Join Our Team

SUMMARY

Wags & Walks aims to rescue 20+ dogs per week, prioritizing dogs at risk throughout Southern California. We've opened a new space that will significantly expand our medical capabilities, including a surgery program serving both Wags & Walks dogs and ultimately the community.

The Medical Operations Manager makes that growth possible by helping to work with key stakeholders to ultimately drive this new programming.

This role works to understand the challenges that the Medical team faces on a day to day basis and how that lines up with the organization’s other programs. This person leads the medical team, collaborates with our Veterinary partners, identifies and supports the builds of the systems and protocols that keep care consistent, and connects the team with the departments and partners they rely on. Working alongside our partner veterinarians, who guides diagnosis and treatment plans, and our Vet Partners, this role focuses on making great care happen reliably. At the same time, this role understands how sustainable program growth can also take place with the expanded footprint.

The ideal candidate has hands-on vet med experience (RVT, vet tech, vet assistant, or shelter/rescue medicine), leadership experience, and a true passion for rescue. A strong Vet Tech skill set is preferred but not required, with the Practice Manager skill set being valued in a candidate. We care most about your approach, leadership, and ability to build something new, and we'll support technical growth through our veterinarian and team.

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

Lead and develop the team

• Manage the medical team through weekly check-ins, performance reviews, and improvement plans.

• Own hiring and onboarding, including cross-department introductions (with Leadership support).

• Build training plans and continued education, identifying skill gaps in partnership with the veterinarian and RVT.

• Understand the biggest challenges the team faces and be the team’s biggest advocate while also setting the tone with the cross-department collaboration style.

• Build a schedule that supports strong coverage 7 days a week.

Build the new space and surgery program

• Partner with Leadership and the supporting Veterinarians to develop workflows, protocols, and SOPs for the new space. A strong foundation of processes and protocols are in place for existing workflows, with the most build-out required for the expansion.

• Partner with the veterinarian and leadership on the surgery launch, including patient flow, scheduling, supplies, equipment, and communication with public clients.

• Consult on space layout, equipment and supply ordering, and staffing needs, and recommend next hires as the program grows.

• Serve as the public-facing representative of the “clinic” space for customer service and operational needs as required.

Care and operations

• Oversee intake flow of new dogs and, with the veterinarian, decide when a dog needs to be seen externally or what treatment path makes sense.

• Be comfortable rolling up your sleeves to support the team as needed. The role and responsibility in the hands-on work can be dictated by the individual’s Vet Med experience, but this is an important part of the role. We’re still a scrappy non-profit organization and the ability to flex this muscle is important.

• Ensure all dogs receive appropriate care, including vaccines, medications prescribed by Vet partners, dewormer, flea meds, diagnostics, and wellness exams. This role must be comfortable being hands-on as needed.

• Ensure medical records are accurate and complete, with regular audits and quality checks

• Lead efforts to educate, limit, and control infectious outbreaks

• Own inventory tracking and restocking with clear accountability

• Own the foster medical line: coverage schedule, quality control, triage, and system improvements.

• Report on weekly and monthly metrics around dogs in the organization’s care and their cost.

• Support in building out and reporting on the metrics for the new “clinical” space.

Partnerships and communication

• Serve as the connective tissue between the medical team and internal and external stakeholders.

• Lead during medical escalations and difficult "customer" situations, keeping leadership (cost/health) and the team (health) updated

• Work with the Chief of Staff to identify and grow Vet Partner relationships, with an eye on cost and content goals for foundation support

• Set service-level standards for internal and external communication and report on progress.

• Work with the Foster and Volunteer teams to build the medical training and resource library.

• Be the medical team's main contact for content gathering, marketing, and foundation submissions

QUALITIES

Must be a dog lover and possess a strong knowledge of dog behavior and medical needs.

• Must be willing to get your hands dirty, be flexible, and reliable.

• Must be able to lead and communicate clearly and effectively with a diverse group of employees and volunteers.

• Must have excellent people management, customer service experience, proveattention to detail, good organizational and time management skills.

• Must be a team player and have a positive attitude. Personable, professional, upbeat and energetic.

QUALIFICATIONS

Required:

• 5+ years of hands-on experience in veterinary, shelter, or rescue medicine

• 3+ years of leadership experience, formal or informal (lead tech, shift lead, supervisor)

• Passion for the rescue mission

• Ability to stand for most of a shift and lift up to 50 lbs

• Proficiency with Word, Excel, Slack, and Google Docs

• Valid California driver's license

• Flexible schedule, including evenings and weekends, with a schedule that consistently includes 1 or 2 weekend days (ideally Tuesday - Saturday schedule).

