Location Overview: Best Friends’ Lifesaving Center, at 307 W Broadway, opened its doors in 2017 to showcase adoptable dogs and cats from shelters in the New York Tristate region, and to engage visitors from all across the country (and world) in Best Friends mission and work to save the lives of homeless pets. The center is a place that brings Best Friends unique brand to life, where all animal lovers are welcome, where people can come to adopt or foster a pet, volunteer with Best Friends, or participate in a variety of fun, cool experiences.

Summary: The Manager of the Best Friends Lifesaving Center in New York will lead and develop a dynamic team of animal-loving staff and volunteers to deliver an inspiring and fun experience to visitors. The Manager will foster a collaborative, team environment that showcases Best Friends’ positive brand and values where kindness is key. Guide the center’s daily operations, and visual and hands-on experiences. Create/implement strategies for capturing visitor data, incentivizing visitors to return, and engaging visitors in Best Friends brand and mission. This person loves to connect and interact with both people and pets, and thrives in inclusive, retail-like environments. Leadership roles and proven experience in delivering and tracking outstanding customer service experience is required.

Culture Statement and Responsibility: We value attitude over aptitude, and we treat Kindness as a discipline because it is paramount in our culture along with our other Guiding Principles. Culture is how we talk to and treat ourselves and one another, it’s how we generate and respond to change, it’s how we plan and make decisions, it’s how we do what we do.

Essential Duties/Responsibilities:

• Treat people around you as our most valuable resource by leading with compassion and kindness in all your actions, build trust by demonstrating authenticity and following through on your commitments, encourage self-care and work-life balance through your own example, and work to build strong relationships with your team by creating communication loops to share and receive honest feedback. You are responsible and accountable for the culture of your team.

Leadership & Lifesaving

• Exemplify and drive an inspired, hands-on level of personal service in keeping with Best Friends brand and hospitality standards for all Best Friends clientele including members, donors, volunteers, associates, etc.
• Lead by example through direct and impactful personal and organizational contributions towards Best Friends’ no-kill 2025 goal; act with urgency and efficiency on behalf of animals still at risk of being killed in shelters across the region and the country. 
• Work collaboratively with Best Friends’ team members in all areas of operations and in other departments to achieve lifesaving goals.
• Planning and implementation of engagement events, managing the daily operations of the staff to ensure efficiency while maintaining a high standard of customer service, brand reputation and engagement of stakeholders.  
• Collaborate with other departments to ensure the goals are being realized to drive constituents to the center, participate in achieving all quantitative and qualitive measurement of success and work to develop strategies to meet all objectives, collect data and support communications.   
• Promote and oversee community-first strategies, engaging volunteers, community members, and other stakeholders at the highest level; purposefully and thoughtfully create an environment where Best Friends is the best place to work for a career in animal welfare, providing opportunities for growth, and for maximizing individuals’ lifesaving impact.
• Build and develop a dynamic team that is collaborative, friendly, open minded, good listeners, focused on guests' interaction above all other tasks. Contributes to a high energy environment that provides guests with a positive, entertaining, fun and dynamic experience.

Operational vision 

• Directly manage staff and teams at the New York Lifesaving Center; support human resource matters regarding staff selection, development, and retention; build individual capabilities and capacity through performance measurement and goal setting.
• Support operational budget management including managing expenses, revenues, and reporting on result; oversee the physical facilities and equipment procurement and management including supplies, inventory, and building or vehicle upkeep.
• Lead the maintenance of a safe workplace. Value and model safe work practices, adhering to organizational safety practices and rules, and addressing or communicating to leadership about unsafe practices and conditions.
• Keep current on modern animal welfare practices and philosophies. 
• Lead, enact and ensure the staff are acting in alignment with Best Friend’s vision, philosophy, values, and progressive industry practices.  Provide feedback, coaching and develop training to staff and volunteers where needed to accomplish this standard.
• Ensure that the level of gracious and exemplary hospitality is delivered by all staff and volunteers, through leading by example. Handles guest complaints in a supportive way with the goal of diffusing the situation.

Skills and Experience:

• Solid leadership and management experience preferably in retail, hospitality, events, customer client facing type businesses; 5+ years of management or leadership experience, including overseeing budgets and staff. Animal welfare experience, desired.
• Customer-centric, non-judgmental approach to engaging with adopters, partners, visitors, volunteers, and colleagues; familiarity and comfort with nonjudgmental philosophies.
• Ability to work with, leash, kennel, walk, and handle all cats and dogs, including those with health and/or behavior conditions/concerns; basic ability to identify and speak to medical and behavioral characteristics of dogs and cats. 
• Strong leadership skills with the ability to act decisively with a get-it-done attitude in difficult and fast-paced situations; strong interpersonal skills, a team player, upbeat, energetic, tactful, and diplomatic, able to get along with people from different backgrounds, as well as the ability to handle sensitive and confidential situations.
• Excellent communication skills, public speaking, and presentation experience with the ability to professionally advocate Best Friends’ position on issues; experience in supporting, engaging with, and developing relationships with volunteers, customers and donors.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office products; able to quickly grasp with a desire to learn, comfort learning new systems, including online information systems.
• Bilingual or multi-lingual skills  preferred but not required.

Physical Requirements

Must be able to:  

• Work at a computer or driving a car for extended periods of time with repetitive typing, sitting, arm, and hand motion.  
• Work indoors and outdoors in a variety of weather conditions including extreme heat and cold. 
• Exposure to dogs, cats and other animals of all sizes, temperaments, and medical status.  
• Valid driver’s license with ability to travel, including overnight stays, when needed.  
• Daily hours and days of the week may vary according to the needs of the department schedule; position includes weekends, nights, and holiday work.