Senior Manager, Administration

Summary:

Lifesaving impact, rewarding careers: For more than 150 years, the ASPCA has been on the frontlines to save, transform and protect the lives of millions of animals. We are looking for a Senior Manager, Administration to join a world-class team integrated sheltering, behavioral and medical care for victims of cruelty at our Rehabilitation & Recovery (R&R) Center to support lifesaving care and make a critical impact on the vulnerable animals who need us most. 

The right candidate for this position is so much more than a resume - please take advantage of your cover letter to tell us why you are the one we are looking for!

Who We Are

The R&R Center in Pawling, NY, is a unique program dedicated to providing integrated sheltering, behavioral, and medical care for canine victims of cruelty. The R&R Center team works closely with ASPCA teams in New York City to help animals rescued in partnership with the NYPD. 

What You’ll Do

The Senior Manager, Administration at the ASPCA’s Recovery & Rehabilitation Center (R&R Center) is a strategic program leader responsible for enabling the effective, aligned, and mission-driven functioning of the ASPCA’s Recovery & Rehabilitation Center. Serving as the principal administrative and coordination partner to the Vice President, this role ensures leadership priorities are translated into coherent execution across programs, teams, and resources.

Operating with a high degree of independence and discretion, the Senior Manager provides program oversight, senior leadership decision support, and cross-functional integration in a complex, mission-critical environment. The role balances hands-on leadership with forward-looking planning, financial and cultural stewardship, and people leadership in support of the ASPCA’s lifesaving work.

• The Senior Manager, Administration reports directly to the Vice President, Recovery & Rehabilitation Center and has 2 direct reports.

Where and When You’ll Work

• This position is an on-site role and reports to Recovery & Rehabilitation Center in Pawling, NY.

• The typical schedule will be Monday through Friday 9am-5pm EST. Occasional weekends and/or evenings required to support the needs of the program. Schedules are subject to change as needed by the ASPCA.
• Ability and willingness to travel up to 5% of the time, as needed.

What You’ll Get

Benefits

At the ASPCA, you don’t have to choose between your passion and making a living. Our comprehensive benefits package helps ensure you can live a rewarding life at work and at home. Our benefits include but are not limited to:

• Affordable health coverage, including medical, employer-paid dental and optional vision coverage.
• Flexible time off that includes vacation time, paid personal time, sick time, bereavement time, paid parental leave, and 10 company paid holidays that allows you even more flexibility to observe the days that mean the most to you.
• Competitive financial incentives and retirement savings, including a 401(k) plan with generous employer contributions — we match dollar-for-dollar up to 4% and provide an additional 4% contribution toward your future each year.
• Robust professional development opportunities including classes, on-the-job training, coaching and mentorship with industry-leading peers, internal mobility, opportunities to support in the field and so much more.

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

Responsibilities:

Responsibility buckets are listed in general order of importance. They include, but are not limited to:

 

Administrative Leadership & Strategic Alignment

• Serve as organizational integrator for the R&R Center, maintaining a broad, enterprise-level understanding of how programs, departments, and initiatives connect, and using that perspective to support alignment and effective execution.

• Translate leadership priorities into coordinated plans and workflows, ensuring consistency across operational, financial, and people-related activities.

• Represent the R&R Center in cross-functional forums, advocating for departmental needs, ensuring alignment with enterprise priorities, and working to resolve misalignment before it impacts outcomes.

• Ensure follow-through and accountability on Vice President decisions across program teams.

• Maintain visibility into competing priorities and interdependencies, proactively identifying risks, misalignments, or capacity constraints and surfacing options for resolution.

• Facilitate strategic alignment in leadership and team forums by grounding discussions in enterprise objectives, program and organizational goals, progress indicators, and resource considerations.

• Lead and manage cross-functional initiatives and special projects on behalf of the Vice President, coordinating inputs and advancing work to completion.

 

Senior Leadership Partnership & Decision Support

• Act as a trusted advisor and operational extension of the Vice President, supporting planning, prioritization, and execution of strategic objectives.

• Serve as a thought partner to R&R leadership, offering data-informed insights and recommendations grounded in operational, financial, and cultural analysis.

• Conduct research and analysis related to operations, culture, and resource use, translating findings into clear, actionable insights.

• Prepare leadership-level agendas, briefings, presentations, and talking points that synthesize complex information and support informed decision-making.

• Track and support follow-through on leadership decisions by coordinating implementation and monitoring progress across teams.

• Independently manage the Vice President’s calendar and travel, exercising judgment to align time and attention with organizational priorities.

• Communicate decisions, priorities, and updates on behalf of the Vice President with clarity, accuracy, and appropriate authority.

 

Operational Oversight & Administrative Infrastructure

• Serve as the institutional knowledge lead for the R&R Center, supporting continuity, informed planning, and effective onboarding.

