How to hire an animal care supervisor

How to hire an animal care supervisor, step by step

Here's a step-by-step animal care supervisor hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write an animal care supervisor job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new animal care supervisor
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does an animal care supervisor do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring an animal care supervisor, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect animal care supervisor also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   This list presents animal care supervisor salaries for various positions.

   Type of Animal Care Supervisor	Description	Hourly rate
   Animal Care Supervisor		$13-30
   Care Partner	A care partner is in charge of taking care of patients in a medical facility. Their responsibilities typically revolve around coordinating with health care experts to learn about the patients' specific care plans and assisting them in their daily hygienic tasks such as bathing, dressing, and going to toilets... Show more	$10-21
   Customer Care Manager	A customer care manager is primarily in charge of the customer care team that ensures that all clients are satisfied with a company's products and services. Moreover, a customer care manager's responsibilities typically revolve around conducting assessments of employee performances, resolving complex issues and concerns, managing schedules, delegating tasks, and producing progress reports and presentations... Show more	$13-28

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Direct Supervision
   • Sops
   • Patient Care
   • Animal Handling
   • Animal Facility
   • USDA
   • Animation
   • PET
   • Maya
   • Laboratory Animals
   • Direct Reports
   • Catheter
   • Performance Reviews
   • Euthanasia

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage and implement merchandising strategy for POS marketing and display inventory.
   • Demonstrate ability to troubleshoot creatively, solve problems effectively, and make inform decisions while successfully guiding others through constant change.
   • Supervise and monitor associate activity for adherence to guidelines insuring maximum engagement, AHT efficiency, and sales productivity.

   More animal care supervisor duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your animal care supervisor job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. An animal care supervisor salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, animal care supervisors' average salary in oklahoma is 32% less than in delaware.
   • Seniority. Entry-level animal care supervisors earn 56% less than senior-level animal care supervisors.
   • Certifications. An animal care supervisor with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in an animal care supervisor's salary.

   Average animal care supervisor salary

   $43,219yearly

   $20.78 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level animal care supervisor salary

   $28,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 17, 2025

   Average animal care supervisor salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	New Jersey	$50,099	$24
   2	New York	$49,901	$24
   3	Connecticut	$49,799	$24
   4	Rhode Island	$47,561	$23
   5	Massachusetts	$45,800	$22
   6	Pennsylvania	$45,754	$22
   7	Virginia	$44,900	$22
   8	Illinois	$44,640	$21
   9	California	$44,003	$21
   10	Michigan	$41,594	$20
   11	Texas	$40,916	$20
   12	Missouri	$40,051	$19
   13	Indiana	$39,593	$19
   14	Colorado	$39,120	$19
   15	Wisconsin	$38,407	$18
   16	Florida	$38,008	$18
   17	North Carolina	$37,828	$18
   18	Minnesota	$37,219	$18
   19	Georgia	$36,629	$18
   20	Alaska	$36,148	$17

   Average animal care supervisor salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Northwell Health	$62,982	$30.28	3
   2	Mayo Clinic	$62,659	$30.12	71
   3	BASi	$60,684	$29.18
   4	Emory University	$59,885	$28.79	1
   5	Harvard University	$57,639	$27.71
   6	Boston Scientific	$57,407	$27.60
   7	Baptist Health Home Care	$56,666	$27.24	1
   8	Brown University	$53,658	$25.80	24
   9	Georgetown University	$52,005	$25.00	2
   10	The McConnell Group	$51,351	$24.69	2
   11	Christiana Care Health Services, Inc.	$50,992	$24.52	15
   12	Univ Of Colorado-Colorado Spgs	$50,945	$24.49
   13	PSEA	$50,364	$24.21
   14	Southcentral Foundation	$49,967	$24.02	3
   15	Northside Hospital	$48,466	$23.30	42
   16	St. Elizabeth Healthcare	$47,224	$22.70	4
   17	Ethos Veterinary Health	$47,208	$22.70	16
   18	Emory Healthcare	$47,120	$22.65	88
   19	San Ysidro Health Center	$46,119	$22.17	1
   20	Baylor College of Medicine	$45,987	$22.11	1

4. Writing an animal care supervisor job description

   An animal care supervisor job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. Below, you can find an example of an animal care supervisor job description:

   Animal care supervisor job description example

   Sunrise Senior Living was again named as one of the Best Workplaces in Aging Services™ by Fortune and certified as a Great Place to Work by Activated Insights. This is the 5th time Sunrise has received this top culture and workplace designation, highlighting the special place Sunrise is to be a part of.
   
