CHIEF SHELTER VETERINARIAN - DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT

About Our Job

With competitive pay, great benefits, and endless opportunities, working for the City and County of Denver means seeing yourself working with purpose - for you, and those who benefit from your passion, skills and expertise.

Join our diverse, inclusive and talented workforce of more than 11,000 team members who are at the heart of what makes Denver, Denver.

What We Offer

The City and County of Denver offers a competitive salary commensurate with education and experience. The salary range for this position is $110,216 - $187,367.

We also offer generous benefits for full-time employees which include but are not limited to :

• A guaranteed life-long monthly pension, once vested after 5 years of service
• 457B Retirement Plan
• 140 hours of PTO earned within first year + 11 paid holidays, 1 personal holiday and 1 volunteer day per year
• Competitive medical, dental and vision plans effective within 1 month of start date

Location

In this position you can expect to work on site at Denver Animal Shelter, located at 1241 W. Bayaud Ave. The clinic operates 7 days per week with rotating on-call work for emergency consultation.

This position may require weekend and / or holiday shifts.

What You'll Do

Within the Denver Department of Public Health & Environment (DDPHE), Denver Animal Protection (DAP) protects the safety and welfare of Denver's animals and residents by fostering the human animal bond.

DAP emphasizes public and animal safety and health, encourages responsible pet ownership through education and enforcing compliance with animal-related municipal code requirements, and cares for animals at the Denver Animal Shelter (DAS).

More information can be found at : DDPHE : Denver Animal Protection.

We foster an inclusive culture by respecting the values, customs, and authenticity of everyone and by implementing equitable public health strategies so Denver communities can thrive.

As the Chief Shelter Veterinarian, you will serve as the primary veterinarian surgeon and will oversee shelter management and operations.

The veterinary clinic at DAP is one of the two shelter clinics (and the only municipal shelter) in Colorado that is American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) accredited.

We see a variety of patients, including dogs, cats, small mammals, farm animals, fish, poultry, and reptiles. We are well equipped with dental radiographs, digital radiographs, oxygen cage, ultrasound, and cautery.

As the Chief Shelter Veterinarian you will have the opportunity to work on a variety of cases in a high-paced and exciting environment. Including :

• Cases including lacerations, ear infections, dental disease to more traumatic cases such as toxin ingestion, foreign body obstruction and polytrauma.
• Rare cases of animals as patients include snapping turtles, chameleons, other reptiles, and farm animals.
• Oversees the management and operations of Denver's AAHA-accredited municipal shelter clinic.

Specifically, you will :

• Provide high quality medical care to shelter animals, oversee the health management of shelter animals, and provide for the medical and surgical needs of animals.
• Perform traditional duties of a veterinarian which includes health assessment, diagnosis, spay / neuter, other soft tissue surgery, dentistry, and treatment of various medical conditions.
• Implement medical protocols and standard operating procedures for medical evaluations and treatment of animals including disease control, sterilization, improvement of health and quality of life issues, and the alleviation of suffering.

This also applies to managing animal flow through transfer and foster programs.

• Investigate possible cases of zoonotic diseases and reports confirmed cases to state and federal officials when needed or requested.
• Administer and promote rabies immunization programs.
• Train division staff on shelter related topics that include euthanasia and euthanasia certification, animal evaluation and treatments, disease control, and other pertinent topics.
• Oversee the medical work of shelter veterinarian, veterinary technicians, intern, and assistants and monitors staff to ensure correct treatment and handling of animals.
• Write medical reports, processes cruelty cases, and presents cases in court.
• Assist in volunteer programs for the animal shelter and educates the public regarding zoonotic diseases and pet ownership.
• Perform Euthanasia when needed or required.
• Build relationships with community veterinarians and local veterinary technical colleges.
• Present in local and national conferences.
• Help to coordinate and to participate in public vaccination clinics organized by DAP.
• Manage clinic administrative duties including inventory, budget, and paperwork.
• Responsible for managing personnel including time keeping, compliance with CSA rules, performance reviews.
• Maintain AAHA accreditation.
• Procure DEA license as a condition of this position.
• Along with all department staff, this position will actively participate on an emergency preparedness and response team to support DDPHE's responsibilities outlined in the City's Emergency Operations Plan.

This may require being 'on-call' from time to time to help respond to emergencies. Additional training commensurate with assigned duties will be provided.

Other duties as assigned or requested.

What You'll Bring

We value diversity of ethnicity, race, socioeconomic status, sexual identity, gender, religion, language, ability, and experience and exemplify this through the makeup of our team at all levels.

You'll be right at home here if you cultivate strong relationships and push yourself, your work, the people around you and Denver to the next level.

Our ideal candidate has some or all the following experience, skills, and characteristics :

• Interest in orthopedic surgeries or willingness to learn
• Previous shelter medicine experience
• High-Volume High-Quality spay / neuter surgery experience
• Soft tissue surgery experience
• Internship-trained, preferably in shelter medicine
• Currently practicing veterinarian
• Experience managing an annual budget

Required Minimum Qualifications

• Education requirement : Doctor of Veterinary Medicine accredited by the Council on Education of the American Veterinary Medical Association.
• Experience Requirement : Three (3) years of experience at the type and level of functional or operational management, which must have included management of professional individual contributors.
• Education / Experience Equivalency : No substitution of experience for education is permitted.
• Completion of a shelter medicine internship may substitute for three (3) years of experience.
• License / Certifications : Requires a valid Driver's License at the time of application.
• Requires possession of a license to practice veterinary medicine issued by the State of Colorado by the time of hire.
• Must be registered with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration for the use of controlled substances in the State of Colorado prior to completion of the probationary period.
• Licenses and certifications must be kept current as a condition of employment.

Application Deadline

This position is expected to stay open until filled. Please submit your application as soon as possible to ensure consideration.

To be considered for this position, you must include the following on your job application (upload the attachment(s) to the Resume / CV section on the My Experience tab) :

• Cover letter
• Resume

About Everything Else

Job Profile

CO3349 Shelter Veterinarian Chief

To view the full job profile including position specifications, physical demands, and probationary period, click here.

Position Type

Unlimited

Position Salary Range

$110,216.00 - $187,367.00

Starting Pay

$110,216 - $135,000

Agency

Dept of Public Health & Environment

The City and County of Denver provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, genetic information, age, or any other status protected under federal, state, and / or local law.

It is your right to access oral or written language assistance, sign language interpretation, real-time captioning via CART, or disability-related accommodations.

To request any of these services at no cost to you, please contact [email protected] with three business days' notice.

Applicants for employment with the City and County of Denver must have valid work authorization that does not require sponsorship of a visa for employment authorization in the U.S.

For information about right to work, click here for English or here for Spanish.