To view a recruitment brochure for the Assistant Director of Animal Care Services position for the City of San Antonio please visit:

https://www.sa.gov/Directory/Initiatives/Join-Our-Team/Career-Opportuni…

The first application review will take place on July 2nd, 2025. For consideration, please apply before this review date by sending your resume and cover letter to: saexecsearch@sanantonio.gov

The anticipated offer to a selected candidate would be in the range of $120,000 - $165,000. Offered salary is commensurate with experience.

To be considered for this position candidates must apply by sending a resume and over letter to saexecsearch@sanantonio.gov before July 2nd, 2025.

About San Antonio
The City of San Antonio is the nation’s 7th largest city and is home to more than 1.5 million residents. Located in South Central Texas, approximately 140 miles from the Gulf of Mexico, San Antonio offers its residents one of the most attractive and affordable lifestyles in the country. Residents enjoy one of the lowest tax rates in the state as well as a plentiful supply of high-quality housing and low utility rates. The economy of San Antonio is an excellent mix of business services, manufacturing, health care, communications, corporate and regional offices, government, and the convention and tourism industry. San Antonio is also home to one of the largest concentrations of military bases in the United States. One of the nation's fastest growing cities, San Antonio is rich in recreational and cultural opportunities with over 15,000 acres of public parks and 150 miles of trails, over 50 museums and galleries, and home to the 5-time champion San Antonio Spurs. The Historic San Antonio Missions are Texas’ only Unesco World Heritage site, and is a Unesco designated Creative City of Gastronomy.

City Government
San Antonio has a Council-Manager form of government with an eleven-member City Council. Councilmembers are elected by District, while the Mayor is elected at-large. The term of office for the Mayor and all members of the City are four-year terms, for not more than two (2) full terms of office. The City Council appoints the City Manager, who appoints all officials in executive positions with the exception of the City Clerk, City Auditor, Presiding Judge, and Municipal Judges.

The City of San Antonio has been recognized for its high level of professional management by the ICMA and National Civic League, amongst others. For ten consecutive years, the City has maintained a AAA bond rating. The Fiscal Year 2025 adopted budget is $3.9 billion with close to 14,000 employees across approximately 40 departments.

Animal Care Services (ACS) Department
The City of San Antonio Animal Care Services is the largest, open admission, municipal shelter in South Texas. Serving SanAntonio residents, ACS resides on a 14-acre campus boasting a variety of programs and services aimed at encouraging responsible pet ownership and compliance in our community. The mission of Animal Care Services is “to encourage responsible pet ownership by promoting and protecting the health, safety, and welfare of the residents and pets of San Antonio through education, enforcement, and community partnership.”
Since 2005, the City of San Antonio has taken progressive steps towards implementing more humane practices and programs at Animal Care Services. These innovations have resulted in significant measurable progress towards a more engaged community. To illustrate—just a decade ago, the department had a 32% Live Release rate in FY11. The following year, ACS engaged in strategic planning that saw our placement rate climb to greater than 90% in 2016. After a post-pandemic environment, we saw a decline in our live release rate. In the last year alone, the department had a live release rate of 88%, below the 90% targeted rate. Because continuous improvement is a part of ACS’s structure, a new Strategic Plan was developed and finalized with community input. The Strategic Plan reestablished ACS priorities and increased operational capacity. In addition, funding for a new 16,000 sq. ft. hospital has been allocated to be built within the footprint of the ACS campus. Currently, the hospital is in design stage.
This new Strategic Plan implements a balanced approach to animal care and control with a focus on five strategic priorities: (1)supporting a safe community for people, (2) protecting the safety and humane treatment of pets, (3) supporting the placement of pets for life, (4) fostering positive connections within the community, and (5) empowering a healthy and thriving workforce.

The Position
The Assistant Director is responsible for assisting the Animal Care Services Director with the planning, directing, managing, and overseeing the activities and operations of the Animal Care Services Department. This Assistant Director will oversee the shelter side of the ACS department, which includes sheltering, placement, and communications. They coordinate assigned activities with other City departments and outside agencies and provides highly responsible and complex administrative support to the City Manager's Office. The Assistant Director will exercise direct supervision over assigned staff.
Essential Job Functions
• Assists with full management responsibility for all department services and activities; assists with managing the development and implementation of department goals, objectives, policies, and priorities for each assigned service area; assists with the evaluating and recommending changes and improvements to existing standards and procedures.
• Assists with planning, directing and evaluating the work of the Animal Care Services staff.
• Assists with coordinating and overseeing the development of a comprehensive volunteer program to include the expansion of animal adoption efforts and assists with the development of a strategic plan for promoting pet responsibility and animal advocacy in the City.
• Assists with the review and interpretation of Animal Care policies and regulations mandated by Federal, State, and local government entities and oversees the operation of a safe and humane animal euthanasia program.
• Implements procedures utilized in daily operations to ensure direct results are achieved; prepares reports as required by Federal and State agencies.
• Responds to questions from the public, City Officials and the media and works with Public Health Officials in monitoring and reviewing animal-related community concerns.

Education & Experience
Qualified candidates will have a Bachelor's Degree from an accredited college in Public Administration, business administration, or a related field. They will also have three (3) years of management experience of a large Animal Care Facility to include supervisory experience. The most highly qualified candidates for consideration will be selected based on a combination of education, career experience, and accomplishments that best fits the needs of the City of San Antonio.

The Ideal Candidate
The ideal candidate will be a professional public administrator with a background in the management of a large complex and fast-moving organization. Having a proven track record of relationship building with diverse employee populations is critical and being an influential leader who can attract followers and engage employees is important. The successful candidate must also be accessible, approachable, and will be a progressive leader with a collaborative management style. The ability to communicate messages and presentations skillfully and effectively to stakeholders in a clear and concise manner is critical to be successful in this position.

Salary
The City of San Antonio is offering a competitive salary commensurate with experience. The anticipated hiring range for the ACS Assistant Director is $120,000 - $165,000. The City offers generous benefits and retirement including annual and personal leave; monthly car allowances, deferred compensation plan, relocation/moving expenses and participation in the Texas Municipal Retirement System (TMRS).

How to Apply

If you are interested in this opportunity, please send a cover letter, resume, references and salary requirements to:

saexecsearch@sanantonio.gov

This position is open until filled. The first review of resumes will take place on July 2nd, 2025. Please submit your application as soon as possible to ensure you are considered for this position. Upon receipt, resumes will be screened in relation to the criteria outlined in this brochure. Candidates selected for interview will be contacted by the City of San Antonio’s Executive Recruiter.