Director, Military Affairs

American Humane Society (AHS) is seeking a Director, Military Affairs. This position will be hybrid based at the DC or the American Humane Sanctuary in Palm City, FL office locations and reports directly to the Chief Program Officer.

American Humane Society is seeking a mission-driven Director, Military Affairs to lead program operations and advance the impact of the Lois Pope LIFE Center for Military Affairs. This role provides leadership for initiatives including Pups4Patriots®, Paws on the Homefront, and Military Working Dog (MWD) Reunifications, helping strengthen the human-animal bond and support those who have dedicated their lives to serving others. This is an opportunity for a collaborative, results-oriented leader to translate organizational priorities into meaningful outcomes for veterans, first responders, military working dogs, and their communities.

The ideal candidate brings strong program management and operational leadership experience, a commitment to animal welfare and the human-animal bond, and the ability to build relationships across military, first responder, service dog, and community networks.

For nearly 150 years, American Humane Society (AHS) has led the way in protecting animals and strengthening the bonds between animals and people. We respond first when animals need rescue, shelter, or protection. Through our groundbreaking programs – from our “No Animals Were Harmed®” certification in Hollywood to our farm and conservation welfare standards – we set the highest level of care and compassion in animal protection.

Working at AHS means being part of something bigger. With offices in Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, and Palm Beach, we provide a supportive, professional environment where your work makes a real difference in animals’ lives.  American Humane Society is committed to fostering a welcoming workplace. As we seek to fill this position, we highly encourage high-performing applicants from all backgrounds to apply.

Responsibilities & Expectations: 
Program Leadership and Strategy 

• Work collaboratively with the CPO and relevant leaders to shape program strategy, establish priorities and develop annual and multi-year plans aligned with organizational goals; translate agreed-upon direction into program work plans and recommended goals, resource needs and improvement.   

• Lead the strategic implementation of the Center for Military Affairs vision for its National Home at the American Humane Sanctuary in Palm City, FL in coordination with the Director of the Sanctuary, including activating the kennels and future convening spaces, building community partnerships, and long-term sustainability. 

• Collaborate on the development of program strategy and priorities, then develop, operationalize, manage, and evaluate program activities, using data and stakeholder feedback to improve quality and impact, recruitment, outcome tracking and storytelling and community partnerships. 

• Recommend and establish program standards, procedures, and protocols, performance expectations, and accountability mechanisms across internal and external training sites and partner organizations. 

• Identify emerging opportunities, risks, and trends affecting veterans, first responders, service and family dog programs, and the human-animal bond, and recommend appropriate organizational responses. 

• Assess program trends, improvement opportunities, partnership opportunities, and potential expansion concepts; develop recommendations collaboratively with the CPO and other relevant leaders.   

Operations and Program Quality 

• Shape program priorities and implementation plans with the CPO and relevant leaders and manage day-to-day delivery of Military Affairs programming across the country/internationally to achieve Humane 2030 growth goals. 

• Ensure quality assurance and efficient service delivery for P4P at all training sites and partner locations. 

• Lead the application for and achieve award of ADI accreditation for the P4P program. 

• Provide supervision and direction to the operations staff, including direction on application administration, client services, logistics, records, reimbursements, reporting, and program processes. 

• Manage and provide direction to the service dog training team to ensure consistent application of American Humane Society training standards and appropriate pairing of P4P and Paws on the Homefront dogs with qualified participants. 

• Oversee relationships with dog trainers, training agencies, mental health providers, and other program contractors to ensure contractual and programmatic expectations are met. 

• Ensure appropriate systems are in place for data collection, program evaluation, client/graduate follow-up, and reporting. 

Stakeholder Relations, Outreach and Partnerships 

• Build and foster productive, ongoing relationships with key stakeholders in the military and first responder communities, including veteran service organizations, first responder organizations, Veteran’s Affairs staff, service dog agencies and associations, mental health providers, and other strategic partners. 

• Lead outreach and partnership strategies that increase qualified P4P and Paws on the Homefront applicants, identify MWDs in need, and strengthen referral pipelines. 

• Represent American Humane Society at conferences, meetings, briefings, industry events, and other external opportunities. 

• Organize and participate in strategic convenings, roundtables, and stakeholder meetings that advance Military Affairs priorities. 

• Serve as a key point of contact for constituents, funders, media, and other stakeholders. 

Revenue Development and Financial Leadership 

• Lead efforts to achieve Center for Military Affairs annual fundraising and revenue goals in partnership with Development and Executive Leadership. 

• Assist with development of grant proposals, donor presentations, funding strategies, stewardship activities, and program deliverables that demonstrate Center for Military Affairs impact. 

• In conjunction with Development, develop and maintain relationships with prospective and existing funders and other revenue-generating partners. 

• Work with Leadership and Finance to develop and manage annual program budgets, forecasts, expenditures, and financial sustainability strategies. 

