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Job 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 -
ABOUT THE COMPANY
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County of Colusa
Show moreThe County of Colusa, nestled in the heart of the Sacramento Valley approximately 60 miles north of Sacramento and 100 miles northeast of the San Francisco Bay Area, is a vibrant community rich in history and tradition and, offering a wonderful environment in which to live, work and play. The County, with approximately 22,000 residents, includes two incorporated cities; Colusa, which is the county seat, and Williams. The local economy is largely agriculturally based producing crops valued at more than $900 million each year and exporting farm commodities throughout the United States and to about seventy countries worldwide.
County government business is still conducted within the antebellum court house which was built in 1861 and has operated continuously ever since. The County’s annual General Fund budget is roughly $28 million; the total budget is about $78 million. The workforce is comprised of approximately 350 full-time equivalent positions that are assigned to five represented bargaining units.
Colusa County also offers many diverse outdoor recreational opportunities and is considered to be a sportsman’s paradise. The Sacramento River meanders through the County. Portions of five national protected areas are located within the county: Butte Sink Wildlife Refuge; Colusa National Wildlife Refuge; Delevan National Wildlife Refuge; Mendocino National Forest and; Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge. Recreational opportunities such as hiking, bird watching, camping and water sports abound. The Sacramento River and local lakes, offer world class fishing -