Senior Director, Strategic Programs & Partnerships

Senior Director, Strategic Programs & Partnerships

PetSmart Charities

Phoenix, Arizona

THE SEARCH

PetSmart Charities (Charities), the leading funder of animal welfare in North America, seeks a seasoned, strategic, and collaborative leader to serve as its inaugural Senior Director of Strategic Programs & Partnerships (Senior Director). The Senior Director is an executive-level role responsible for leading a team overseeing approximately $46 million in strategic, transformational grantmaking annually. This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced leader to build upon PetSmart Charities’ ambitious mission to make the world a better place for pets and those who love them.

PetSmart Charities was created in 1994 by PetSmart’s founders, who chose to partner with local animal shelters to bring adoptable pets into local stores rather than selling cats and dogs for profit. Today, PetSmart Charities’ in-store adoption programs continue to thrive, with over 11 million pets adopted from its stores since its founding, through more than 2,500 shelters and rescues. Charities has since significantly expanded its portfolio of impact beyond adoptions to address the systemic challenges of pet hunger, access to affordable veterinary care, and disaster response across the United States and Canada. With generous support from PetSmart customers' donations and individual and corporate gifts, PetSmart Charities has made more than $600 million in grants throughout its history.

Reporting to the President of PetSmart Charities, the Senior Director will lead the strategic development and execution of programmatic and grant initiatives to advance PetSmart Charities’ mission, so that life “at both ends of the leash” improves. The successful Senior Director will cultivate strategic partnerships, including with PetSmart; strengthen and expand the PetSmart Charities brand beyond animal welfare to include human services; develop, support, and retain a programmatic team overseeing a large, diverse, and geographically expansive portfolio; serve as a strategic thought partner to the President; and engage the 13-member PetSmart Charities board of directors. The Senior Director will have two direct reports: the Director of Pet Placement Initiatives and the Director of Community Grants & Initiatives, and their respective teams, totaling about 15 staff. This is not a fundraising or development role. 

PetSmart Charities seeks a seasoned leader with considerable program leadership experience in the corporate or private philanthropy and/or nonprofit sectors, with a particular preference for individuals with dual nonprofit and corporate backgrounds. The Senior Director will be strategic and analytical, with the ability to synthesize data for decision-making and compelling storytelling across diverse audiences. They will bring proven success in launching and managing multi-constituent programs, as well as the ability to manage relationships where corporate and nonprofit interests intersect. Financial acumen, experience managing multi-million-dollar budgets, and strong process management skills are required, as is a track record of leading with humility and empathy to inspire teams through trust, inclusion, and shared success. While previous experience in animal welfare is not required, the Senior Director will align closely with Charities’ vision:  a world where communities unite in support of pets together with their families.

COMPENSATION AND LOCATION

Salary: $200,000-$220,000, plus a potential annual bonus of up to 20 percent.

Location: This role is in-person and based at PetSmart Charities headquarters in Phoenix, Arizona. The Senior Director will spend about 30 percent of their time traveling across the United States and Canada.

APPLICATIONS, INQUIRIES, AND NOMINATIONS

PetSmart Charities has retained Isaacson, Miller, a national executive search firm, to assist in this important recruitment. Nominations, inquiries, and applications, including resumes with cover letters responding to the opportunities and challenges outlined in the full position profile, should be submitted to the search team via the hyperlink below. Screening of applications will begin immediately and continue until the search process is completed. If you require reasonable accommodation to complete an application, interview, or otherwise participate in the candidate selection process, we welcome you to submit an inquiry to the team.

Tatiana Oberkoetter, Janette Martinez, Cati Mitchell-Crossley, and Harley Bartles

Isaacson, Miller

PetSmart Charities Senior Director of Strategic Programs & Partnerships

PetSmart provides an equal opportunity for all associates and job applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status or other legally protected characteristics.

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https://www.imsearch.com/open-searches/petsmart-charities/senior-director-strategic-programs-partnerships