Job Description

Kitten Nursery Manager

Heidi’s Village Animal Welfare Organization
Department:  Animal Care Operations
Position: Full-time

About the role

At Heidi’s Village, our nursery gives some of the most vulnerable kittens a chance to grow, heal, and reach the next chapter of their lives. That work takes skilled care, dependable systems, and people who support one another when the days are difficult.

The Kitten Nursery Manager leads the daily work of our Kitten Nursery and the people who make it possible. This is a hands-on leadership role for someone who cares deeply about kittens and understands that saving lives is a shared effort across Heidi’s Village. The manager sets clear expectations, develops the nursery team, works closely with veterinary and other program leaders, and uses accurate information to improve care and outcomes.

We are looking for a leader who brings compassion and accountability together: someone who listens, follows through, welcomes collaboration, and can turn a plan into results.

What you’ll do

Lead safe, compassionate kitten care

• Oversee daily nursery operations, ensuring each kitten receives timely, attentive care consistent with approved protocols and their individual needs.
• Maintain reliable systems for feeding, monitoring, cleaning, sanitation, isolation, and disease prevention.
• Recognize changes in a kitten’s condition, ensure concerns are communicated promptly, and coordinate with veterinary staff on assessment, treatment, and follow-up.
• Work with veterinary leadership to put approved medical and care protocols into practice. Ensure staff understand their responsibilities and know when to seek clinical guidance.
• Help the team respond calmly and effectively to urgent needs, disease concerns, changes in census, and the demands of kitten season.

Build and support the team

• Hire, onboard, train, schedule, coach, and supervise nursery employees, providing clear expectations and timely feedback.
• Create a workplace where people feel respected, can raise concerns early, and understand how their work contributes to the mission.
• Model steady, practical leadership. Step into direct care when needed while building a team and systems that can perform consistently.
• Partner with volunteer leadership to give nursery volunteers appropriate training, direction, and support.
• Address performance or workflow concerns promptly, fairly, and constructively.

Work as one Heidi’s Village team

• Build strong working relationships with veterinary staff, animal care, foster and adoption teams, volunteers, and other departments involved in a kitten’s journey.
• Communicate clearly about kitten health, capacity, care needs, transfers, and readiness for the next step, so other teams have the information they need.
• Approach challenges with curiosity and shared ownership. Listen to other perspectives, resolve problems directly, and help improve the whole organization’s work.
• Represent the nursery and Heidi’s Village with professionalism, warmth, and respect in interactions with colleagues, partners, and the community.

Deliver results and improve the program

• Maintain accurate, timely records in ProVet and other required systems so care decisions, handoffs, and reporting are based on reliable information.
• Monitor nursery activity and outcomes, including intake, census, care needs, illness trends, length of stay, and live outcomes. Use those measures to identify problems and guide improvements.
• Work with leadership to align nursery processes and ProVet workflows, strengthen consistency, and make it easier for the team to deliver excellent care.
• Plan staffing, supplies, and daily work around the needs of the kittens and the nursery’s available resources.
• Bring forward practical ideas, carry agreed changes through, and assess whether they are improving care, team effectiveness, and outcomes.

What you’ll bring

• Experience leading people in animal welfare, veterinary care, foster care, or another setting where attentive care and dependable daily operations are essential.
• Working knowledge of kitten care, including the needs of neonatal or medically vulnerable kittens, and the judgment to recognize when veterinary guidance is needed.
• Experience training and coaching others, setting priorities, and holding a team accountable with care and consistency.
• Strong communication and organizational skills, including the ability to coordinate across departments and keep accurate records.
• Comfort learning and using animal care software; experience with ProVet is helpful.
• A mission-focused approach to results: you care about what happens to each kitten and are willing to examine the data and the process behind those outcomes.
• The ability to stay calm, adapt, and make thoughtful decisions in an environment where needs can change quickly.

Most of all, you’ll bring a team-first mindset. You understand that the nursery’s success depends on the trust, expertise, and effort of people throughout Heidi’s Village—and you will help those people succeed together.

Work environment

This role includes regular work in the nursery and direct interaction with kittens, including animals who may be ill or medically fragile. The manager must be able to perform hands-on care and sanitation duties as needed. Schedule flexibility may be required to meet the needs of the nursery, including during periods of high intake or urgent care needs.

Why this work matters

A kitten’s progress may begin with a feeding, a careful observation, a clean space, or a timely call to the veterinary team. The Kitten Nursery Manager makes sure those moments add up to consistent care—and that the people doing the work have the support and direction they need to save more lives.

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