PAWS Program Manager

Shanti Project is an innovative nonprofit organization that builds human connections to reduce isolation, enhance health and well-being, and improve quality of life for local community members. Through comprehensive, continuum-of-care programs, including in-home and onsite care navigation, emotional and practical support, and services to preserve the human-animal bond, Shanti strives to enhance the lives of those living with terminal, life-threatening, or disabling illnesses or conditions. Founded in 1974, this year marks Shanti’s milestone 50th Anniversary of supporting our San Francisco community.

POSITION SUMMARY: The Program Manager provides trauma-informed care with a strengths-based, harm reduction approach, who helps provide the highest quality services to clients and their beloved pets. The manager directly supervises all PAWS Care Navigators. In addition, the manager collaborates closely with the Program Director on both daily and big-picture work.

PRIMARY DUTIES:

·      Supervise, train, and support PAWS Care Navigators, including providing at least biweekly supervision meetings

·      Provide day-to-day program oversight and support to the PAWS team, including overseeing back-end/logistical processes

·      Ensure appropriate coverage for office, client cases, the pet food bank, and other client services

·      Serve as primary backup staff for the Saturday Pet Food Bank open hours, when Food Bank staff is out of office

·      Oversee the PAWS Ask the Vet consults, including staffing, scheduling, space/logistics, materials preparation, eligibility, and follow-up case planning

·      Coordinate pet care services such as veterinary visits, emergency pet foster care, and other animal needs (especially complex cases or when Care Navigation staff is out of the office)

·      Evaluate human needs (such as APS cases) and pet needs (level of urgency / scope) and help frontline staff provide referrals to internal/external community resources

·      Collaborate with PAWS Director to design and implement program strategy

·      Develop and oversee key partnerships that enhance PAWS services for clients

·      Maintain supportive and respectful relationships with clients, staff, and volunteers and represent PAWS in cross-program and external meetings

·      Demonstrate a commitment to racial equity, inclusion, and social justice, including an awareness of how bias and structural oppression impact the communities we serve, and be committed to understanding how one's own identities can impact relationships with clients

SECONDARY DUTIES:

·      Build and maintain working relationships across Shanti programs, including collaborating on mutual client cases

·      Participate actively in individual supervision with PAWS Director, team meetings, and other collaborative work

·      Review client service offerings with the goal of making them more impactful to clients

·      Participate in the volunteer-client matching process (e.g. for dog walkers)

·      Help lead PAWS events such as planning for the annual pet holiday stocking delivery

·      Participate in agency functions such as quarterly volunteer engagement events and an annual PAWS fundraiser

·      Maintain case notes and other documentation using a Salesforce database

·      Maintain effective communication with the team using in-person, phone, Zoom, Teams, and other methods

·      Other duties as assigned

QUALIFICATION/REQUIREMENT: We seek highly qualified candidates with as many of the following areas of knowledge, ability, skills, and experience as possible:

·      Minimum 3 years of direct service and preferred 1+ years of management experience. Bilingual Spanish/English and/or a social work degree (or related work/schooling) is beneficial, but not required.

·      Detail-oriented, with excellent communication (written and verbal), organizational, and interpersonal skills; proficient with technology such as Excel and/or Salesforce.

·      Experience working in a direct animal care setting (animal shelter, veterinary office) and/or working with people living with life-threatening illness or other type of daily challenges.

·      Excellent problem-solving skills, leadership skills (including staff support, change management, and meeting facilitation), and/or assessment experience (suicidality, self-neglect/abuse, animal crises).

·      Ability to establish and maintain effective non-judgmental working relationships with a variety of individuals and groups. Experience with and/or commitment to anti-racism in the workplace.

·      A solid understanding of pet body language, basic handling, and animal care needs.

·      Must be vaccinated for COVID-19 or willing to test weekly.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. The manager is regularly required to sit, stand, and walk. All PAWS staff are regularly pushing, pulling, or lifting objects (such as pet food) weighing up to 20 pounds. The manager must be comfortable being in the presence of domesticated animals such as cats and dogs. This role currently requires a minimum of 3 days per week to be in the office or in the field, which involves using public transportation, transporting pet supplies and animals, and visiting client homes.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY: Shanti is an equal opportunity employer that supports and lives diversity in our staffing and values. Shanti complies with applicable federal, state, and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment. We actively encourage and seek qualified candidates of all backgrounds. We also will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Shanti offers a competitive non-profit salary ranging from $69,000 – $72,500 (depending on experience). Shanti also offers a comprehensive benefit package, including multiple fully covered medical options as well as dental and vision. Other benefits include life insurance, long term and short-term disability, chiropractic/acupuncture, Employee Assistance Program and an optional Teledoc plan. A 403B saving plan is also available to all employees.

Shanti allows for flexible schedules as well as promotes a culture of self-care for all our employees. In the first year of employment, employees earn 90 hours of sick time and 112.5 hours vacation annually. Employees begin accruing sick time and vacation time starting their first day of employment with no waiting period (i.e. you can use as you accrue). Employees also receive 2 personal days annually as well as 16 paid holidays.