• Design, maintain, and deliver training materials, job aids, and documentation to support shared understanding of administrative and operational practices.

• Provide leadership and oversight of shelter-wide administrative operations, ensuring systems, processes, and workflows support both current needs and evolving program demands.

• Continuously assess administrative operational effectiveness and implement improvements to enhance efficiency, clarity, and consistency.

• Coordinate travel for Vice President as well as team members traveling to other locations

• Serve as the primary liaison for Facilities, IT, Procurement, and Office Services, independently addressing routine needs and coordinating solutions for more complex matters.

 

Financial Management & Resource Stewardship

• Exercise sound judgment in independently reviewing and approving purchasing requests, expense allocations, and reimbursements in accordance with established guidelines.

• Partner with the Vice President on budget management, forecasting, and annual financial planning.

• Monitor departmental spending trends and resource utilization, preparing and presenting regular financial updates to senior leadership.

• Manage vendor relationships and serve as the primary point of coordination with Procurement and Accounts Payable.

• Oversee timekeeping, reimbursements, and financial documentation, ensuring accuracy, compliance, and responsible stewardship of ASPCA resources.

 

People Leadership & Culture Stewardship

• Manage a team of 2 employees to succeed in their role by communicating clear expectations, providing opportunities for learning and development and building positive and trusting relationships.

• Support your direct reports by holding regular effective feedback conversations, career conversations, annual performance evaluations and ongoing check-in conversations with each team member on a cadence that’s appropriate for their role(s).

• Provide direct leadership and supervision to administrative staff, including goal setting, performance management, coaching, and professional development.

• Oversee the day-to-day work of administrative staff, maintaining a high standard for communication, discretion, and outputs.

• Build and sustain a collaborative, accountable administrative team aligned with organizational values and program priorities.

• Appropriately delegate tasks to direct reports, ensuring continuity and timeliness in meeting program and organizational objectives.

• Partner with fellow R&R Center leadership and the People Team on workforce planning, recruitment, onboarding, and retention efforts.

• Own and continuously refine onboarding frameworks, materials, and processes to ensure a consistent and effective experience for new hires.

• Coordinate onboarding logistics, compliance requirements (including I-9 verification), and uniform inventory.

• Support hiring managers with interview coordination and candidate engagement.

• Lead collection and analysis of employee engagement and culture data, translating insights into practical improvements.

• Proactively address team dynamics, performance issues, and conflict with discretion, fairness, and professionalism.

• Champion a positive, inclusive, and mission-driven workplace culture.

 

Stakeholder Engagement & External Interface

• Represent the R&R Center in community forums and at Center events.

• Build and maintain strong partnerships with external facing teams, including Talent Acquisition, Communications, and Philanthropy, ensuring accurate messaging, representation of programs, and strong donor and stakeholder engagement.

• Build and maintain relationships with local donors, media, external shelter partners, and high-profile visitors to the R&R Center; provide comprehensive tours and briefings.

• Coordinate donor, media, and stakeholder visits, including logistics and high-level tours.

• Serve as a point of contact for public inquiries and sensitive communications, exercising the highest level of discretion and sound judgment.

 

Qualifications

• Builds positive relationships and communicates effectively with all levels of staff and volunteers.

• Demonstrates good judgment, diplomacy, sensitivity, and respect for confidentiality.

• Strong team player combined with ability to self-manage and work independently.

• Excellent organizational and verbal/written communication skills.

• Proactive with the ability to anticipate needs and reprioritize assignments as necessary.

• Ability to work in proximity to behaviorally and medically compromised animals and feel comfortable working in an environment where humane euthanasia is performed.

• Quick to recover from difficult situations.

• Ability to use good judgement and maintain confidentiality

• Fluency in Microsoft Office required

• Familiarity with Workday, Airtable, and/or Canva a plus

• Must be able to occasionally lift and move up to 50 pounds.

• Ability to drive a vehicle, if needed. Must provide a valid driver’s license upon hire and pass a motor vehicle history check demonstrating a safe driving history.

• Ability to exemplify ASPCA’s core values and behavioral competencies

 

Education and Work Experience

• HS Diploma, GED required, or equivalent experience

• Minimum 2 years of experience supporting administrative and financial responsibilities required

• Minimum 1 year experience supervising direct reports required

• Experience reporting expenses and monthly budget analysis required

• Experience managing calendars for others required

• Experience coordinating travel for others preferred

• Experience in animal welfare preferred; Animal sheltering experience a plus

• Project management experience a plus

• Professional experience writing, editing, and/or proofreading experience a plus

• Fear Free Shelter certification is required within 60 days of hire.

 

Language:

English (Required)

Education and Work Experience:

High School Diploma, GED, or Equivalent Experience (Required)