The Arizona Animal Welfare League (AAWL) is seeking an Intake and Flow Manager who will supervise all operational aspects of the Intake & Flow Department, ensuring humane and efficient animal population management and exceptional client care. This role manages intake planning, pathway planning, and animal movement to support optimal welfare, minimize length of stay, and maintain capacity for care. This is a highly collaborative role that requires partnering with members of various departments within AAWL, including shelter, medical and volunteer teams, to accomplish objectives.
The Intake & Flow Manager will evaluate, update, and implement new and existing policies and procedures to keep shelter population, foster population, surgery and animal flow aligned. They will assist in the preparation of the departmental budget and manage expenses within the budget. The ideal candidate thrives in a fast-paced, high-volume environment and demonstrates strong decision-making skills, adaptability, and leadership skills. By managing shelter capacity and animal pathways with efficiency and compassion, this role is essential to maintaining animal welfare and advancing Arizona Animal Welfare League’s lifesaving mission.
The Intake and Flow Manager reports to the Vice President of Operations, works full-time, and supervises two Intake Leads and four Intake Specialists.
Responsibilities
Hire, lead, and develop the Intake & Flow team, ensuring staff are trained to conduct compassionate surrender conversations, accurately assess animals, identify diversion or alternative placement options, and consistently apply best practices in animal handling, data entry, customer service, and pathway-based decision-making.
Collaborate with teams across the organization to ensure the program reflects shelter and community needs and improves outcomes for pets and families.
Lead regular shelter and foster population rounds for cats and dogs to review animal welfare, length of stay, and pathway progress.
Proactively assign and monitor pathways (such as adoption, foster, transfer, or medical/behavioral intervention).
Develop new rescue and transfer partnerships and connect with existing partners to expand placement pathways and support sustainable population management.
Identify potential bottlenecks and develop creative and effective solutions to maintain balanced capacity across shelter programs.
Maintain and create clear, standardized operating guidelines for intake criteria and decision-making processes.
Establish, maintain, and monitor animal records in PetPoint, ensuring all data is entered promptly to support real-time population management, length-of-stay tracking, and data-informed decision-making.
Perform intake-related medical procedures as trained and authorized, including blood draws for diagnostics, administering vaccines, flea and tick preventatives, dewormers, and implanting microchips.
Participate in the development and implementation of strategic goals that align with the organizational mission.
Prepare regular reports and statistical data to identify patterns and improve workflows, such as monitoring intake processing time, length of stay (LOS), and appointment no-show rates.
Other duties as necessary based on organizational needs.
Qualifications
Minimum of 3 years' experience in an animal welfare organization.
Minimum of 3 years of management experience.
Must have excellent attention to detail, ability to solve complex problems and balance multiple priorities.
Ability to flourish in a high-volume, fast-paced, ever-changing environment.
Must possess excellent interpersonal skills, conflict resolution skills, and flourish at relationship building.
Able to speak, read, write, and understand English. Ability to speak Spanish is preferred.
Experience with Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook is a plus; able to learn Pet Point database and other software programs as necessary.
Requirements
Requires periodic sitting at a computer station with prolonged standing and walking. Use of personal computer, phone, and general office equipment. Must be comfortable handling dogs and cats daily on a continuous basis. Will be exposed to disinfectant solutions and subject to bites and scratches while handling animals of questionable temperament. Requires normal range of hearing and eyesight to communicate with animals, the public, volunteers, and staff. Also requires flexibility to readily adapt to a fast-paced changing environment and the ability to work weekends and holidays.
To Apply for This Position
Please submit a cover letter, resume and three professional references including their email, phone, and relationship to jmccabe@aawl.org. In your subject line please reference “Intake and Flow Manager”. No phone calls or walk-ins, please.
Employment Details
The starting salary for this position is $65,800.
Benefits include employer-paid medical insurance, paid vacation/sick time off, and twelve paid holidays, dental and vision insurance available.
Additionally, we offer continuing education and management training opportunities on how to resolve conflicts, implement new ideas and take/receive feedback.
