Animal Service Deputy Director

Title: Animal Service Deputy Director

Organization: Health:
Animal Control

Department: Animal Control

Location:

Rate of Pay: $75,197.73 - $ - DOQ

The Animal Services Deputy Director serves as a senior leader within the Department of Health, Wellness & Animal Services and plays a critical role in advancing humane, ethical, and effective animal services for the City of Brownsville. This position provides strategic, operational, and compassionate leadership across all animal services functions, ensuring high standards of animal welfare, staff development, and community trust.

The Deputy Director directly supports the Director of Health, Wellness & Animal Services and serves as a participatory, values-driven leader who balances accountability with empathy while fostering a culture of professionalism, resilience, and service. The Animal Services Deputy Director is responsible for the planning, directing, coordinating, and monitoring of all public health and related projects. This position is responsible for assisting the director in developing goals, preparing reports, providing related recommendations, coordinating with officials, and ensuring compliance with health regulations.

• Competence & Compassion
  • Caring, compassionate, empathetic, and understanding toward staff, animals, and citizens.
  • Demonstrates perseverance in challenging operational, emotional, and high-stress environment.
  • Leads with integrity, patience, and professionalism.
• People-Centered Leadership
  • Actively advocates for staff needs while maintaining accountability and performance standards.
  • Is firm and decisive when necessary, with staff and citizens, while remaining respectful and fair.
  • Practices kindness without personal bias and treats all individuals with dignity and equity.
  • Builds trust through transparent communication and consistent decision-making.
• Organizational Leadership
  • Strong communicator skilled in building coalitions and cross-functional collaboration.
  • Demonstrates ethical judgment, problem-solving, and systems-thinking abilities.
  • Understands and applies change management principles to guide teams through organizational growth and modernization.

• Assists the Director of Health, Wellness & Animal Services in the development, administration, and implementation of departmental goals, objectives, policies, and long-range operational strategies.
• Develops and manages grants and long-range funding strategies by identifying and securing funding sources; overseeing grant compliance and allocation; and supporting capital improvements, major equipment acquisitions, and implementation of new technology systems that advance departmental and City objectives.
• Develops and implements the Shelter Operations Business Plan and Annual Budget, as approved by the City Commission, and assists in the preparation, monitoring, and submission of related reports.
• Provides management and operational oversight of municipal animal control services and the City-operated pet clinic, including supervision and coordination of Veterinarians and Veterinary Technicians; ensuring spay and neuter services support shelter population management; and maintaining compliance with applicable laws, professional standards, and City policies.
• Evaluates shelter operations, animal control services, and related programs, recommending revisions through the Director of Health, Wellness & Animal Services and implementing approved changes to improve efficiency, compliance, and outcomes.
• Manages and oversees overall animal inventory and population flow, ensuring the shortest reasonable length of stay for animals housed at BARCC Shelter.
• Works with staff to develop, implement, and enforce operational protocols and procedures, including but not limited to euthanasia, adoptions, animal behavior evaluations, animal health, and humane care standards.
• Evaluates, supervises, and directs staff, fostering professional growth, accountability, and operational effectiveness while maximizing employee potential and supporting day-to-day operations.
• Assists the Director of Health, Wellness & Animal Services with the selection, development, and retention of qualified shelter operations staff, modeling effective leadership behaviors and promoting positive morale and teamwork.
• Ensures appropriate supplies, equipment, and resources are available to support effective shelter, animal control, and clinic operations.
• Ensures all activities within facilities and field operations are conducted safely, promoting the health and well-being of employees, volunteers, visitors, customers, and animals.
• Remains current on best practices in shelter operations, animal welfare, behavior, public education, and municipal animal services, incorporating applicable improvements into operations.
• Provides on-call leadership support to respond to shelter and animal services emergencies on an as-needed basis.
• Conducts required advisory board meetings in accordance with City ordinances, regulations, and…