated ability to communicate effectively, verbally and in writing with co-workers, donors, partners and the public
• Ability to effectively collaborate with diverse organizations and individuals
• Demonstrated understanding of business principles applied to a nonprofit enterprise, including the proven ability to develop and implement a complex, balanced budget
• Ability to effectively define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions
• Builds trust, drives execution, fosters innovation, collaborates with others, faces challenges creatively
• Ability to consistently use sound judgment with volunteers, donors, clients, staff, animal-related concerns and confidential information

Qualifications:

• An undergraduate degree from a four-year college or university is required
• Minimum of 5 years of nonprofit executive management experience
• Accomplishments in grant writing, fundraising, securing major and planned gifts from individual donors, foundations and corporations
• Experience in a senior leadership role reporting to or worked closely with a Board of Directors
• Knowledge of State and Federal laws, ordinances and regulations relating to animal care governing the shelter practices and veterinary care and OSHA compliance
• Must be comfortable with dogs and cate of varying size, age, breed and temperament
• Must be knowledgeable and proficient with Microsoft Office Suite. Clinic H.Q. experience with WordPress, and online database applications or similar software

For more information and to apply, please visit http://www.athenshumanesociety.org/jobs