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About This Role
Summary:
Lifesaving impact, rewarding careers: For more than 150 years, the ASPCA has been on the frontlines to save, transform and protect the lives of millions of animals. We are looking for a Veterinarian to join a world\-class team providing high\-quality, high\-volume spay sterilization services at our ASPCA Spay/Neuter Alliance facility to support lifesaving care and make a critical impact on the vulnerable animals who need us most.
Who We Are
ASPCA Spay/Neuter Alliance (ASNA) is the premier training center for high\-quality, high\-volume companion animal sterilization. Altering up to 20,000 shelter, rescue, and publicly owned companion animals annually, ASNA has trained more than 6,500 veterinary professionals and fourth year veterinary student externs at our campus in Asheville, NC since 2005\. ASNA is proud to set the bar for the standard of care in HQHVSN and provide world\-class spay and neuter surgical instruction to veterinary professionals and students.
What You’ll Do
The Veterinarian, ASNA Training (VAT) is a multidimensional position and involves performing and teaching medicine and surgery, leading surgical and training teams, participating in creating robust training materials, rotating between all campus programs, and travelling when needed to provide these services. The VAT is the cohesive element of the surgical and training teams and serves as the primary medical host and guide for trainees as well as providing medical leadership and mentorship for all ASNA medical support staff. This role ensures that individual and team performance is professional and exemplary, patient care is impeccable, and the educational experience received by trainees exceeds their expectations. ASNA’s audiences include medical professionals, administrative professionals, shelter and rescue groups, senior veterinary students, and the general public; therefore, it is imperative that our veterinarians serve consistently as enthusiastic ambassadors of ASPCA and its mission. Fundamental expectations for this role are possessing diplomatic and outstanding communication skills and an innate ability to perform as ateam member and independently. This position reports to the Manager, Veterinarians and has no direct reports.
Where \& When You’ll Work
- This position is an on\-site role and reports to the ASPCA Spay Neuter Alliance in Asheville, NC.
- Regular schedules are rotating between two shifts: 1st shift: Monday: 7:30\-4:30; Tuesday\-Thursday: 7\-4; Friday: 7\-11\. 2nd shift: Monday\-Thursday: 8:30\-5:30; Friday: 8:30\-12:30\. This role requires flexibility in schedule to accommodate program needs, which could include varied daily shifts, weekends, evenings, and holidays Schedules are subject to change at the sole discretion of the ASPCA.
- Travel up to 15% as needed
What You’ll Get
Compensation
Starting pay for the successful applicant will depend on a variety of factors, including but not limited to education, training, experience, location, business needs, internal equity, market demands or budgeted amount for the role. The target hiring range is for new hire offers only, and staff compensation may increase beyond the maximum hiring range based on performance over time. The maximum of the hiring range is reserved for candidates with the highest qualifications and relevant experience. The expected hiring salary range for this role is set forth below and may be modified in the future.
The target range for this position is $123,000\-$130,000\.
Benefits
At the ASPCA, you don’t have to choose between your passion and making a living. Our comprehensive benefits package helps ensure you can live a rewarding life at work and at home. Our benefits include, but are not limited to:
- Affordable health coverage, including medical, employer\-paid dental, and optional vision coverage.
- Flexible time off that includes vacation time, sick and bereavement time, paid parental leave, 10 company paid holidays, and paid personal time off that allows you even more flexibility to observe the days that mean the most to you.
- Competitive financial incentives and retirement savings including a 401(k) plan with generous employer contributions — we match dollar for dollar up to 4% and provide an additional 4% contribution toward your future each year.
- Robust professional development opportunities including classes, on\-the\-job training, coaching and mentorship with industry\-leading peers, internal mobility, opportunities to support in the field, and so much more.
For more information on our benefits offerings, visit our website.
