Reports to: Board of Directors
Full-Time, Exempt; In-person.
Salary: $350,000-$400,000/year plus generous benefits
About Oregon Humane
Founded in 1868, Oregon Humane is the Northwest's oldest and largest animal welfare organization with one of the highest adoption rates in the nation. Oregon Humane transforms compassion into action through life-changing programs that support and celebrate the human-animal connection, including adoption, veterinary care, education, humane law enforcement, and legislation.
With campuses in Portland and Salem, Oregon Humane is an independent non-profit organization that receives no government funding and is fueled entirely by donors.
Oregon Humane has a yearly budget of $40,000,000, employs nearly 400 employees, and collaborates with partners throughout Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest, and across the nation. Within the last five years, the organization has opened a state-of-the-art Community Veterinary Hospital, a Behavior & Rescue Center, and an Animal Crimes Forensic Center. Oregon Humane has also expanded its footprint into the mid-Willamette Valley and has made major facility upgrades to its Salem shelter and Veterinary Clinic.
In addition to Oregon Humane’s shelter and medical facilities, the organization has a wide array of teams to improve the lives of animals, including Training & Behavior, Humane Education, its Second Chance transfer program, and Humane Law Enforcement. Oregon Humane is at the forefront of animal welfare’s understanding of the integral and complex relationship between human and animals, employing one of the nation’s few Veterinary Social Workers and partnering with local non-profits to meet the community’s greatest needs so that more pets and people can stay together.
To broaden people’s understanding of how they fulfill their mission, Oregon Humane organizes their programs and services within four pillars:
Well-Being: Promoting the physical, mental, and emotional health of animals through sheltering, medical services, and behavior modification.
Connection: Building bonds between animals and humans, and across our communities through adoptions, agency partnerships, and events.
Knowledge: Creating opportunities to expand awareness and education through training classes, humane education, and veterinary student programs.
Advocacy: Championing the rights of animals through humane law enforcement, legislation, and animal crimes forensics.
Oregon Humane’s mission statement demonstrates their collaborative, holistic approach to animal welfare: We transform compassion into action, creating an ecosystem where all of us—animals and humans—feel safe, valued, and part of something bigger.
Visit oregonhumane.org to learn more about how Oregon Humane elevates relationships between pets and the people who love them.
The Team
The Chief Executive Officer is the leader of a collaborative Executive Team. This person will lead the Executive Team to ensure organizational alignment with Oregon Humane’s strategic objectives and priorities. The CEO drives the organization’s strategic direction, fostering a culture of innovation and accountability, and managing internal and external relationships.
The positions reporting to the CEO include: Chief Financial Officer, Chief Advancement Officer, Chief People and Culture Officer, Chief Medical Officer, and Chief Humane Law Officer. In addition, the Senior Leadership team includes representatives from the Oregon Humane location in Salem, Oregon, shelter staff, training and behavior staff, veterinary clinic staff and internal operations and support services.
Primary Responsibilities:
Governance: Cultivates an effective Board of Directors ensuring they exercise their full governance, vision and service potential on behalf of the organization. Executes on the organization’s strategic and business plans. Works closely with the Board and Nominating Committee Chair to recruit and retain board members and evaluate them annually. Supports operations and administration of the Board, interfaces between Board and staff, and supports the Board’s evaluation of the CEO.
Operations: Provides leadership and oversight of campuses in Portland and Salem, Community Veterinary Hospital, Behavioral Training Center, and the Humane Law Enforcement Unit. Ensures the effective stewardship of all organizational resources including finances, people, technology, and brand. Leads the Senior Leadership Team and directly supervises, supports, and evaluates the Executive Leadership team.
Keeps current on best practices in use at other U.S. animal welfare and veterinary healthcare organizations and updates shelter operations and policies where appropriate. Provides the board and staff with a timely report of these enhancements and communicates these accomplishments to various stakeholders as appropriate.
Staff leadership: With the Chief People and Culture Officer, sets the culture and tone of Oregon Humane, creating an organization where people thrive while operating in a complex, fast-paced, and dynamic work environment in multiple locations and departments. Builds trusting relationships across teams by consistently demonstrating Oregon Humane’s core values, inclusive and authentic leadership, and a deep commitment to the mission and vision.
Resource Development: With the Chief Advancement Officer and the Board’s Advancement Committee, develops and plans specific strategies for acquiring proper funding for operations and programs. Provides personal leadership for cultivation and solicitation of major gifts, community and legacy giving. Builds and executes on strong business plans for each business unit to build and diversify revenue streams while providing quality service.
Finance: With the Chief Financial Officer, develops annual organization and department budgets for Finance Committee and Board approval. Oversees business planning, revenue diversification and investment strategies in collaboration with Finance and Board Committees. Regularly reports on business plan execution and development of business strategies for the long-term health of the organization.
Shelters: With the Chief Medical Officer overseeing managers in Portland and Salem,
ensures appropriate design, management, and delivery of quality programs, products, sales and services. Actively participates in community engagement, national associations and advocacy efforts to promote shelter activities.
Veterinary Hospital, Clinic, and Behavioral Center: With the Chief Medical Officer, ensures high quality execution of services to the community both paid and donated. Actively participates in the development of business and funding plans that meet the needs of community and national standards for care. Advocates for on-going needs of animals and owners.
