Job Details

To provide sanctuary for rescued farmed animals, advance their welfare through education, and inspire compassion and responsibility toward all nonhuman animals by advocating a vegan lifestyle.

VISION

Animal Place is working towards a world where all animals are valued, respected, and protected.

OVERVIEW

More than 10 billion land animals are raised and slaughtered for food in the United States each year, and over 80 billion worldwide. This massive industrial food production system harms the animals, who live in a state of continual suffering until they face a terrifying and painful death. It harms the environment by dumping massive amounts of animal waste into streams, rivers and private wells; it also adds significantly to climate change, harms the people who work in these industrial facilities and slaughterhouses, and poses a risk to public health, through the overuse of antibiotics used in the animals' feed, as well as significantly increasing human exposure to Salmonella, e-Coli, and other diseases.

ABOUT ANIMAL PLACE

Animal Place provides sanctuary for farmed animals and promotes a vegan, cruelty-free lifestyle challenging factory farming, an industry that takes the lives of billions of land animals each year in the United States.

Founded in 1989 by Kim Sturla and Ned Buyukmihci, VMD, Animal Place is a 501 (c)(3) animal sanctuary and is one of the oldest, largest, and most respected sanctuaries dedicated to farmed animals in the United States.

Kim and Ned, driven by their compassion for animals, sold their homes, emptied their savings, and bought 60 acres of raw land in Vacaville, CA to build an animal sanctuary. While moving to their new home, the shelter where Kim worked took in a stray piglet, which the staff doted on and named Zelda. Zelda officially became the first resident.

For more than 36 years, Animal Place has made a difference in the lives of farmed animals in the U.S. and has fostered a compassionate community that is working towards a future where all animals are valued, respected, and loved.

Animal Place operates in two locations: a sprawling, 600-acre sanctuary in Grass Valley, CA, that provides refuge for hundreds of abused and neglected farmed animals; and the Rescue & Adoption Center in Petaluma, CA, dedicated to placing farmed animals into loving, permanent homes.

While Animal Place's foremost mission is to provide sanctuary for farmed animals, the organization firmly believes that lasting change comes from education and advocacy. Each year, the sanctuary welcomes thousands of visitors to learn about farmed animal behavior, the realities of animal agriculture, and the benefits of dietary change.

Animal Place offers hands-on opportunities, from daily animal care to community outreach. Animal Place also invites everyone to put compassion into action by choosing a vegan lifestyle, volunteering, donating, adopting animals in need, or even rescuing farmed animals themselves.

Nestled in the Sierra foothills, between Sacramento and Lake Tahoe, Animal Place's permanent shelter, a 600-acre farm, is a northern California tourist destination that cares for 200+ animals.

Animals arrive at Animal Place from small and large farms, slaughterhouses, auction yards, cruelty impounds, research facilities, and individual rescues. No matter where they come from, all animals find a haven where all their needs are met, and their individual quirks are respected.

In addition to providing sanctuary for farmed animals, Animal Place is an education and advocacy center working to end the cruelest factory farming practices and promote a vegan lifestyle.

Animal Place offers guided tours – public, private, and school group tours – to educate people about the emotional lives of farmed animals and the realities of industrial farming. The organization also conducts cooking classes and workshops at the sanctuary, as well as volunteer and internship opportunities.

ANIMAL PLACE'S RESCUE & ADOPTION CENTER

Animal Place's Rescue & Adoption Center, located in Petaluma, CA, houses rescued animals until they are able to find their forever home with a compassionate adopter. Previously known as Rescue Ranch , Animal Place saved tens of thousands of hens from egg farms, rehabilitated them, and placed them in forever homes.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Animal Place's “Food for Thought” program helps animal protection groups demonstrate their commitment to compassion by providing them with resources that will enable them to adopt a plantbased menu policy for their events. Animal Place noticed that while many animal shelters and rescue centers focus on the welfare of companion animals, they overlook the impact that meat, dairy and eggs have on farmed animals. Animal Place wants to help these nonprofits raise the funds they need to protect the animals they love, without exploiting farmed animals. Animal Place addresses this by providing resources, drafting policies, and offering grants to support the transition to plant-based menus.

The Board of Directors is seeking an experienced leader to drive Animal Place's mission and vision into the future. This leader will work closely with the Board, staff, and donors and will play a vital role in overseeing the organization's operations, ensuring its financial sustainability, and advocating for animals. This is an ideal opportunity for an animal professional who wants to:

• Provide refuge for animals rescued from abusive situations, offering them a safe and loving environment.
• Help people move away from the products of factory farming by educating the public about its realities.
• Play a leading role in advocating for an end to farmed animal cruelty by supporting legislation that protects farmed animals from abuse and neglect.
• Promote plant-based diets and ethical consumption choices that reduce the demand for animal products.

Animal Place has a budget of approximately $2.1M, a small but mighty Board of five leaders from the animal protection sector, and a dedicated staff of 19.