Responsibilities:
Responsibilities will include, but are not limited to:
Medical Duties, Support, and Training (95%)
- Ensure that all aspects of veterinary service, both on\-site and off\-site platforms, are executed incorporating ASNA’s standard of care and best practices, and adhere to federal, state and local regulations
- Perform all medical/surgical duties, both on\-site and off\-site platforms, adhering to ASNA’s standardized techniques and protocols
- Provide impeccable animal care throughout the patient’s ASNA experience
- Participate in daily operations flow and assume ownership and management of surgical and training team performance
- Perform companion animal surgery and medicine with proficiency utilizing HQHVSN techniques
- Support and serve as a medical leader and mentor for all medical support staff
- Mentor and instruct trainees, which include but are not limited to graduate veterinarians, veterinary students, veterinary teams, and HQHVSN staff, in all aspects of HQHVSN medical and surgical techniques, operations, and protocols
- Ensure that trainees receive the educational experience outlined in their curriculum
- Serve as the direct contact for assigned trainees during their visit
- Ensure that training programs adhere to ASNA’S standardized surgical and medical techniques and protocols
- Provide a safe and compassionate environment for animals in our care, our staff, and our clients by using low\-stress handling techniques
- Participate in educational development and administrative duties which include, but are not limited to creating training material, writing training reports, and evaluating trainees
- Participate in onboarding and training ASNA veterinarians and other staff as needed
- Participate in drug inventory and provide expert drug handling ensuring compliance with DEA regulations, ASNA protocols, and all other federal, state, and local laws
- Participate in relationships and communications with private sector veterinarians, professional associations, professional advisors, the general public, vendors, shelter and rescue groups, mentees, and external ASPCA departments and professionals
- Participate in medical and operational duties and quality control
- Drive transport vehicles as needed
- Perform any and all duties of a graduate veterinarian, and any and all duties of a registered veterinary technician, veterinary assistant, and kennel assistant as needed
Professional Development and Organizational Support (5%)
- Commit to operating in alignment with our Core Values of Commitment, Ownership, Team, Elevate, and Impact!
- Enforce all policies related to operational and environmental safety of patients, staff, and visitors related directly to medical operations
- Serve in any role as needed and qualified for to support all daily operational processes for successful and safe completion of the day’s surgeries and training program goals
- Fully engage in the self\-performance management process including annual reviews, regular feedback sessions, required compliance training, and goal setting
- Maintain all licensures and credentials pertinent to the position
- Actively seek individual development opportunities in relation to job function
- Under the supervision of the SDMS and in collaboration with the Director, Veterinarians (DV), ensure:
- Smooth and efficient operation of ASNA surgical, medical, and training programs
- Program policies and strategies support ASNA’s high standards of quality and best practices
- All aspects of operations are enforced with campus\-wide consistency and adherence to all federal, state, and local regulations
- A positive learning environment across campus supportive of ASNA culture
- Participate in assigned ASNA department and program specific projects, cross\-departmental working groups, and any other assigned commitments to support ASPCA’s 2030 goals
- Perform all other duties as assigned by the DV or the ASNA Senior Leadership Team\`
Qualifications
- Exemplifies the ASPCA’s Core Values:
- HasCommitment and dedication to improving the lives of animals
- Demonstrates Ownership and feels responsible for outcomes
- Believes in Team – that we are stronger together
- Seeks to Elevate others and reimagine what is possible
- Focuses on Impact, specifically making change for animals
- Possess outstanding interpersonal communication skills
- Ability to plan, organize, and effectively present ideas and concepts clearly in verbal and written form
- Ability to multitask and deal professionally with high levels of stress in an environment of changing daily operational priorities
- Ability to work in both a team environment and independently
- Ability to work in physically and mentally challenging conditions
- Perform 35 spay/neuter surgeries in a normal workday
- Ability to understand that patient death is a regrettable but an inevitable part of the medical profession and practice a healthy coping strategy for such events
- Possess valid NC veterinarian license or obtain one within 60 days
- Provide a valid driver’s license upon hire and pass a motor vehicle history check demonstrating a safe driving history.
- Possess working knowledge of basic computer/technology skills including Microsoft Word and PowerPoint
- Ability to lift 35 lbs/16 kgs without assistance and over this weight with assistance, and the ability to consistently stand, bend, lift, and climb during the course of a regular work shift
Education and Work Experience:
- Degree of Doctor of Veterinary Medicine or equivalent from an American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Council on Education accredited school of veterinary medicine OR has completed the Educational Commission for Foreign Veterinary Graduates (ECFVG) or the Program for the Assessment of Veterinary Education Equivalence (PAVE)
- Passing of the North American Veterinary Licensing Examination (NAVLE) or National Board Examination (NBE)
- Fear Free Shelter certification within 60 days of hire
- Minimum 1 year as a veterinarian in a clinical setting including soft tissue surgery experience
- Preferred 1 year medical team leadership
- Preferred 1 year as a HQHVSN veterinarian
- Preferred 1 year in a teaching, intensive coaching, or learning environment
Stay Connected – Join Our Talent Community
If you are interested in joining our team but do not see a position listed that fits your experience or interests, please visit our website to join our Talent Community and stay connected to future opportunities with the ASPCA.