Humane Law Enforcement: With the Chief Humane Law Enforcement Officer, provides leadership and guidance for interventions and prosecution of animal abusers. Builds and maintains relationships with the Oregon State Police. Ensures adequate enforcement support and resources. Engages with advocacy efforts at the state level related to humane law enforcement.
Minimum Qualifications
We are interested in finding the best candidate for the job, and that candidate may be one who comes from a less traditional background. We welcome applicants who bring a diversity of identity, culture, experience, perspective and thought. We encourage you to apply, even if you do not believe you meet every one of the qualifications described. You are also encouraged to address how your professional and lived experience, scholarship, mentorship, and/or service will contribute to Oregon Humane.
- At least 10 years of exceptional strategic and operational leadership experience in nonprofit, government and/or private sector organizations.
- Experience managing and developing operations across multiple worksites and service areas.
- Ability to anticipate and address significant industry challenges and opportunities.
- Proven and quantifiable track record building and leading high performing teams.
- Strong financial and business acumen within an organization of similar scale and complexity.
- Capability to maintain strong relationships with high-profile individuals, donors, and program partners.
- Ability to speak publicly and advocate in front of the media, with donors, and the public.
- Policy and public advocacy experience with government and elected officials.
- Able to exercise sound judgment and maintain a professional demeanor during all interactions with the public, partner agencies, donors, staff, and volunteers.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills - able to communicate with a diverse population in a consistently informative, respectful, and professional manner.
- Satisfactory completion of Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) background check including fingerprinting.
Success Attributes:
- Demonstrated visionary leadership, broad perspective, and a high degree of flexibility and adaptability.
- Strong leadership skills, demonstrating authenticity, inclusivity and collaborative decision-making.
- Ability to manage and make timely decisions within highly complex situations and operations.
- Ability to work effectively with high profile external business and political leaders.
- Possess the style and interpersonal skills to effectively partner with people of diverse backgrounds.
- Experience with animal shelters, animal care and/or CAWA certification.
Application Information:
Nonprofit Professionals Now is excited to support Oregon Humane in this key leadership role.
All interested applicants need to submit a resume and cover letter as well as complete the screening questions found in the application portal.
Application Deadline: May 18, 2026
All candidate information will be reviewed and candidates moving forward in the process will be contacted directly. The interview process will include: candidate/recruiter conversation, phone interview, video interview and in-person visits with finalists as well as reference checks and background checks..
Additional Work Information:
Work Contacts
This position interacts with and collaborates with all levels of the organization ranging from entry level staff members to executive team members, members of the Board of Directors, customers, donors, volunteers, and representatives from the public and public/private agencies. Responsible for gaining information, sharing information, influencing others, conflict resolution, and constructive collaboration. Emotionally charged situations must be handled with tact, empathy, and personal composure must always be maintained in the face of interpersonal conflict. Contact and communication are carried out through face-to-face, telephone, and electronic interactions. Communication must be clear, understandable, professional, and respectful in all circumstances.
The CEO is expected to foster an environment of transparency and accountability across the organization. They will manage, support, and provide coaching feedback to team members, and create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence within their own team and embrace their role and responsibilities in advancing shared goals and priorities.
Work Conditions
•Work is performed in an office and medical center/animal shelter environment.
•Regular travel between campuses and in the community is expected.
•Occasional weekend and evening work may be required.
•Animal contact and related injuries may occur.
•Noise exposure varies and sometimes includes uncontrolled barking and other animal vocalizations.
•The pace of work is active and demanding, requiring a high degree of multitasking and ability to adapt to changing priorities while managing concurrent projects/tasks to completion.
•Contact with angry or emotional people may occur.
Physical Requirements
•Occasional lifting and moving of inanimate objects weighing up to 50 lbs.
•Occasional pushing and pulling of carted items weighing up to 100 lbs.
•Occasional moving items above shoulder level.
•Occasional use of hands and arms at or above shoulder level.
•Prolonged standing, sitting, and/or stooping may occur.
•Occasional climbing and bending.
•Must be able to lift, move, restrain, guide, or manage an animal weighing up to 150 lbs. on a leash on an occasional basis.
•Must be able to remain in a stationary position for prolonged periods.
•Ability to respond and perform life saving techniques Per Oregon Humane guidelines in an emergency.
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Achieving our mission begins with how we build our team and work together. Through our commitment to enriching our organization with people of different origins, beliefs, backgrounds, and ways of thinking, we are better able to leverage the collective power of our teams and address and overcome complex challenges and barriers. We strive for a culture of integrity, respect, and compassion where every member of our community contributes their perspectives and authentic selves and where everyone reaches their potential as individuals and teams. We recognize that striving for diversity, equity and inclusion is a journey, and we are committed to learning, listening, and evolving to become more diverse, equitable, and inclusive than we are today.
Equal Employment Opportunity
Oregon Humane is an equal opportunity employer that does not tolerate discrimination on any basis. We actively seek out diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be collectively stronger and have sustained impact.
We are committed to providing an environment of respect and psychological safety where equal employment opportunities are available to all. We do not engage in or tolerate discrimination on the basis of race, color, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, disability (including HIV/AIDS status), marital status, military veteran status or any other protected group.
This position description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties performed by the employee occupying this position. Oregon Humane is an at-will workplace.
Compensation Annual
Salary Range $350,000 - $400,000
Posted: Saturday, April 18, 2026
Job # 354