The Grey Muzzle Organization | Executive Director

Opportunity

The Grey Muzzle Organization, the beloved national nonprofit that is transforming the lives of senior dogs, is seeking an Executive Director to lead the organization’s next chapter of growth and impact.
  
Building on Grey Muzzle’s strong reputation and dedicated community of supporters, the Executive Director will partner with the Board of Directors and staff to expand national visibility, deepen relationships with donors and partners, and strengthen the organization’s ability to provide grants to animal welfare groups across the country. The Executive Director will join a passionate, mission-driven community of advocates who believe every senior dog deserves love, care, and dignity in their golden years. For a visionary leader with strong fundraising and organizational leadership skills, this is a remarkable opportunity to pair professional expertise with heartfelt purpose and make a lasting difference for thousands of dogs and the people who cherish them.

About Grey Muzzle:

The Grey Muzzle Organization is a national leader in improving the lives of at-risk senior dogs. We provide critical grant funding and resources to animal shelters, rescue groups, sanctuaries, and nonprofit organizations across the country. Our support empowers these partners to implement solutions that help senior dogs in two key ways: by increasing their adoption readiness in shelters and by preventing unnecessary shelter intake—keeping senior dogs in loving homes with the families who cherish them.
Our mission is rooted in compassion and strategy. We envision a future where every senior dog finds safety, love, and a soft landing, no matter their age or medical condition. Through our grants, we enable organizations to provide essential care such as dental treatment, pain management, hospice support, and community outreach programs that ensure senior dogs receive the attention and dignity they deserve.
With a growing network of grantees, a dedicated donor base, and a strong strategic vision, The Grey Muzzle Organization is advancing systemic change in senior dog welfare by leading the path forward with integrity, compassion and purpose.

Our Values

• Dignity Through All Life Stages: We believe dogs are not disposable. They deserve our care and commitment from puppyhood through their golden years.
• Respect for the Aging Dog: Senior dogs have much to teach us—about patience, loyalty, and unconditional love. They bring immense value to families and communities.
• Compassionate Decision-Making: We support end-of-life decisions made with care, when a senior dog’s quality of life has irreversibly declined.
• Partnership and Inclusion: We work with a diverse range of organizations that share our values, and we recognize that strong partnerships are essential to advancing our mission.
• Transparency and Accountability: We uphold honest and open decision-making processes to remain accountable to our donors, supporters, and the organizations we fund.
• Education and Advocacy: We are committed to being a source of learning, guidance, and best practices for anyone who supports senior dogs.

  
Position Summary

The Executive Director (ED) serves as the strategic and cultural leader of Grey Muzzle. In partnership with the Board, the ED is responsible for shaping and driving the organization’s vision, aligning internal operations with mission priorities, and fostering a healthy, high-performing team culture. This role requires a leader who is mission-driven, results-oriented, and hands-on in delivering outcomes for the organization—capable of setting strategy, stewarding resources, empowering a distributed team, and representing the organization externally with clarity and credibility.
  
Key Responsibilities
  
Strategic Leadership and Vision

• Lead the development and evolution of Grey Muzzle’s strategic direction in collaboration with the Board
• Translate strategy into clear organizational priorities, structure, and operational plans
• Assess progress and guide course correction based on mission alignment and organizational performance

  
Organizational Leadership and Culture

• Create and maintain a positive, trust-based team culture rooted in communication, accountability, and shared purpose
• Support team development through clear roles, regular feedback, and aligned decision-making
• Build systems and practices that support a professional climate, ownership, and professional growth

  
Board Partnership and Governance

• Serve as a strategic advisor to the Board, providing transparent updates, framing key decisions, and surfacing risks and opportunities
• Ensure strong Board-ED alignment on priorities, delegation of authority, and metrics for success
• Partner with the Board President to clarify roles, strengthen alignment, enhance collaboration, and streamline communication

  
Fundraising, Stewardship, Grants and External Engagement

• Represent Grey Muzzle as its public face with donors, grantees, media, and partners, personally engaging in cultivation, stewardship, and relationship-building in addition to guiding overall strategy.
• Oversee fundraising strategy, including donor stewardship, marketing campaigns, grant programs and capacity-building programs, in collaboration with staff and board members
• Guide communications and messaging to reflect Grey Muzzle’s mission, values, and impact, in order to build a stronger brand and garner new opportunities

  
Operational and Financial Oversight

• Ensure that systems, policies, and practices support mission delivery and operational excellence
• Oversee budget development and financial management in partnership with the Board and finance professionals
• Ensure compliance with relevant laws, reporting requirements, and nonprofit best practices

  
Key Qualifications

• Demonstrated success in a CEO, Executive Director, or senior leadership role in a nonprofit or mission-driven organization, preferably in animal welfare
• Strong strategic thinking skills and experience leading through change, growth, or transition
• Proven ability to lead a distributed team with empathy, clarity, and accountability
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, including Board engagement
• Demonstrated experience with fundraising and donor stewardship, including proven ability to cultivate and retain donors
• Skilled at leading strategically while engaging directly in day-to-day priorities
• Familiarity with the nonprofit sector and passion for Grey Muzzle’s mission

  
Preferred Attributes

• Deep understanding and operational knowledge of animal welfare organizations
• A collaborative leadership style grounded in emotional intelligence and systems thinking
• Comfort navigating ambiguity, legacy structures, and team dynamics with compassion and steadiness
• Expertise in creating and maintaining quality programs and data-driven program evaluation
• Experience overseeing organizational or program budgets

  
Compensation and Benefits

Grey Muzzle offers a competitive compensation package, along with a range of benefits that support the well-being of our team.
Benefits include:

• Flexible Leave: We offer a flexible approach to vacation and personal days, trusting staff to manage their schedules responsibly in alignment with organizational priorities.
• Health Coverage Support: An optional Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA) is available.
• Grey Muzzle is a fully remote organization, offering staff the flexibility to work from home.

Salary Range: $95,000 to $115,000, based on experience

Location: Remote, preferably in Eastern or Central or Mountain Time Zones

To Apply: The Grey Muzzle Organization has retained the services of ThinkingAhead Executive Search. To apply, please send a resume and a letter of interest to Chris Spagnola at: [email protected]. You may also submit candidate nominations for the role to Chris Spagnola.

The Grey Muzzle Organization is an equal opportunity employer. We encourage candidates of all backgrounds to apply.