Chief Animal Control Officer

Job Description:

Chief Animal Control Officer

Description

Definition & Distinguishing Characteristics

Are you passionate about animal welfare and committed to protecting both animals and the community? The Sheriff’s Office is seeking a dedicated leader to join our team as Chief Animal Control Officer. This role will oversee the Animal Control Division, supervise staff, and ensure the safety and well-being of animals and the public.

If you are an experienced animal control professional with strong leadership skills, we encourage you to learn more about this exciting opportunity and review the full job description HERE .
There is one position available. This recruitment will fill current vacancies and establish an eligibility list for future openings.

Selection Procedure
The following is a tentative schedule of event that will occur as part of the selection process:

• Applications will be accepted until February 15, 2026
• Screening for minimum qualifications will take place the week of February 15th
• Oral Interview
• Background Investigation
• Medical Exam

What's this Job All About?
As Chief Animal Control Officer, you will lead the Animal Control Division while participating in hands-on operations to ensure the safety and well-being of animals and the community. This role combines leadership, supervision, and direct animal care responsibilities.

Culture is at Our Core
At the Sheriff’s Office, our core values guide everything we do. We believe that a strong culture and a shared sense of purpose drive better performance, stronger teamwork, and a safer community. As a member of our Animal Control Division, you’ll be part of a team committed to protecting animals, supporting each other, and serving the public with integrity, compassion, and professionalism.

Do our values speak to you?

• Deliver Excellent Customer Service to Others & Our Community
• Embrace and Drive Change
• Be Adventurous, Creative, Open-Minded
• Pursue Growth and Learning
• Build Open and Honest Relationships with Communication
• Foster a Positive Team and Family Spirit
• Be Passionate and Determined
• Be Humble and Kind

What are the benefits?

• A beautiful, safe community in which to work and serve.
• A caring, empathetic, & fun work family that you will be welcomed into.
• A job with WORK-LIFE BALANCE
• Competitive salary commensurate with education & experience
• A LIFETIME PAYCHECK (3% @ 60 for Classic Members and 2% @ 62 for New Members) - As long as you work for 5 years and vest in the CalPERS system, you will receive a retirement paycheck for the rest of your life.
• Amazing health care BENEFITS at NO COST to you - Unless you choose a premium health care plan.
• Authentically kind and engaged leadership who truly enjoy developing staff.
• 457 Deferred Compensation.
• PAID vacation, PAID holidays (15), and PAID leave if you get sick.
• Vacation Parity - Previous service with a public agency counts towards vacation accrual at Colusa County. A public agency includes cities, counties, districts, the military, and similar entities. To learn more about vacation parity, please see our benefit summary.

Supervision & Examples of Duties

Receives direction from department management staff.

Exercises functional and technical supervision over technical staff.

Qualifications

Any combination of experience and training that would likely provide the required knowledge and abilities is qualifying. A typical way to obtain the knowledge and abilities would be:

Experience:

Three years of increasingly responsible experience in animal control.

Training:

Equivalent to the completion of the twelfth grade.

License or Certificate:

Possession of an appropriate, valid driver’s license.

Possession of P.O.S.T. Section 832 Certificate.

Supplemental Information

The salary range above consists of 15 steps. Steps 1-6 are annual merit steps with approximately 5% difference between each step, based on successful performance. Steps 7-15 are additional merit steps, requiring 2 years of satisfactory performance at the previous step. Steps 7-14 provide 2.5% increases, while Step 15 offers a 5% increase. The final salary offered will depend on the applicant's experience and qualifications, ranging from steps 1 to 15.

Colusa County offers an excellent benefit package. For a summary of benefits, please click here: 2026 Benefit Summary

Closing Date/Time: 2/15/2026 11:59 PM Pacific

Salary:

$45,756.00 - $75,108.00 Annually