Language:
English (Required)Education and Work Experience:
Doctorate: Veterinary Medicine (Required) Our EEO Policy:
The ASPCA is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, gender, gender identity or expression, age, marital or domestic partner status, citizenship status, sexual orientation, disability, genetic information, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state or local laws, regulations or ordinances.
Applicants with disabilities may be entitled to a reasonable accommodation under the terms of the Americans with Disabilities Act and certain state or local laws. A reasonable accommodation is a change in the ASPCA’s standard application process, which will ensure an equal employment opportunity without imposing undue hardship on the ASPCA. Please inform the ASPCA’s People Team if you need an accommodation in order to complete any forms or to otherwise participate in the application process.
Individuals seeking employment are considered without regards to race, color, creed, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, gender, gender identity or expression, age, marital or domestic partner status, citizenship status, sexual orientation, disability, genetic information, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state or local laws, regulations or ordinances.
ASPCA is an Equal Opportunity Employer (M/F/D/V).
About Us:
The ASPCA was founded in 1866 on the belief that animals are entitled to kind and respectful treatment by humans and must be protected under the law. As a 501(c)(3\) not\-for\-profit corporation with more than two million supporters nationwide, the ASPCA is committed to preventing cruelty to dogs, cats, equines, and farm animals throughout the United States.
The ASPCA is headquartered in New York City, where we maintain a full\-service animal hospital, spay/neuter clinic, mobile spay/neuter and primary pet care clinics, a rehabilitation center for canine victims of cruelty, kitten nursery, adoption center, and two community veterinary centers.
The ASPCA also operates programs and services that extend nationwide. We assist animals in need through on\-the\-ground disaster and cruelty interventions, behavioral rehabilitation, animal placement, legal and legislative advocacy, and the advancement of the sheltering and veterinary community through research, training, and resources.
At the ASPCA, we are committed to fostering a collaborative and compassionate culture and we welcome all voices to contribute to our lifesaving mission. Our staff represent a vast array of backgrounds and diversity dimensions, bringing with them valuable experiences and perspectives. They join the ASPCA to learn, grow, and continually do their best work on behalf of animals. We are inspired by our staff, partners, and the communities we support across the country who work to improve animal lives. We are committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion at the ASPCA because it elevates our organizational culture, aligns with our Core Values, and enables us to move further and faster toward the ASPCA’s vision – that all animals live good lives; valued by society, protected by its laws, and free from cruelty, pain and suffering.
Your Employee Rights Under the Family and Medical Leave Act:
Pursuant to regulations of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), we provide this notice to applicants about eligible employees’ protected leave for certain reasons.
Applicants that are residents of Colorado and Oregon: Per CO Senate Bill 23\-058 and ORS 659A.030, we cannot generally request or require any age\-related information (i.e., age, DOB, attendance or graduation dates from an educational institution) on an initial employment application; this includes any age\-related inquiries through completion of the initial interview. We can require/request additional application materials; if those materials contain any age\-related information, an applicant should redact the information before submitting an initial employment application.
Indiana Applicants: Pursuant to Indiana law, we are providing notice that it is an unlawful employment practice for an employer to discriminate against a prospective employee on the basis of status as a veteran by: (1\) refusing to employ an applicant for employment on the basis that the applicant is a veteran of the armed forces of the United States; or (2\) refusing to employ an applicant for employment on the basis that the applicant is a member of the Indiana National Guard or a member of a reserve component. Should you feel that you were a victim of discrimination on the basis of veteran status, please let us know at careers@aspca.org. Alternatively, you can file a complaint with the following agencies at any time: Indiana Civil Rights Commission (ICRC) 100 North Senate Avenue, Room N103, Indianapolis, IN 46204; Office: (317\) 232\-2600 \| Toll Free: (800\) 628\-2909; Hearing Impaired: (800\) 743\-3333 \| Fax: (317\) 232\-6580; E\-mail: icrc@crc.in.gov \| Website: www.in.gov/icrc. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission \- Indianapolis Field Office; 115 W. Washington Street South Tower Suite 600; Indianapolis, IN 46204; Phone: 463\-999\-1240; Fax: 317\-226\-7953; TTY: 1\-800\-669\-6820;ASL Video Phone: 844\-234\-5122\.
