Summary:

The Senior Director supports the Animal Poison Control Center (APCC) by guiding strategy, data management, workforce management, and telephony activities. The Senior Director supports Client and Member Support (CMS) through telephony activity oversight and call center performance data management. The Senior Director’s contributions in these areas support APCC business goals and the ASPCA’s overall vision of ensuring animals live good lives, where they are valued by society, protected by its laws, and free from cruelty, pain, and suffering.

The Senior Director, Contact Center Operations leads a team of operations professionals, supporting the APCC staff to provide 24/7 support for pet owners and veterinarians. The Senior Director provides direct supervision for a team of 3-6 and collaborates with key stakeholders, including APCC leaders and leaders throughout the ASPCA, to achieve goals and strategies.

The ideal candidate will bring a passion for thinking critically; building relationships; defining and deconstructing problems; developing and executing structured approaches to problem-solving; and designing and facilitating efficient processes. To succeed in this role, the Sr. Director must develop and sustain strong and productive relationships at all levels and manage people flexibly to accommodate the variable needs within the APCC team. A successful Senior Director will excel at navigating a complex environment with a diverse workforce spread throughout the United Sates in onsite, hybrid, and remote positions, where emergency call volume is the highest on evenings, weekends, and holidays. The Sr. Director is a critical member of the APCC senior leadership team, guiding the center toward business excellence and animal welfare objectives. In addition, the person in this role will maintain strong relationships with other senior leaders, provide thought partnership and strategic insights, and will be responsible for strategic decision making to ensure objectives and key results are met.

The ASPCA APCC, the leading animal poison control center in North America, is committed to serving pet owners and the veterinary community. The Center helps animals by assisting, around the clock, in the prevention and treatment of poisonings from natural and man-made chemical exposures.  Staff members use proprietary database resources, containing over four million cases, to provide life-saving information. The Center is committed to protecting and improving the lives of animals through the promotion of poison prevention and the publication of new findings. Annually, staff members field over 400,000 calls and manage nearly 300,000 cases.

The ASPCA CMS department provides program and research-related contact center and logistical support and supports ASPCA members and the public. Annually, team members field over 300,000 calls and support nearly 40,000 email contacts.

The Senior Director, Contact Center Operations reports to the Vice President, Contact Center Operations.

Responsibilities:

Job responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

Contact Center Operations (50%)

• Utilize historical data, trends, and predictive analytics to forecast staffing requirements across shifts 
• Oversee the development and maintenance of employee schedules that align with forecasted demand while considering factors such as employee availability, skill sets, and labor regulations 
• Coordinate with department leaders and people managers to allocate resources as effectively as possible, ensuring optimal coverage during peak hours and optimizing staffing levels during slower periods 
• Develop processes and procedures to optimize proactive communication and minimize the need to reactively respond to concerns 
• Oversee APCC & CMS telephony activities, ensuring high level support to APCC and CMS programs through collaboration with Staff Leadership, Information Technology, and external vendors.
• Provide oversight and be a contact point for Midwest Office daily operations
• Oversee operations project development and management
• Collaborate on cross-departmental teams to enhance contact center services for staff, clients, and donors
• Interpret and communicate project-related data
• Provide program and process evaluation as needed
• Develop policies, guidelines, and solutions to address departmental needs
• Prepare and analyze reports as requested
• Assist the ASPCA with other duties as assigned

Contact Center Strategy (30%)

• Collaborate with the VP leadership and other departmental leaders to develop and maintain APCC strategic plans
• Collaborate with APCC leaders to explore, test, and implement strategies designed to sustain long-term departmental goals
• Provide statistical data, models, and analysis for the strategic plan and individual projects
• Evaluate departmental needs based on generated and analyzed statistical data
• Analyze key business processes and recommend refinements to maximize benefit
• Develop strategies to sustain program competitive advantage

Staff Management (20%)

• Lead a team of Operations professionals to provide high-quality, effective support to optimize team performance.
• Provide leadership, including mentoring, coaching, goal setting, and annual performance reviews for a team of dedicated Operations professionals
• Coach and provide leadership, direction, motivation, and supervision to direct reports and cultivate a culture of high performance throughout the team
• Conduct quarterly feedback sessions and yearly performance reviews based on goals and behavioral competencies
• Identify current and future training and growth opportunities for direct reports, engaging in proactive and long-term career pathing discussions