Preferred:

• Vet Tech and/or Registered Veterinary Technician (RVT)

• Experience with surgical or high-volume clinic workflows, or shelter medicine

• Experience building SOPs, launching a space or program, or running hiring/onboarding

BENEFITS & COMPENSATION

• Opportunity to join a fantastic team in a rewarding non-profit environment. Over 1,000 dogs rescued in LA and over 2,000 across the organization annually!

• Health, dental, vision, 401k

• PTO that increases annually

• Drinks and snacks on site, monthly team meetings with lunch provided.

• $78,000 - $82,000 per year based on experience

We're looking for hard-working dog lovers who have experience in animal welfare. Wags and Walks has rescued 14,000+ dogs to date, and it's the amazing hands-on work from the Animal Care team that makes it possible. You'll work at our West LA location helping to care for the 20 - 30 dogs on site at any given time.

It's an exciting opportunity to be a part of a fast paced and hard working team in a rewarding environment. This is a great way for an interested candidate to get exposure to medical, adoptions, and other departments in a fast paced but rewarding setting.

SCHEDULE REQUIREMENTS

Part Time: 3 days a week

Full Time: 4-5 days a week minimum

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

• Follow cleaning, feeding, and watering protocols to maintain the health of all animals.

• Ensure every dog in our care is walked every four hours at a minimum.

• Keep boards and kennel cards updated in real time.

• Adhere to isolation and quarantine protocols when handling new or contagious animals.

• Keep the facility clean, safe, organized, sanitary, and presentable at all times.

• Abide by intake protocols and procedures when processing new dogs.

• Assist adoptions and foster staff with meet-and-greets, supply preparation, and pick-ups/drop-offs.

• Train and supervise volunteers to ensure safety procedures are followed. Informs volunteers of necessary tasks in a friendly, welcoming manner.

QUALITIES

• Must be willing to get hands dirty, be flexible, and reliable. There will be deep cleaning, scrubbing, and some messy kennel situations involved.

• Must enjoy working independently but also collaborating.

• Must have excellent customer service experience, proven attention to detail, and good organizational and time management skills.

• Must be a team player and have a positive attitude. Personable, professional, upbeat, and energetic.

• Ability to communicate skillfully and effectively with a diverse community in a professional, pleasant, respectful manner and use good judgment.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Must be able to be on your feet for most of the shift.

• Must be able to lift up to 50 lbs to help move kennel crates, dog food, and other supplies.

• Must have customer-facing experience

• Must have a valid California Driver's License

• 1 year of professional experience working with dogs in a kennel environment required.

• Weekend availability is a must.

BENEFITS

• Opportunity to join a fantastic team at an incredibly rewarding rescue organization

• Connections to Wags and Walks network of partners

• Competitive pay with time off (full-time only)

• Medial, dental, and vision benefits for you and eligible dependents (full-time only)

• Holiday pay (full-time only)

• Snacks and drinks on site

Job Types: Full-time, Part-time

Pay: Starts at $18.50 with flexibility based on experience

Schedule:

Expected hours: 37 per week

8-hour shift

Weekends as needed

Experience:

Professional experience working with dogs in a kennel environment (1 year) required.

Work Location: In person

Submit An Application

SUMMARY

At Wags & Walks, we believe keeping pets and people together starts with access to compassionate support and resources. Through our Wags for Good initiative, we’re expanding community programs that help dogs and their families through affordable veterinary care, outreach, education, and hands-on support.

We are currently seeking passionate and motivated interns in Los Angeles to support the growth of this program. This internship offers a unique opportunity to gain experience within the nonprofit and animal welfare space while contributing to meaningful, community-focused work. Interns may assist with program operations, outreach efforts, events, partnerships, and day-to-day support initiatives tied to Wags for Good.

This is an ideal opportunity for individuals interested in nonprofit work, community engagement, veterinary access initiatives, or animal welfare. We’re looking for team players who are eager to learn, adaptable in a fast-paced environment, and excited to make a direct impact.

To apply for this internship, please complete this application.

Interested in joining the Wags and Walks team but not seeing the role that speaks to your skill set? Feel free to submit a general application at the bottom of the page, as our team is always looking to connect with talented candidates that share our passion for rescue dogs.

Submit An Application