Massachusetts Applicants: Per Massachusetts law, we are providing notice that it is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.
Role Details
About This Role
AI/ML Engineers build and deploy machine learning models in production. They work across the full ML lifecycle: data pipelines, model training, evaluation, and serving infrastructure. The role has evolved significantly over the past two years. Where ML Engineers once spent most of their time on model architecture, the job now tilts heavily toward inference optimization, cost management, and integrating LLM capabilities into existing systems. Companies want engineers who can ship production systems, and the experimenter-only role is fading fast.
Day-to-day, you're writing training pipelines, debugging data quality issues, setting up evaluation frameworks, and figuring out why your model performs differently in staging than it did on your dev set. The best ML engineers are obsessive about reproducibility and measurement. They instrument everything. They know that a model is only as good as the data feeding it and the infrastructure serving it.
Across the 26,159 AI roles we're tracking, AI/ML Engineer positions make up 91% of the market. At ASPCA, this role fits into their broader AI and engineering organization.
Demand for AI/ML Engineers has been strong and consistent. Unlike some AI roles that spike with hype cycles, ML engineering is a foundational need. Every company deploying AI models needs people who can keep them running, and the gap between research prototypes and production systems keeps growing.
What the Work Looks Like
A typical week might include: debugging a data pipeline that's silently dropping 3% of training examples, running A/B tests on a new model version, writing documentation for a feature flag system that lets you roll back model deployments, and reviewing a junior engineer's PR for a new evaluation metric. Meetings tend to be cross-functional since ML touches product, engineering, and data teams.
Demand for AI/ML Engineers has been strong and consistent. Unlike some AI roles that spike with hype cycles, ML engineering is a foundational need. Every company deploying AI models needs people who can keep them running, and the gap between research prototypes and production systems keeps growing.
Skills Required
Python and PyTorch dominate the requirements. Most roles expect experience with cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, or Azure) and familiarity with ML frameworks like TensorFlow or JAX. RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) has become a top-3 skill requirement as companies integrate LLMs into their products. Docker and Kubernetes show up in about a third of postings, reflecting the production focus of the role.
Beyond the core stack, employers increasingly want experience with experiment tracking tools (MLflow, Weights & Biases), feature stores, and vector databases. Fine-tuning experience is valuable but less common than you'd think from reading Twitter. Most production LLM work is RAG and prompt engineering, not fine-tuning. If you have both, you're in a strong position.
Companies that are serious about AI/ML hiring tend to post specific infrastructure details in the job description: the frameworks they use, their model serving stack, their data pipeline tools. Vague postings that just say 'ML experience required' without specifics are often companies that haven't figured out what they need yet.
Compensation Benchmarks
AI/ML Engineer roles pay a median of $166,983 based on 13,781 positions with disclosed compensation. Mid-level AI roles across all categories have a median of $131,300.
Across all AI roles, the market median is $184,000. Top-quartile compensation starts at $244,000. The 90th percentile reaches $309,400. For comparison, the highest-paying categories include AI Engineering Manager ($293,500) and AI Architect ($292,900). By seniority level: Entry: $76,880; Mid: $131,300; Senior: $227,400; Director: $244,288; VP: $234,620.
ASPCA AI Hiring
ASPCA has 3 open AI roles right now. They're hiring across AI/ML Engineer. Positions span New York, NY, US, Asheville, NC, US, Remote, US. Compensation range: $117K - $210K.
Location Context
Across all AI roles, 7% (1,863 positions) offer remote work, while 24,200 require on-site attendance. Top AI hiring metros: Los Angeles (1,695 roles, $178,000 median); New York (1,670 roles, $200,000 median); San Francisco (1,059 roles, $244,000 median).
