About The Position

Riverside County is seeking a dedicated Chief Veterinarian to join the Department of Animal Services (DAS). This pivotal role involves overseeing a team of 50 veterinary professionals in the Veterinary Services Team, which delivers crucial services such as spay and neuter surgeries, shelter medicine, and public pet wellness programs. Additionally, the Team plays a vital role in public health by managing animal bite reporting, prevention, and disease surveillance.

The Chief Veterinarian is responsible for ensuring the comprehensive health and well-being of shelter animals in County facilities through expert medical oversight, surgical care, and effective leadership of veterinary operations. This includes performing and overseeing spay and neuter surgeries, diagnosing and treating diseases and conditions affecting shelter animals, and providing oversight for anesthesia and medication administration. The Chief Veterinarian develops and implements medical protocols, treatment plans, and guidelines in accordance with best practices established by the Association of Shelter Veterinarians, ensuring consistent, high-quality care focused on disease prevention, treatment, and the promotion of animal welfare. This role collaborates with shelter directors and managers to maintain sanitary conditions, uphold animal welfare standards, and oversee humane euthanasia practices. The Chief Veterinarian manages the health and well-being of the animal population to increase adoptions, reduce unnecessary euthanasia, and minimize returns, while also providing medical supervision for the County’s animal foster care program. As a key member of the department’s management team, the Chief Veterinarian supervises and trains staff veterinarians, veterinary technicians, interns, and externs; collaborates with the clinic manager and shelter leadership to develop and deliver training programs for veterinary staff and euthanasia procedures; and manages medical inventory, equipment, and budgets. The position ensures compliance with all local, state, and federal laws and regulations governing animal health, welfare, and the use of controlled substances, maintaining required veterinary premise permits, DEA licenses, and accurate drug logs. The Chief Veterinarian assists in the investigation of animal cruelty cases and may serve as an expert witness in legal proceedings. Additionally, the position advises shelter management on medical programs and policies, liaises with diagnostic laboratories and other agencies, provides guidance to the public on animal health issues, represents the County at public meetings and inter-agency events, and responds to emergencies and natural disasters as required.

The Chief Veterinarian is also tasked with maintaining the DAS Premise Permit and DEA Licenses.

If you possess strong leadership, excellent communication skills, and a compassionate approach to animal welfare, we encourage you to join this dedicated team and make a meaningful impact in the community. Apply now to lead efforts in ensuring the health and well-being of our shelter animals and contribute to public health initiatives.

This class has been designated At-Will by the Board of Supervisors, in accordance with the provisions provided under Article 6, Section 601E (6) of the County Management Resolution and serves at the pleasure of the Director of Animal Services.

This class has been deemed eligible for the Performance Recognition Plan as set forth under Article 3, Section 311(B) of the County Management Resolution. Program eligibility requires employees to be in a leadership position, manage other employees or programs, and have significant influence on the achievement of organizational objectives.

Meet the Team!

With a vision for promoting an environment of responsible pet ownership through progressive animal welfare initiatives, community outreach, and humane education in a culture of compassion, creativity, and integrity, the Department of Animal Services (DAS) is comprised of the Animal Shelters, Veterinary Services, and Public Safety and Enforcement Services. These operational groups together service up to 1819 different contracted cities and the unincorporated areas of Riverside County. The dedicated members of DAS strive to meet the highest standards of performance and compassion on behalf of the animals and people they serve.

Examples Of Essential Duties

Manage, coordinate, supervise, and maintain veterinary medical facilities and services at all Department of Animal Services' shelters; consult with the Director of Animal Services in developing, implementing and evaluating County veterinary programs; create animal welfare, disease control and prevention training materials for the Department of Animal Services, and lead training exercises at all County facilities.
Perform and/or oversee physical and postmortem examinations on a variety of animals to make diagnoses or pathological findings, and to determine and evaluate community health conditions; instruct, train and advise both staff and the public in the proper and humane care and treatment of pets and other animals.
Administer and/or oversee anesthesia and/or other medication as needed; provide surgical and medical care for a variety of sick and injured animals; oversee the administration of immunizations on animals for purposes of disease control; coordinate with the State Veterinary Diagnostic Lab and others for evaluation and recognition of possible biological threats.
Supervise subordinates to ensure clinic and mobile unit work is effectively organized and operationally efficient; assign and review work of subordinate staff; respond to inquiries from the public and department employees relative to medical activities.
Interpret for other departments, governmental agencies, public or private organizations and interested individuals the state and local laws, rules and regulations related to animal health and disease; oversee proper records management pertaining to medical activities.
Respond to cruelty cases and instruct in the proper care and treatment of animals; represent the County as an expert witness during cruelty case legal proceedings.
Serve in an official capacity as Director of Shelter Medicine and County Veterinarian; tactfully and diplomatically deal with sensitive political and community concerns under stressful circumstances; prepare and monitor the Veterinary Services Division budget; attend local, state and federal conferences as the County Veterinarian, taking the lead to ensure adherence to animal services policy; perform legislative analysis for possible implementation; prepare reports and compose correspondence.
Oversee protocols pertaining to controlled substances, logs and medical records; develop new medical protocols and continue to evaluate and improve existing protocols.
Perform surgeries; provide shelter animals with physical exams, vaccinations, treatment and diagnosis, and temporary relief for Veterinary Surgeons, as required.

