Chief Veterinarian at County of Riverside in JURUPA VALLEY, California

Job Description:

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.

To find out more about the Chief Veterinarian position, the Department of Animal Services, and the County click HERE to view the brochure.

The Chief Veterinarian is responsible for ensuring the comprehensive health and well-being of shelter animals in County facilities through the effective oversight of subordinate staff. This includes managing all surgery programs and providing medical supervision for the County's animal foster care program. As a key member of the department's management team, the Chief Veterinarian also provides expert witness testimony in cruelty case legal proceedings and represents the County to government agencies and the public. The Chief Veterinarian is also responsible for responding to inter-agency emergencies, such as natural disasters.

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 and serves at the pleasure of the Director of Animal Services. This class is also deemed eligible for the Performance Recognition Plan as set forth under Article 3, Section 311(B) of the County Management Resolution.

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 Team 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.

Other Requirements:

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

Possession of a valid California Driver's License.

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

What's Next? This is a continuous posting. This position will remain posted until filled and applications will be reviewed in the order received. For earliest consideration, apply now.

This recruitment is open to all applicants. Applicants who are current County of Riverside employees and/or current employees of the Department of Animal Services may be considered before other applicants depending on the volume of applications received.

General Information

If you have any questions regarding this posting, please contact Alyssa Wallace at alyssawallace@rivco.org

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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 ).

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.

MEDICAL/DENTAL INSURANCE: A Flexible Benefit Credit is provided on a monthly basis as governed by the Management Resolution or applicable bargaining unit. Vision coverage is provided through Vision Service Plan (VSP) at no cost to employee or eligible dependents.

Note: Employees on assignment through the Temporary Assignment Program (TAP) receive different benefits. See the list here.
MISCELLANEOUS RETIREMENT: County of Riverside has three retirement Tiers through the California Public Employees' Retirement System (CalPERS).

• 
  Tier I (Classic Member - Formula 3% @ 60): Applicable to current and former County of Riverside local miscellaneous employees hired prior to 08/24/2012 and did not withdraw CalPERS contributions. The employee contribution is eight (8%) percent.


• 
  Tier II (Classic Member - Formula 2% @ 60): Applicable to local miscellaneous employees 1) hired after 08/23/2012 through 12/31/2012; 2) Previously employed with another CalPERS contracting public agency or a reciprocal retirement system, with a break in service of less than six months between the separation date with the previous employer and the appointment date with the County of Riverside. The employee contribution is seven (7%) percent.


• 
  Tier III (PEPRA New Member - Formula 2% @ 62): Applicable to CalPERS local miscellaneous new members hired on or after the implementation of the Public Employees' Pension Reform Act of 2013 (PEPRA) which took effect January 1, 2013.Effective July 1, 2023, the employee contributions are 7.25% and will increase to 7.75% effective July 1, 2024.
  

A new member is defined as any of the following:

A new hire who enters CalPERS membership for the first time on or after January 1, 2013, and who has no prior membership in any California Public Retirement System.

A new hire who enters CalPERS membership for the first time on or after January 1, 2013, and who was a member with another California Public Retirement System prior to that date, but who is not subject to reciprocity upon joining CalPERS.

A member who first established CalPERS membership prior to January 1, 2013, and who is rehired by a different CalPERS agency after a break in service of greater than six (6) months.

CalPERS refers to all members that do not fit within the definition of a new member as "classic members".

Contribution rates are subject to change based on the County of Riverside annual actuarial valuation.

Note:

This summary is for general information purposes only. Additional questions regarding retirement formulas can be sent to retirement@rivco.org or by calling the Benefits Information Line at (951) 955-4981,
Option 2.

If you have prior service credit with another CalPERS agency or within agencies, please contact CalPERS at (888) 225-7377 to determine which retirement tier would be applicable to you. CalPERS is governed by the Public Employees' Retirement Law. The Retirement Law is complex and subject to change. If there's any conflict between this summary and the law, the law will prevail over this summary.
DEFERRED COMPENSATION: Voluntary employee contribution with a choice between two 457 deferred compensation plan options.

401(a) MONEY PURCHASE PLAN: County contribution of $50 per pay period towards choice between two 401(a) plan providers.

ANNUAL LEAVE (Bi-Weekly Accrual):

0 < 36 months = 8.92 Hours
36 to <108>108 or more months = 12.00 Hours

Maximum Annual Leave accumulation is 1,800 hours. Employee may receive pay in lieu of up to 80 hours per calendar year. Agency/Department Head may approve an additional 80 hours.

-Annual Leave for Unrepresented Management Attorneys:
Maximum Annual Leave accumulation is 2,000 hours. Refer to Article 22 of the Management Resolution for a list of job classifications included.

HOLIDAYS: Normally 12 paid holidays per year.

BEREAVEMENT LEAVE: 5 days (3 days are County paid; 2 days can be taken through use of accrued leave balances).

BASIC LIFE INSURANCE: $50,000 of term life coverage. Premiums are paid by the County. Additional Supplemental Life plan is available for employee purchase.

LONG-TERM DISABILITY (LTD): Benefit pays 66.67% of earnings to a maximum of $10,000 per month; 30-day waiting period; pays to age 65. Benefit can be coordinated with other available leave balances to provide up to 100% of pay.

POST RETIREMENT MEDICAL CONTRIBUTION: A monthly contribution is made by the County towards retiree health insurance offered through the County as governed by the Management Resolution or applicable bargaining unit.

OTHER: There may be other benefit provisions as specified in the applicable Memorandum of Understanding, Management Resolution, or Salary Ordinance. Please contact the recruiter listed on the job posting directly for more information..

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