Career Opportunity

The Animal Protection Society of Durham (APS) seeks a steady, strategic, and relationship-centered leader to serve as its next Executive Director. The ideal candidate will build on recent organizational progress, strengthen people and systems, cultivate trusting partnerships, and translate APS’s mission into clear, measurable priorities for the future.

Looking ahead, APS is exploring the development of a new shelter facility that would better support animal care, community services, and the organization’s long-term growth. The next Executive Director will have an opportunity to help shape the vision, partnerships, funding strategy, and planning required to bring this transformational project forward.

Mission: We strengthen bonds between people and animals in Durham County through community engagement and compassionate care for animals in need.

Reporting Structure: The Executive Director reports to a nine-member Board of Directors and currently leads seven direct reports overseeing lifesaving programs, animal well-being and medical services, facilities and animal care, development and communications, behavior, foster and rescue, and community engagement.

Scope: Approximately 30 staff members and an annual operating budget of approximately $3 million. APS’s work is also supported by hundreds of volunteers and foster caregivers, who contributed nearly 22,000 hours of service in FY2025.

Compensation: The anticipated salary range for this position is $120,000-$145,000, commensurate with experience and qualifications. APS also offers a competitive benefits package with additional details to be shared with candidates during the search process.

Working Environment/Location: This is an on-site leadership position based in Durham, North Carolina. The Executive Director is expected to maintain a visible presence with staff, volunteers, animals, public-sector partners, donors, and the community.

Key Responsibilities of the Executive Director

Organizational Leadership and Culture

• Lead APS through the completion of its organizational stabilization and into its next phase of sustainable growth and strategic development.
• Build on recent progress in communication, transparency, cross-departmental collaboration, and accountability while fostering a shared sense of one APS team.
• Strengthen the leadership and management capacity of directors and supervisors through clear expectations, coaching, delegation, and consistent performance management.
• Support a healthy workplace culture that recognizes the emotional demands of animal welfare work and promotes staff well-being, retention, professional growth, and resilience.

Strategy, Operations, and Organizational Effectiveness

• Partner with the Board and staff to establish clear short- and long-term strategic priorities and translate them into annual plans, measurable outcomes, and organizational accountability.
• Ensure consistent, effective operations across sheltering, medical care, intake, foster care, behavior, adoption, community programs, and administrative functions.
• Continue strengthening organizational systems, policies, technology, financial controls, safety practices, risk management, and regulatory compliance.
• Balance the urgency inherent in an open-admission shelter environment with disciplined prioritization and systems that reduce reliance on crisis response.

Animal Welfare and Program Impact

• Ensure APS delivers humane, high-quality, evidence-informed care and remains responsive to evolving best practices in animal welfare.
• Partner closely with APS veterinary, behavior, shelter operations, foster, and lifesaving professionals, appropriately relying on their technical expertise.
• Establish clear organizational priorities around intake, capacity for care, animal outcomes, foster care, rescue partnerships, prevention, and community services.
• Expand APS’ ability to keep animals with their families when appropriate and leverage foster homes, volunteers, rescue partners, and community-based services to improve outcomes.

Community, Government, and Strategic Relationships

• Serve as a visible, credible ambassador for APS throughout Durham and the broader animal welfare community.
• Maintain and deepen the critical partnership among APS, Durham County Government, Animal Services, the Durham County Sheriff’s Office, and regulatory partners.
• Build constructive relationships with volunteers, rescue organizations, veterinary providers, donors, community organizations, and other stakeholders.
• Strengthen APS’s reputation through transparency, responsiveness, consistent performance, and clear communication – particularly when navigating difficult decisions or changing practices

Financial Leadership, Fundraising, and Governance

• Maintain strong stewardship of APS’s financial resources through sound budgeting, forecasting, controls, reporting, and greater departmental ownership of budgets.
• Partner actively with the Director of Development and Communications to strengthen donor engagement, diversify revenue, and grow annual, major, planned, corporate, and foundation giving.
• Develop a strong, transparent partnership with the Board of Directors, providing the information and strategic context needed for effective governance and organizational oversight.
• Clarify and reinforce appropriate distinctions between governance and management while engaging Board members in strategy, fundraising, advocacy, and key external relationships.

