RSPCA Cotswolds Gloucester and District Branch
Location: Cambridge
Contract Type: Full Time, Permanent - subject to 6-month probationary period
Closing Date: 27th January 2025
How to Apply: Please visit this link. Please send a CV, covering letter, and application form to Ebony.Poole@cdch.org.uk
About Us
The Cotswolds Dogs & Cats Home opened in September 2016 and since then, we have supported more than 6000 animals through our Rehoming and Welfare Services. As a leading animal rescue charity in Gloucestershire, we care for hundreds of abandoned, abused, and neglected animals each year and find them loving and safe new families. We also provide low-cost veterinary schemes to families and their pets to ensure that no animal goes without veterinary treatment due to financial restrictions.
We are a small and friendly team who thrive on a passion for Animal Welfare and exceptional customer service. We know that our charity is defined by our people and are dedicated to investing in our employees' long-term career development and success, equipping our team with all the tools to develop professionally.
Key Objectives & Responsibilities
This role will be responsible for the day-to-day care and welfare of our animals.
* Be part of a team that builds and sustains a positive, dynamic, can-do culture making the home a great place to work and spend time.
* Responsible for the optimum physical and emotional care of all animals cared for at the centre.
* Ensuring an outstanding service to animals, adopters, and visitors.
* Responsible for the daily functioning of the kennels, cattery, and small animal sections providing exemplary standards of welfare for all the animals in our care.
* Ensure compliance with our licensing conditions and all legal and health and safety regulations.
* Ensuring the exemplary standards of welfare of animals during handling and transportation.
* Contribute to regular team discussions of animal cases regarding their health, welfare, emotional and physical well-being.
* Contribute to pragmatic decision-making around the above.
* Maintaining the highest standards of hygiene and cleaning in the animal sections and contribute to the general upkeep and care of the centre environment as a great place for animals and staff to be.
* Ensure accurate, detailed records are kept for each animal’s overall care, including health checks, feeding, temperature, medication, handling, intake, and adoption.
* Maximise rehoming by positively promoting the animals and CDCH.
* Assist the rehoming team to appropriately match animals and their potential adopters by providing accurate and relevant information and advice.
* Ensure that animals are prepared for adoption in accordance with centre procedures including health checks, vaccination, neutering, microchipping, and any other treatments required.
* Be a hands-on member of the front-line staff team providing exemplary care for the animals and excellent customer relations.
* Support the Animal Care Supervisors and Veterinary Surgeon in checking the health and administering the medication to animals in the centre.
* Carrying out timely cleaning, feeding, watering, exercise, and contact with the animals.
* Attend regular team meetings to maintain effective communication and awareness of progress and developments in all areas of the centre.
* Provide meal break, holiday, and sickness cover for colleagues as required.
* To undertake other tasks as directed by line manager.
Person Specification – Qualifications, Skills, Experience and Knowledge
We are seeking Animal Care Assistants who can deliver operational excellence. You will have absolute dedication to the welfare of animals.
* Able to work weekends, evenings, take part in overnight rota and generally anti-social hours.
* A minimum of 2 years’ experience working in an animal welfare setting or equivalent relevant experience.
* Self-motivated with huge amounts of energy, dedication, commitment, and enthusiasm.
* Experience of delivering high standards of animal care.
* Experience of being a member of a high performing team.
* Ability to establish and maintain good working relationships with colleagues.
* Excellent interpersonal and communication skills which support the collaboration and efficient functioning of the team and the service.
* Proven experience of working constructively and collaboratively with colleagues across multiple teams.
* A flexible approach to managing and prioritising a varied workload and multiple tasks.
* Experience of working alongside, and supporting volunteers in operational frontline teams.
* Experience of implementing operational processes against agreed standards.
* Ability and motivation to deliver high quality work with minimum supervision.
* A commitment to delivering the highest standards of customer service and experience of dealing with customers and members of the public.
* Experience of keeping up to date with and applying good practice in your role and encouraging those that you manage to do the same.
* Excellent written and spoken English.
* Excellent working knowledge of Health & Safety in the workplace.
* IT literate with good experience of MS Office and other relevant IT systems as appropriate for the role.
* Ability to work evenings, nights, weekends and Bank Holidays on a rota and as required by the role.
* Able to promote an understanding of, and a commitment to the vision, mission, and values of CDCH.
* Experience working within an animal welfare, rescue, and rehoming setting.
* A qualification related to animal care or behaviour.
* Experience of animal husbandry and care and the implementation of welfare principles and related operational disciplines.
* Experience of delivering animal care programmes.
Your Commitment to CDCH
* Boundaries and behaviours: Observe professional integrity in relationships with staff, clients, and other partner agencies.
* Health & Safety: Be responsible for your health and safety and that of colleagues.
* Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: Be committed to helping to build an organisation that respects and values the diversity of all.
* Confidentiality: Treat all information acquired through the course of your employment as confidential and comply with all the appropriate policies, systems, and procedures.
* Contributory pension
* 28 days annual leave including bank holidays
* Discount in CDCH charity shops
* Free parking
* On-site parking
* Referral programme
* Sick pay
Schedule:
* Weekend availability
Education:
* GCSE or equivalent (preferred)
Please note, we do not consider applications without a completed application form, CV, and covering letter.
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