• Ensure program activities and expenditures are consistent with approved budgets, funding requirements, and organizational policies. 

Communications, Thought Leadership and Representation 

• Represent American Humane Society as a spokesperson and subject matter expert on American Humane Society’s Military Affairs work, including Military Working Dog Reunifications, Pups4Patriots, and Paws on the Homefront, communicating the value and impact of these programs for veterans and first responders. 

• Work collaboratively with Marketing and Communications to promote program activities, successes, impact stories, and stakeholder opportunities. 

• Provide stories, data, presentations, and other content for websites, appeals, funding proposals, reports, media, and public information. 

• Participate in fundraising events, congressional briefings, media appearances, and other meetings and events that advance American Humane Society’s mission. 

• Work with Events and Development to identify appropriate P4P teams and program participants who can serve as ambassadors at approved donor and American Humane events. 

Team Leadership and Cross-Functional Collaboration 

• Manage, coach, and develop Military Affairs staff and coordinate the work of onsite (i.e., at the American Humane Sanctuary), remote and contracted personnel to achieve annual program goals. 

• Establish clear priorities, accountability, communication practices, and performance expectations for the Military Affairs team. 

• Work collaboratively with Executive Leadership and Finance, Philanthropy, Marketing, Communications, Events, Legal, and other departments. 

• Provide timely decisions, resolve operational issues, and ensure appropriate escalation of risks or challenges. 

Experience, Knowledge, Skills and Abilities: 

• Bachelor’s degree required in a relevant field; advanced degree strongly preferred. 

• Minimum of 7 years of progressively responsible experience developing, managing, and/or leading complex programs, preferably including national or multi-site programming.  

• Experience with service dog programs required. 

• Demonstrated success operationalizing, evaluating, and expanding programs with measurable outcomes. 

• Substantive experience with veterans/first responders preferred. 

• Proven ability to develop and capitalize on strategic relationships with diverse stakeholders. 

• Strong project and program management skills with experience managing complex, multifaceted initiatives. 

• Demonstrated personnel leadership, budget management, financial stewardship, and strategic planning skills. 

• Excellent verbal and written communication, public speaking, negotiation, and relationship-management skills. 

• Strong analytical and problem-solving ability and sound judgment in a dynamic environment. 

• Entrepreneurial, growth-oriented, and strategic mindset with strong attention to detail. 

• Demonstrates sound judgment when handling confidential and sensitive information. 

• Ability to work cross-functionally and lead remote and external partners. 

• High level of discretion, professionalism, integrity, accountability, diplomacy, and responsiveness. 

• Thrives in a fast-paced, growth-oriented environment with flexibility to pivot and manage change. 

• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite (Teams, Outlook, Word, Excel and PowerPoint); able to quickly learn and adapt to new software or database systems. 

Direct Reports: 

• Service Dog Training Manager; additional Military Affairs staff and contractors as program needs evolve. 

Physical Demands and Work Environment: 

• Position will be hybrid, based either from the Washington, DC Headquarters office or at the American Humane Society Palm City, FL Sanctuary location. Hybrid schedule will be based on organizational policy, need and manager discretion. 

• National travel and potentially limited international travel will be required. Travel will be approximately 25%, with occasional evening and weekend work required.  If based in Washington, DC, additional, regular travel to the American Humane Society Sanctuary is expected. 

• Work occurs across offices, training sites, events, conferences, and partner locations; must be comfortable around dogs in program settings. 

• Must be comfortable working around a variety of animals in a sanctuary setting. 

• While performing the duties of this position, the employee will regularly be required to: 

• Look at and work on a computer screen for extended periods of time, 

• Talk, hear and exchange information over the telephone, virtually and in person. 

Job Details:

• Title: Director, Military Affairs
• Type: FT40, Exempt
• Location: Hybrid, Washington, DC or Palm City, FL
• Compensation: $135,000-$165,000

American Humane Society’s core values define our workplace, and these values serve as the cornerstone for interactions in advancing our mission and institutional goals. Employees are expected to adhere to all organizational policies and to act as role models, demonstrating American Humane Society’s core values:

Compassion – Being kind and caring in our interactions with others.

Accountability - Holding ourselves to the highest standards. Following through on commitments and owning our actions, behavior, and decisions.

Respect for All – Being professional, listening to others and honoring diversity in all its forms.

Loyalty to Mission – Staying focused on our purpose and our mission – our nation’s most vulnerable depend on us.

Sustainability - Contributing to being a great place to work and achieving our shared mission and goals to make a difference, now and in the future.

Honesty, Integrity, Trust – Demonstrating transparency, as trusted stewards of donor resources, supporting our leadership and one another.

American Humane Society (AHS) is an Equal Opportunity Employer with a commitment to fostering a welcoming, supportive workplace where our work makes a real difference in animals' lives.