CEO
| Organization | Oregon Humane |
| Date Posted | April 18, 2026 |
| City | Portland |
| State | Oregon |
| Location | 100% On-site |
| Type of Position | Full-Time |
| Primary Job Function | Executive Leadership |
| Secondary Job Function | Fundraising |
| Experience Requirement | More than 10 years |
| Salary Range | $350,000 – $400,000 annually |
Description & Details
Reports to: Board of Directors
Full-Time, Exempt; In-person.
Salary: $350,000-$400,000/year plus generous benefits
About Oregon Humane
Founded in 1868, Oregon Humane is the Northwest's oldest and largest animal welfare organization with one of the highest adoption rates in the nation. Oregon Humane transforms compassion into action through life-changing programs that support and celebrate the human-animal connection, including adoption, veterinary care, education, humane law enforcement, and legislation.
With campuses in Portland and Salem, Oregon Humane is an independent non-profit organization that receives no government funding and is fueled entirely by donors.
Oregon Humane has a yearly budget of $40,000,000, employs nearly 400 employees, and collaborates with partners throughout Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest, and across the nation. Within the last five years, the organization has opened a state-of-the-art Community Veterinary Hospital, a Behavior & Rescue Center, and an Animal Crimes Forensic Center. Oregon Humane has also expanded its footprint into the mid-Willamette Valley and has made major facility upgrades to its Salem shelter and Veterinary Clinic.
In addition to Oregon Humane’s shelter and medical facilities, the organization has a wide array of teams to improve the lives of animals, including Training & Behavior, Humane Education, its Second Chance transfer program, and Humane Law Enforcement. Oregon Humane is at the forefront of animal welfare’s understanding of the integral and complex relationship between human and animals, employing one of the nation’s few Veterinary Social Workers and partnering with local non-profits to meet the community’s greatest needs so that more pets and people can stay together.
To broaden people’s understanding of how they fulfill their mission, Oregon Humane organizes their programs and services within four pillars:
Well-Being: Promoting the physical, mental, and emotional health of animals through sheltering, medical services, and behavior modification.
Connection: Building bonds between animals and humans, and across our communities through adoptions, agency partnerships, and events.
Knowledge: Creating opportunities to expand awareness and education through training classes, humane education, and veterinary student programs.
Advocacy: Championing the rights of animals through humane law enforcement, legislation, and animal crimes forensics.
Oregon Humane’s mission statement demonstrates their collaborative, holistic approach to animal welfare: We transform compassion into action, creating an ecosystem where all of us—animals and humans—feel safe, valued, and part of something bigger.
Visit oregonhumane.org to learn more about how Oregon Humane elevates relationships between pets and the people who love them.
The Team
The Chief Executive Officer is the leader of a collaborative Executive Team. This person will lead the Executive Team to ensure organizational alignment with Oregon Humane’s strategic objectives and priorities. The CEO drives the organization’s strategic direction, fostering a culture of innovation and accountability, and managing internal and external relationships.
The positions reporting to the CEO include: Chief Financial Officer, Chief Advancement Officer, Chief People and Culture Officer, Chief Medical Officer, and Chief Humane Law Officer. In addition, the Senior Leadership team includes representatives from the Oregon Humane location in Salem, Oregon, shelter staff, training and behavior staff, veterinary clinic staff and internal operations and support services.
The Position
The CEO ensures that Oregon Humane achieves the vision that animals live good lives – are valued by society, protected by its laws, and free from cruelty, pain, and suffering. The CEO will act with purpose and passion to enhance Oregon Humane’s role as a national leader, an effective animal welfare organization, and a thought leader within the animal welfare movement. As the organization’s top leader, the CEO will guide organizational strategy and execution, drive meaningful program delivery, and ensure financial stability based on organizational values supporting people and pets.
With the recent merger of the Salem Campus, expansion of the Community Veterinary Hospital and Behavioral Center and continued work with Humane Law Enforcement Unit and Shelter Management, the CEO will be a multi-faceted leader who leads courageously through transitions and understands the varying demands on staff at all levels. Experience supporting collaborative staff decision-making, leading strategic initiatives, and managing nonprofit teams will be important elements for a successful CEO.
In addition, Oregon Humane places a significant role in the community as a nonprofit leader as well as an advocate for our pets. The CEO will be the spokesperson, media contact and major donor connector for the organization. The CEO will be a clear communicator with a passion for the work as well as a clear visionary that can share the work of Oregon Humane with donors, funders, sponsors and community partners.
This dual faceted role is supported by the leadership team and board of directors. Balancing internal and external demands, supporting internal staff leadership and leading through change will be key elements of success in this role. Prior experience in overseeing multi-site nonprofits with statewide impact and supporting staff to grow and thrive in an animal-centric environment will be important skills.
Application Instructions
Application Information:
Nonprofit Professionals Now is excited to support Oregon Humane in this key leadership role.
To review the full job description and application requirements, please visit the on-line portal site. All interested applicants need to submit a resume and cover letter as well as complete the screening questions found in the application portal.
Portal Site: https://tinyurl.com/4af2s2uj
Application Deadline: May 18, 2026
All candidate information will be reviewed and candidates moving forward in the process will be contacted directly. The interview process will include: candidate/recruiter conversation, phone interview, video interview and in-person visits with finalists. Reference checks will be conducted multiple times and a final background check at time of hire.