Head of Animal Welfare

• Key leadership and influential role
• Ensure a sustainable future for a highly recognised, trusted and purpose driven brand
• Auckland, New Zealand

The SPCA is New Zealand’s oldest and largest animal welfare charity.  With more than 150 years of advancing animal welfare in New Zealand, it has 31 centres and 6 vet partnerships, and over 31,000 animals come through its centres each year. The SPCA’s strategic objectives centre on: advocate and influence, educate and engage, deliver positive animal outcomes and seek justice. It is the only charity with the power to protect all animals including prosecuting people under the Animal Welfare Act 1999.  The SPCA is also one of a few evidence based charities in New Zealand.

The SPCA’s strategy centres on reducing its footprint and increasing its impact and ensuring a sustainable and innovative organisation which endures for the next 150 years.

Offering challenge and complexity, the newly created role of Head of Animal Welfare is an opportunity to lead the SPCA’s change of direction and advance the SPCA’s aspirations to ensure a sustainable future. It is a key contributor in a major change environment building towards SPCA’s purpose as a custodian of animal welfare in New Zealand.  This is an opportunity for an experienced leader to leave a legacy achievement within one of New Zealand’s highly recognised and purpose driven brands.

Your key responsibilities:

Based in Auckland, reporting to the Chief Executive Officer, the Head of Animal Welfare provides strategic leadership, management and vision to the SPCA’s operational and commercial consulting arms and the animal welfare programmes and an overall team of 350+ permanent employees.

You will:

• Provide enterprise leadership to ensure the SPCA delivers to its purpose;
• Leverage the SPCA’s trusted brand to develop and deliver sustainable, innovative and pragmatic animal welfare services;
• Represent the SPCA’s interests in driving for impact and outcomes in various sector forums including through advocating and influencing for new animal welfare legislation and policy settings, and for pragmatic initiatives which positively change behaviours towards animal welfare standards.

Your background, experience and attributes will include:

You will be an outstanding people leader who has proven capability developing and coaching people and building high performing and engaged teams.  Your background will afford you respect and credibility in this influential and profile role. You will likely have experience and qualifications in animal health, veterinary or animal welfare sectors and may have practiced as a vet earlier in your career. You will understand clinical environments and the risks. Lived experience of looking after animals on the ground is advantageous. Proven operational leadership capability, strategic thinking and change management skills are essential for success.

“Fit” will be one of the determining success factors for this appointment. Your achievements will be demonstrative of a leader who is commercially savvy, courageous and hungry to make a difference.  You will be a seasoned leader who has maturity, pragmatism and wisdom and you will align with the following attributes: -

• Quiet, reflective, low ego, courageous, resilient.
• High integrity and trust.
• A drive for results.
• Excellent interpersonal and influencing skills;
• A collaborative and effective team player who is able to work in a matrix structure.

In addition to the above, you will have:-

• Minimum of ten years’ experience in a role within a complex organisation;
• Previous experience working with CEOs, Boards of Directors and Senior Leaders;
• Previous experience providing enterprise leadership and leading change in complex environments, including experience leading cross-functional teams and a remote workforce, and proven success empowering high performing teams;
• Strong business acumen and commercial judgement;
• Intellectual horsepower and analytical and strategic thinking skills;
• Demonstrated capability developing and implementing strategic and operational plans;
• Outstanding relationship building skills – proven confidence and credibility at creating mutually beneficial partnerships and effective internal and external relationships at all levels;
• Highly developed and effective communication skills – outstanding verbal and written communication skills, including effective presentation skills and proven credibility presenting to a broad spectrum of key stakeholders;
• Achievements in enhancing organisation capability and with initiatives which align with strategic direction, mission, vision and values;
• Strong understanding of the principles of fundraising as they relate to the charity sector;
• Technological and data analysis skills and ability to embrace and effectively utilise technology;
• Experience in a Not for Profit organisation is advantageous; and
• A Veterinary or relevant technical tertiary qualification.

Please forward your application to Nikki at our advisors, Baxter Executive Search, nikki@baxtersearch.com

The closing date for applications is the 24th of March 2023.

Please confirm closing dates at original source link and ensure you take note of appropriate time zones for position closing times.  Please note, Veterinarycareers.com.au takes no responsibility for closing dates or removal of job positions advertised.

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