Senior Manager, Animal-Integrated Social Services

The Work

Sometimes the reason an animal ends up in a shelter has nothing to do with the animal.

A housing crisis. A hospital admission. Fleeing violence. A death in the family. When a person's life comes apart, their pet's does too and almost no system in this city is built to help both at once.

Toronto Humane Society is building one. We're looking for a Senior Manager, Animal-Integrated Social Services to lead it.

This is a rare role at the intersection of social work and animal welfare. You'd lead program staff across social work, care coordination, and program management, delivering community support services, temporary animal care for clients in crisis, and emerging programming in grief and bereavement support. You would help coordinate our role as a secondary responder under Ontario's Provincial Animal Welfare Services (PAWS) Act. And you would have real influence over what these programs become, in a field that is still, in most respects, being invented.

You'd report to the Director, Community Animal Welfare, with a dotted-line relationship to the Director, Social Work for clinical standards and professional practice oversight.

What You'd Actually be Doing

Leading programs and people.

You'd hold day-to-day operational leadership across the portfolio, community support services, temporary animal care programs, client-facing service delivery, and new programming areas as they emerge. You'd build and maintain the operational procedures, protocols, and service standards that keep delivery consistent, in alignment with clinical direction from the Director, Social Work.

Being the person your team comes to.

You'd support staff through complex client situations, escalations, and the hard calls where human and animal welfare concerns intersect. Where it makes sense, you'd carry direct client work yourself, including with clients in temporary animal care and support programs. You'd make sure clients with intersecting needs get integrated support rather than being handed between programs.

Supporting the provincial response function.

THS acts as a secondary responder and care provider under the PAWS Act, taking in animals that have been seized, forfeited, or removed. You'd help develop and maintain the protocols behind that work, support engagement with provincial animal welfare officers and partner agencies, and make sure the staff involved are trained, oriented to the legal and procedural requirements, and properly supported through high-complexity cases.

Growing what we offer.

You'd identify service gaps, emerging community needs, and opportunities for new programming, and bring recommendations to senior leadership. You'd maintain the community and agency partnerships that extend our reach.

Keeping it accountable.

Regular operational reporting on program performance, outcomes, and trends. Accurate case data and outcome metrics. Budget monitoring, with early flags on resource pressure. Compliance with applicable legislation, THS policies, professional standards, and the Ontario Occupational Health and Safety Act.

What you bring

Required

• Degree in Social Work, Psychology, Psychotherapy, or a related discipline.
• Membership in good standing with the applicable Ontario regulatory college - such as the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers, the College of Psychologists and Behaviour Analysts of Ontario, or the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario or College of Nurses of Ontario.
• Minimum 5 years of progressive experience in community services, social services, or a related field, including at least 2 years of direct people management experience.
• Experience providing clinical or practice guidance in community-based social work or human services settings.
• Experience working with vulnerable populations using a trauma-informed, equity-centered approach
• Experience developing, implementing, or improving community-based programs, services, or operational processes
• Experience building and maintaining effective partnerships with community agencies, service providers, or external stakeholders
• Experience supporting staff and clients in complex, high-acuity, or crisis-informed service environments
• Strong operational planning, problem-solving, and organizational skills, with the ability to run multiple programs at once
• Effective interpersonal and communication skills, and the ability to work across departments and with diverse community partners
• Proficiency with case management and data systems, and comfort with data-informed program management

Assets

• Experience in or demonstrated understanding of animal welfare programming (strongly preferred)
• Familiarity with the PAWS Act and the role of secondary responders
• Valid Ontario driver's licence

Work Conditions

• This is a high-empathy environment. You will regularly engage with clients and animals experiencing distress and hardship, and you will be supporting a team who carry that too.
• Flexible hours are sometimes required, including evenings, weekends, and response to urgent operational needs.
• You'll interact with staff, management, volunteers, community partners, and the public under widely varying circumstances, including highly sensitive ones.
• There is exposure to animals and associated environmental conditions, and some lifting, carrying, and moving of program materials.

What we offer

• Comprehensive Health and Wellness Benefits –Medical, dental, and vision coverage, an employer-matched Group RRSP, and access to Employee Assistance Program (EAP) to support you whenever life gets complicated.
• Exclusive Discounts –Enjoy savings on veterinary services, pet merchandise, pet food, and even pet insurance, helping you care for your furry family members with ease.
• Work-Life Balance –Paidvacation, sick time, and flexible float days.
• Paid pet bereavement leave -Paid time off to grieve the loss of your own pet.
• Animal Enrichment –Share your workspace with a dog or enjoy a cat cuddle during your break.

Candidate potential

At Toronto Humane Society, we value diverse perspectives and recognize that a great candidate may not check every box. If you're passionate about animal welfare and believe you have the potential to excel in this role, we encourage you to apply, even if you may not meet every listed qualification. You just might be the right candidate for this or other roles. We are committed to providing a supportive environment for professional growth and development.

Commitment to Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

Toronto Humane Society is committed to building and sustaining a diverse and equitable workplace where people’s unique backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives are valued, respected, and welcome. We recognize that a diverse and empowered workforce helps us better serve our animals, clients, and community and contributes to Toronto Humane Society’s overall growth and success. Therefore, we strongly encourage qualified applications from underrepresented and equity-deserving groups within the animal welfare sector, including Indigenous, Black, racialized, newcomers, 2S/LGBTQ+, and people with disabilities.

Accommodation Needs

Requests for accommodation can be made at any stage of the recruitment process providing the applicant has met the Bona-fide requirements for the open position. Applicants need to make their requirements known when contacted.

Use of AI in Recruitment

To streamline our hiring process, we utilize an applicant tracking system (ATS) to manage and organize applications. While the ATS aids in efficiency, the core evaluation of candidates is carried out by our human resources team. This approach ensures a personalized review that allows us to gain a comprehensive understanding of the applicant's unique skills and potential.

Next Steps

We thank all applicants for their interest in Toronto Humane Society, however due to the high number of applications we receive, only those selected will be contacted for an interview.

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