Exemplifies the ASPCA’s Core Values

• Has Commitment and dedication to improving the lives of animals
• Demonstrates Ownership and feels responsible for outcomes
• Believes in Team – that we are stronger together
• Seeks to Elevate others and reimagine what is possible
• Focuses on Impact, specifically making change for animals

Qualifications

• Proven experience organizing and influencing multiple teams and departments, building strong relationships, and motivating people to desired outcomes and multiple work environments  
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills 
• Established ability to deliver results in a fast-paced environment  
• Demonstrated enthusiasm for operating amidst complexity and change 
• Strong knowledge of contact center operations, policies, and practices 
• Excellent judgment and sense of personal responsibility, professionalism, including and the ability to use discretion and maintain confidentiality 
• Demonstrated ability to work independently and collaboratively, showing a solution-based orientation to problem-solving, a welcomeness to constructive feedback, and an ability to incorporate feedback effectively  
• Excellent leadership, interpersonal, and team skills 
•  Proven ability to balance strategic thinking with driving measurable results and management excellence 
• Ability to build strong relationships and to influence and motivate people to desired outcomes 
• Proven ability to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace 
• Exceptional project management and execution skills with the ability to prioritize effectively and meet deadlines 
• Ability to work occasional nights, weekends and holidays to support team members working at a 24/7/365 facility
• Confirmed ability and willingness to travel up to 20% of the time as needed, to meet requirements for on-site attendance at meetings and trainings as requested 

Education and Work Experience

• Bachelor’s degree preferred or equivalent experience required
• Minimum 5 years of high-level operations experience
• Minimum 5 years of people management experience supporting high performing operational professionals to optimize team performance
• Minimum 2 years of strategic planning experience required
• Minimum 2 years of experience with data analysis (collecting, processing, and performing statistical analysis on large datasets to discover useful information, suggest conclusions, and support decision-making)
• Contact center leadership experience preferred
• Proven track record of successful program, operations, and staff management
• Proven success in leading cross functional teams

Language

• English (required)

Location

• Candidates must reside within 250 miles of Champaign, IL. A remote option for candidates outside of the 250-mile radius is negotiable for qualified candidates already employed with the ASPCA and who are currently working outside the 250-mile radius.
• Ability and willingness to travel up to 20% of the time annually as needed

Compensation and Benefits:

The applicable target hiring range for this remote role is based on where the employee works, which for remote roles is the employee’s primary location of residence, and its respective cost of labor. We have organized the U.S. varying costs of labor index into three geographic zones. As a point of reference, below, we have included our ASPCA locations by geographic zone to illustrate what the hiring range would be in each of the following areas.

Starting pay for the successful applicant will depend on a variety of factors, including but not limited to education, training, experience, location, business needs, internal equity, market demands or budgeted amount for the role. The target hiring range is for new hire offers only, and staff compensation may increase beyond the maximum hiring range based on performance over time. The maximum of the hiring range is reserved for candidates with the highest qualifications and relevant experience. The expected hiring salary ranges for this role are set forth below and may be modified in the future. 

• Zone 1 (For example, Champaign, Union, MO;): $113,00 - $120,000
• Zone 2 (For example, Chicago, IL): $125,000 - $133,000
• Zone 3 (For example, New York, NY): $137,000 - $146,000

For remote positions, you can view which zone applies to you based on your location. For questions regarding other locations not found on the list, please send an email to [email protected] for more information.

   

For more information on our benefits offerings, visit our website.

The Compensation Team will review internal candidates’ current compensation, to determine if an offer beyond the target hiring range may be applicable.

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Qualifications:

  

Language:

English (Required)

Education and Work Experience:

Bachelors

  

Our EEO Policy:

The ASPCA is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer.  All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, gender, gender identity or expression, age, marital or domestic partner status, citizenship status, sexual orientation, disability, genetic information, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state or local laws, regulations or ordinances.

Applicants with disabilities may be entitled to a reasonable accommodation under the terms of the Americans with Disabilities Act and certain state or local laws.  A reasonable accommodation is a change in the ASPCA’s standard application process, which will ensure an equal employment opportunity without imposing undue hardship on the ASPCA.  Please inform the ASPCA’s People Team if you need an accommodation in order to complete any forms or to otherwise participate in the application process.

Individuals seeking employment are considered without regards to race, color, creed, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, gender, gender identity or expression, age, marital or domestic partner status, citizenship status, sexual orientation, disability, genetic information, military or veteran status,  or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state or local laws, regulations or ordinances.

ASPCA is an Equal Opportunity Employer (M/F/D/V).