Career Path
Common paths into AI/ML Engineer roles include Data Scientist, Software Engineer, Research Engineer.
From here, career progression typically leads toward ML Architect, AI Engineering Manager, Principal ML Engineer.
The fastest path into ML engineering is through software engineering with a self-directed ML education. A CS degree helps, but production engineering skills matter more than academic credentials. Build something that works, deploy it, and measure it. That portfolio project is worth more than a Coursera certificate. For career growth, the fork comes around the senior level: go deep on technical complexity (staff/principal track) or move into managing ML teams.
What to Expect in Interviews
Expect system design questions around ML pipelines: how you'd build a training pipeline for a specific use case, handle data drift, or design A/B testing infrastructure for model deployments. Coding rounds typically involve Python, with emphasis on data manipulation (pandas, numpy) and algorithm implementation. Take-home assignments often ask you to build an end-to-end ML pipeline from raw data to deployed model.
When evaluating opportunities: Companies that are serious about AI/ML hiring tend to post specific infrastructure details in the job description: the frameworks they use, their model serving stack, their data pipeline tools. Vague postings that just say 'ML experience required' without specifics are often companies that haven't figured out what they need yet.
AI Hiring Overview
The AI job market has 26,159 open positions tracked in our dataset. By seniority: 2,416 entry-level, 16,247 mid-level, 5,153 senior, and 2,343 leadership roles (Director, VP, C-Level). Remote roles make up 7% of the market (1,863 positions). The remaining 24,200 roles require on-site or hybrid attendance.
The market median for AI roles is $184,000. Top-quartile compensation starts at $244,000. The 90th percentile reaches $309,400. Highest-paying categories: AI Engineering Manager ($293,500 median, 28 roles); AI Architect ($292,900 median, 108 roles); AI Safety ($274,200 median, 19 roles).
Demand for AI/ML Engineers has been strong and consistent. Unlike some AI roles that spike with hype cycles, ML engineering is a foundational need. Every company deploying AI models needs people who can keep them running, and the gap between research prototypes and production systems keeps growing.
The AI Job Market Today
The AI job market spans 26,159 open positions across 15 role categories. The largest categories by volume: AI/ML Engineer (23,752), AI Software Engineer (598), AI Product Manager (594). These three account for the majority of open positions, though smaller categories often have higher per-role compensation because of specialized skill requirements.
The seniority mix tells a story about where AI teams are in their maturity. Entry-level roles (2,416) are outnumbered by mid-level (16,247) and senior (5,153) positions, reflecting that most companies are past the 'build a team from scratch' phase and need experienced engineers who can ship production systems. Leadership roles (Director, VP, C-Level) total 2,343 positions, representing the bottleneck between technical execution and organizational strategy.
Remote work availability sits at 7% of all AI roles (1,863 positions), with 24,200 requiring on-site or hybrid attendance. The remote share has stabilized after the post-pandemic correction. Senior and specialized roles (Research Scientist, ML Architect) are more likely to be remote-eligible than entry-level positions, partly because experienced hires have more negotiating power and partly because these roles require less hands-on mentorship.
AI compensation is structured in clear tiers. The market median sits at $184,000. Top-quartile roles start at $244,000, and the 90th percentile reaches $309,400. These figures include base salary with disclosed compensation. Total compensation (including equity, bonuses, and sign-on) runs 20-40% higher at companies that offer those components.
Category matters for compensation. AI Engineering Manager roles lead at $293,500 median, while Prompt Engineer roles sit at $122,200. The spread between highest and lowest-paying categories reflects the premium on specialized technical skills versus broader analytical roles.
The most in-demand skills across all AI postings: Rag (16,749 postings), Aws (8,932 postings), Rust (7,660 postings), Python (3,815 postings), Azure (2,678 postings), Gcp (2,247 postings), Prompt Engineering (1,469 postings), Openai (1,269 postings). Python dominates, appearing in the vast majority of role descriptions regardless of category. Cloud platform experience (AWS, GCP, Azure) is the second most common requirement. The newer entrants to the top skills list (RAG, vector databases, LLM APIs) reflect the shift from traditional ML toward generative AI applications.
Frequently Asked Questions
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