CANDIDATE PROFILE

The Board is seeking candidates who are seasoned, effective, and compassionate leaders. They should have a passion for the mission of Animal Place and have demonstrated leadership experience in animal protection, sanctuary, or shelter sectors. They should understand how to inspire through clear communication, possess high emotional intelligence, and have effective, respectful, and fair management skills.

RESPONSIBILITIES AND DUTIES

The Executive Director's primary duties include organizational leadership, fundraising, marketing, fiscal management, and compliance with local, state, and federal laws. Specific responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:

Mission and Strategy

• Embody the mission of Animal Place.
• Stay current on changing messaging related to veganism and animal rights.
• Lead the Animal Place team to fulfill its organizational mission through first-rate animal care, educational and advocacy programs, community outreach, and strategic planning.
• Provide complete oversight and direction of animal care, programs, campaigns, and communications.
• Be active and visible in the community and work closely with other sanctuaries, animal protection, civic, and private organizations to enhance the image of Animal Place and its mission.
• Serve as the primary spokesperson with staff, volunteers, supporters, the media, and the public.
• Serve as a thought leader in the field, engaging with leading animal leaders and advocates and contributing information on best practices for farmed animal sanctuaries and veganism.

Governance and Operations

• Provide inspirational and compassionate leadership.
• Oversee the hiring, retention, and professional development of staff.
• Develop and implement strategies to fulfill Animal Place's mission and ensure compliance with all internal policies.
• Lead Animal Place in a manner that supports and guides the organization's mission and vision as defined by the Board of Directors.
• Work with the Board to steward its financial and other resources.
• Advance and embed Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) into Animal Place's culture and all organizational structures and activities.

Financial Performance and Fundraising

• Protect the fiscal integrity of Animal Place, including assuring that the organization operates within the annual budget approved by the Board.
• Maintain a favorable financial position for the organization by proactively responding to financial challenges as they arise.
• Develop and execute long-term fundraising goals and plans, including a vision for donor relations, to ensure long-term financial health.
• Support engagement and fundraising efforts across the organization.
• Work with staff and the Board to ensure compliance with all California and federal nonprofitrelated laws, including tax, business, and employment laws.

Board Relations

• Collaborate and partner closely with the Board in a respectful and collegial manner to deliver on organizational goals and priorities.
• Coordinates with the BOD Chair to report activities to the Board on a regular basis.
• Provide relevant and timely updates and information to the Board.
• Establish relationships with and steward members of the Board to contribute their skills, expertise, and knowledge to benefit Animal Place's work.

Personal Characteristics

The Board is seeking an individual who is:

• An inclusive, purpose-driven leader who authentically and effectively models and advances Animal Place's mission and values.
• Humble, passionate, and a person of integrity who inspires trust.
• Open-minded listener who seeks and values a range of viewpoints but is also comfortable making a final decision.
• Emotionally intelligent, flexible, and intuitive, with superb relationship management skills.
• Passionate about animal protection, shelter, and sanctuary sectors; adherence to a vegan lifestyle preferred.
• Able to easily convey Animal Place's successes and opportunities with fervor and intensity in both formal and informal situations.
• A superb manager of conflict, who can navigate differing views and can be clear-minded in ambiguous situations.
• An authentic, honest, and ethical person as evidenced by how they live day to day, treat others, and operate in the animal welfare sphere.
• Patient, persistent, and resilient, and can hold onto a vision or desired outcome regardless of obstacles.
• Able to change tactics and approaches when necessary.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Knowledge of and experience in the animal protection field, preferably within a sanctuary or shelter setting; a passion for Animal Place's mission.
• Understanding of nonprofits and experience working in a non-profit setting with a missiondriven staff.
• A minimum of five years of leadership and management experience in the nonprofit field.
• Ability to manage finances; assume responsibility for managing a budget conservatively.
• Superior supervisory skills; effective team builder with a strong commitment to collaborative and team-oriented management.
• Experience and proven success raising significant funds Track record of cultivating and stewarding major donors and foundations.
• Experience developing and setting objectives and/or implementing strategic plans.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and Google applications.
• Experience working in partnership with, and being accountable to, an engaged nonprofit Board of Directors.
• Belief in a collaborative approach to leadership.
• Exceptional listening skills.
• Familiarity with work management technology (e.g. Asana, Slack, WordPress, GoFundMePro, and FreeWill).

COMPENSATION, BENEFITS & APPLICATION FOR POSITION

Animal Place offers a competitive salary and benefits package.

The compensation range for this position annually is between $120,000 and 150,000 and is commensurate with experience. Health insurance, PTO and other benefits are available.

How to apply

If you want to lead this dynamic organization, please confidentially submit a current resume and cover letter to Kittleman & Associates. The cover letter is an opportunity to showcase your passion for Animal Place's vision and mission, as well as organizational impact in current or prior roles.

The position will remain open until filled. Applicants are highly encouraged to submit their materials no later than October 3, 2025, for best consideration. Submit your application here.