   2022-176463
   
   Sign on Bonus
   
   JOB OVERVIEW
   
   "Sunrise is the best place that I've ever worked, simply because of the people. We provide quality care in an environment that feels like home. Our focus is doing what's right for the resident. For me, that's a big breath of fresh air."- Sunrise Leader
   
   At Sunrise, our Reminiscence Supervisor is responsible for providing leadership support of the reminiscence neighborhood. The Reminiscence Supervisor is a hands-on leader in the day to day operations directly supervising and assisting the reminiscence team, championing the designated care manager concept and providing resident care and services.
   
   RESPONSIBILITIES & QUALIFICATIONS
   
   Responsibilities:- Assisting in the recruiting, selection and training of team members as well as staffing and scheduling- Promoting excellence in resident care and programming- Assists with the outreach to families with an understanding of the evolving information on Alzheimer's disease- Assisting the community in maintaining high quality standards throughout the community
   
   Qualifications:- One (1) year experience preferred in assisted living, home health, long term care or hospital industries and experience with memory impaired senior population- Supervisory/management experience preferred which may include supervising and responsibility of shift/daily operations- College degree and management experience with dementia care may be required per state requirements- Ability to handle multiple priorities- Possess written and verbal skills for effective communication and the ability to facilitate small group presentations- Competent in organizational, time management skills- Demonstrates good judgment, problem solving and decision making skills- Proficiency in computer skills, Microsoft Office (Windows, Outlook, Excel) with the ability to learn new applications
   
   Sunrise considers the health and safety of its residents, family members, and team members as its highest priorities. All offers of employment with Sunrise are conditioned on completing and passing a background and drug test, participating in mandatory vaccine programs (e.g., Covid-19), participating in testing requirements (e.g. Covid-19, TB) and using designated PPE when required.
   
   Sunrise Senior Living offers a comprehensive benefits plan to eligible team members including health, dental, vision, retirement benefits, short-term disability, long-term disability, and paid time off. Team members may also be eligible to receive a bonus based on their position. Some leadership roles are eligible to receive annual bonuses. All team members have the potential to receive spot bonuses and other incentive awards.
   
   ABOUT SUNRISE
   
   Sunrise Senior Living has championed quality of life in senior care for more than 30 years. We believe team members are our greatest resource and are looking for people who share our commitment to provide quality care for seniors and their families. It's no surprise that many of the world's leading experts in Senior Living entrust their career to Sunrise.
   
   At Sunrise, you will…Make a Difference Every DayWe are passionate about our mission - to champion quality of life for all seniors. We deliver high-quality care with a personal touch and encourage our residents to enjoy life to the fullest.
   
   Be Part of a Uniquely Supportive CommunityThe care-focused environment we create for residents extends to our team members. We offer programs, rewards, and benefits to help you live your best.
   
   Ignite Your PotentialWe believe potential has no limits. We offer best-in-class leadership development programs designed to grow our leaders. We are committed to helping our team members achieve their career goals.
   
   Sunrise Senior Living was again named as one of the Best Workplaces in Aging Services™ by Fortune and certified as a Great Place to Work by Activated Insights. This is the 5th time Sunrise has received this top culture and workplace designation, highlighting the special place Sunrise is to be a part of.
   
   Apply today to learn why Sunrise Senior Living is a certified Great Place to Work

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find animal care supervisors for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any animal care supervisors they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level animal care supervisors with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your animal care supervisor job on Zippia to find and recruit animal care supervisor candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting animal care supervisors requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new animal care supervisor

   Once you've decided on a perfect animal care supervisor candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new animal care supervisor. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire an animal care supervisor?