The Ideal Candidate Profile

The ideal candidate will possess many of the following qualifications and attributes:

• Significant senior leadership experience in a nonprofit, public-serving, or similarly complex mission-driven organization, including demonstrated success leading through change, transition, stabilization, or growth.
• Experience with facility planning, capital campaigns, or other significant organizational growth initiatives is preferred.
• A strong people leader who develops others, establishes clear expectations, addresses difficult issues, and creates accountability while maintaining trust and respect.
• Exceptional communication and relationship-building skills, with the ability to listen, synthesize differing perspectives, make decisions, explain the rationale, and follow through consistently.
• Strong operational, financial, and systems-management skills, including the ability to prioritize effectively, delegate appropriately, use data to inform decisions, and strengthen organizational infrastructure.
• Demonstrated ability to build productive partnerships with governing boards, public agencies, regulators, donors, volunteers, community partners, and other stakeholders.
• Direct animal welfare or sheltering experience is preferred but not required. Candidates without significant direct experience must demonstrate genuine commitment to animal welfare, learning agility, sound judgment, respect for technical expertise, and the ability to quickly understand the complexities of open-admission sheltering.
• A steady, resilient, humble, and strategic leader who is skilled in change management, comfortable making difficult decisions, and able to maintain appropriate visibility in day-to-day operations while staying focused on executive-level responsibilities.

About Animal Protection Society of Durham

Founded in 1970, the Animal Protection Society of Durham is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening the bond between people and animals. Since 1990, APS has managed the Durham County Animal Shelter in partnership with Durham County Government. APS operates Durham County’s only open-admission animal shelter and provides care to thousands of vulnerable animals each year.

Beyond sheltering and adoption, APS provides and supports foster care, community spay/neuter, behavioral services, pet food and supply assistance, rescue partnerships, medical care, and other programs designed to help animals and the people who care for them. APS is entering an important next chapter, with the opportunity to build on recent progress in operations, culture, animal care, partnerships, and accountability while defining its long-term role in Durham’s animal welfare ecosystem.

Want to know more? Visit www.apsofdurham.org.

About Durham

Durham is one of North Carolina’s most dynamic and fast-growing communities. Home to more than 305,000 residents, the city has grown nearly 8% since 2020, and more than 57% of adults hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. Durham is anchored by Duke University, North Carolina Central University, world-class healthcare institutions, and Research Triangle Park, a 7,000-acre innovation hub that is home to more than 385 companies.

Durham’s quality of life has also earned national attention. Forbes included Raleigh-Durham among the nation’s top 15 communities for quality of life, Livability named Durham one of the best places to live in the United States in 2025, and Food & Wine recognized it as one of “America’s next great food cities.” The community also offers nationally recognized arts and entertainment, diverse neighborhoods, outdoor recreation, and a strong tradition of civic engagement.

This combination of rapid growth, innovation, diversity, and community commitment gives APS’s next leader a meaningful platform for partnership and impact. It also creates increasingly complex animal welfare needs as Durham works to ensure that services remain accessible to animals and the people who care for them.

Want to know more? Visit www.discoverdurham.com.

Benefits

APS offers a comprehensive benefits package designed to support our employees, including generous health coverage, retirement contributions, paid time off, and professional development opportunities. We are committed to providing benefits and workplace practices that support employee well-being, growth, and work-life balance.

How To Apply

Join the Animal Protection Society of Durham and play a critical role in building on a period of meaningful organizational progress while helping shape the future of animal welfare in Durham County.

To apply, scroll to the bottom of this page. You will see instructions for uploading your compelling cover letter, resume, and salary requirements.

Please provide all requested information to be considered. In case of any technical problems, contact talent@armstrongmcguire.com. No phone calls, please, and no applications will be accepted by email or directly from third-party posting sites.