Minimum Qualifications

Education: Possession of a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from an accredited U.S. college or university of veterinary medicine at the time of appointment is required.

Experience: A minimum of three years of performing veterinary medicine, which must have included shelter medicine, supervision of shelter staff and veterinary program responsibility.

Knowledge of: Principles and practices of current veterinary medicine; animal diseases and their prevention, control and eradication; current veterinary practices and techniques relating to the treatment of injured animals; County, state and federal animal health laws and regulations; animal regulation procedures and problems; County customer service objectives and strategies.

Ability to: Administer, oversee and coordinate Countywide animal medical and regulatory programs; provide surgical and medical services and care for a variety of well, sick and injured animals, including a high volume of spay and neutering operations; analyze critical medical and administrative situations and take effective action; provide state-of-the art, high quality animal medical services in the most efficient manner; evaluate program quality, cost and overall effectiveness to recommend and implement changes and improvements; hire, train, supervise, and evaluate subordinate veterinarians and technical personnel; use team-building skills to ensure that Veterinary Services staff maintains high morale and works well with other public and private organizations; establish effective working relationships with management, employees, employee representatives, and the public representing diverse cultures and backgrounds; treat County employees, representatives of outside agencies and members of the public with courtesy and respect in stressful and sensitive situations; assess the customer's immediate needs and ensure customer's receipt of needed services through personal service or referral; exercise appropriate judgment in answering questions and releasing information; analyze and project consequences of decisions and/or recommendations; effectively communicate orally and in writing.

SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION

Other Requirements

License: A valid license to practice veterinary medicine in the State of California.

Possession of a valid California Driver's License.

What’s Next?

Open to All Applicants

This recruitment is open to all applicants.

For questions regarding this recruitment

Contact Danilo Lozano at DaLozano@rivco.org with any questions regarding this recruitment.

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APPLICATION INFORMATION

Veteran's Preference

The County has a Veterans Preference Policy applicable to new hires. To qualify, upload a copy of your (or your spouse's) Member-4 Form DD-214 indicating dates of service, and a copy of your spouse's letter of disability (if applicable) with your application. For privacy reasons, it is recommended that you remove your social security information from the document(s). A Human Resources Representative will review the materials and determine if you qualify for veterans' preference. The Veterans Preference Policy, C-3 is available here: https://rivcocob.org/board-policies

Reasonable Accommodations

The County of Riverside is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to applicants as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA). Qualified individuals with disabilities who need a reasonable accommodation during the application or selection process should contact the recruiter for the position noted above. For additional information and/or to obtain the appropriate form for requesting a reasonable accommodation, please visit the Disability Access Office web page located at: https://rc-hr.com/disability

Proof of Education

If using education to qualify or when requested by the recruiter, upload a copy of any license(s), official/unofficial transcript(s), degrees, and/or related employment documents to your NeoGov account at the time of application and before the closing date. Official or unofficial transcripts will be accepted.

If your education was completed outside of the United States, you will need to provide a copy of your Foreign Education Equivalency evaluation from a member of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services ( NACES ) or Association of International Credential Evaluators, Inc. ( AICE ).

Work Authorization Requirement

Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States at the time of application. The County of Riverside does not participate in visa sponsorship programs, including H1-B visas, and will not provide sponsorship for any employment-based visas.

Equal Opportunity Employer

The County of Riverside is an Equal Opportunity Employer. It is the policy of the County of Riverside to provide equal employment opportunities for all qualified persons. All applicants will be considered without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, ancestry, medical condition (cancer and genetic characteristics), genetic information, or denial of medical and family care leave, or any other non-job-related factors.

Pre-Employment

All employment offers are contingent upon successful completion of pre-employment requirements including a criminal background investigation, which involves fingerprinting. (A felony or misdemeanor conviction may disqualify the applicant from County employment). A pre-employment physical examination and background check may be required.

Probationary Period

As an Approved Local Merit System, all County of Riverside employees, except those serving "At Will," are subject to the probationary period provisions as specified in the applicable Memorandum of Understanding, County Resolution, or Salary Ordinance. Temporary and Per Diem employees serve at the pleasure of the agency/department head.

General Information

Current County of Riverside and/or current employees of the hiring department may receive priority consideration. Qualified candidates may be considered for future County vacancies.

Job postings may close without notice based on application volume. Submit your complete application by the recruitment close date; no late applications are accepted. Ensure all relevant experience/education is reflected on your application/resume, as a failure to demonstrate position requirements may disqualify applicants. A description of job duties directly copied from the job classification or job posting will not be considered.

Please read and follow any special application instructions on this posting. Click the 'Apply' link located on this page to submit your application. For additional instructions on the application process, examinations, Veteran's preference, pre-employment accommodation or other employment questions, please refer to our web site, www.rc-hr.com .

If you are experiencing technical problems, you may contact the governmentjobs.com applicant support desk Monday through Friday, 6 am to 5 pm Pacific Time at support@governmentjobs.com or toll-free 1-855-524-5627.

Chief Veterinarian

Job Type