Hours: 40 hours per week on a rolling rota to include some weekend working and bank holidays
Contract Type: Full time, permanent
Closing Date: 28th February 2025
This is a live-in role with the property comprising of a 2 bedroom flat, located on the first floor of the rescue centre. A separate Service Occupancy Agreement would be in place in this regard.
Main Purpose of the Job:
To support the Centre Manager to fully utilise our resources, to maximise Centre productivity and deliver against the organisations strategy and Centres Plan. To be the operational focal point on a day-to-day basis, ensuring that dogs are cared for and rehomed, to a high standard. In addition, ensuring that every intake and rehoming opportunity is exploited, using a sound dog population management approach including Home from Home and Boarding kennels.
Directly line manages the Dog Welfare Assistants (DWA), to promote the Mission, Vision and Values of the charity. To promote a positive and happy workplace, celebrating success. Be responsible for completing reporting staff’s 1-2-1’s and ensuring appropriate standards of performance.
Key Tasks and Responsibilities:
To take the day-to-day lead in operations at the centre to include:
Dog Welfare Team Management
* To manage and take responsibility for the dog welfare team including but not limited to: staff induction training and development in line with charities training manuals across all areas, including but not limited to; Dog Welfare, Health and Safety, Employment Law and GPDR.
* Accountable for the performance management of the DWA’s including but not limited to; probation reviews, 121s, work plans following the appropriate policies and procedures. This will include minute and note taking, filing and ensuring that the timelines of delivery are adhered to.
* Working with the current HR database to ensure all leave requests, sickness absences and any other absences are administered in a timely manner.
* To take the lead in supporting the team to assess all intakes for their suitability for Home From Home rehoming.
* To take the lead in supporting the paid and unpaid workforce to deliver our strategic aims which have a strong focus on Home From Home rehoming.
Operations and Dog Welfare
* Take responsibility and accountability for dog population management in Centre, ensuring that the number of dogs in our care is appropriate to the resources available, be proactive in ensuring our population is diverse but in addition exploiting intake of easy to rehome dogs alongside the dogs requiring addition support, or with higher rehoming criteria.
* Ensure dogs entering the Centre are cared for to a high welfare standard as outlined in the policies and procedures; they are appropriately assessed and have been given an appropriate rehoming criteria. In addition, taking overall responsibility for administration required. Having an ability to demonstrate empathy towards all animals in the care of JDR and when dealing with sensitive situations.
* To be the champion of high dog welfare, taking a modern and effective approach to dogs care plans, their welfare and training, exploiting every opportunity for dogs to be away from the kennel environment, including fostering, B&B foster and office day care.
* Take an active role in the Deputy Centre Manager Peer group, sharing learning and experience.
Be responsible for taking the lead for transferring dogs to other centres to give those dogs further rehoming opportunities.
* Work in partnership with the Centre Trainer, to support those dogs in our care who require additional support, ensuing that staff complete any agreed interventions.
* Ensuring that dog’s medical needs are met and the dogs receive initial and any ongoing medical interventions, following the charity’s procedures.
* Assisting the Centre Manager and the Centre trainer regarding rehoming and euthanasia decisions, as appropriate. Assisting the Centre Manager in overseeing the Boarding Kennels and dogs in the care of JGDR in line with all local Council boarding licensing and regulations.
* Support the Centre Manager to ensure Dog Welfare Assistants and Volunteers provide excellent customer care at all times.
Live-In responsibilities
As part of the service occupancy agreement (separate to the terms and conditions of employment, you will be expected to carry out (list is not exhaustive);
* Boarding checks as per Boarding License
* Pregnant mother and puppy care (evening intervention)
* Care for post op dogs
* Medication needs (may be evening intervention)
Other areas of responsibility
* Effectively and efficiently, support the Centre Manager to comply with the charities policies and procedures and all necessary Health & Safety regulations.
* Assist in the organisation and support of fundraising and communications activities within the area, including volunteer recruitment and support and developing new business opportunities. Helping to develop the customer experience in order to maximise the assets of the site and the potential income revenue from customers.
* To monitor the fabric and fittings of the building and ensure that housekeeping and buildings standards are to the required standard.
* Help build relationships with veterinary professionals, members of the press and other relevant organisations in the sector and support visits from external organisations as required.
Any other duties commensurate with the post.
Person Specification
Qualifications & Experience – Criteria
* Minimum of 1 year paid or voluntary experience of supervising or junior management role in a dog rescue environment or equivalent
* Have excellent written and verbal communication skills and be able to discuss the welfare and management requirements of dogs confidently with a range of stakeholders, including veterinary surgeons, Centre managers, centre trainers, dog welfare assistants and members of the public.
* Be an empathetic listener and able to mentor, manage and develop staff within the organisation in skills related to the welfare and successful rehoming of rescue dogs.
* Full, manual driving licence
Qualifications & Experience – Desirable
* Qualified to a National Diploma, NVQ2 or equivalent in animal care/welfare
* Ability to evidence ongoing CPD
Understanding of the importance of ensuring of good dog welfare – Criteria
* Is knowledgeable about the continuous improvement of dog welfare, to support across the whole organisation and demonstrates vigilance in ensuring depth and breadth of good dog welfare standards
* 2 years’ experience of working with dogs and an understanding of dog behaviour and welfare to ensure sound dog population management ensuring effective intake and rehoming decisions
* Understands the importance of managing dog populations ensuring adequate assessment and progress monitoring including behaviour referrals and liaise with vet services, Centre Trainers and Behaviourists accordingly
* Ability to support Managers to shape, implement and develop organisational policy, standards and procedures through regular feedback
* Able to support DWA skills development
* Sustained contribution to creating a relaxed stress-free environment for animals
Understanding of the importance of ensuring of good dog welfare – Desirable
* Experience of undertaking dog assessment to understand its behaviours and needs
* Has had responsibility for facilities being safe and fit for purpose, addressing unsafe facilities and equipment
Administration – Criteria
* Understands the importance of and has the ability to ensure accuracy of dog records, particularly post adoption contact and support, referrals, euthanasia’s, foster insurance; able to keep quality records of contact with vets and outside organisations. Supports Fundraising and Communications in all areas of work
* Has used customer feedback to meet customer expectations, following up on both positive and negative feedback
* An understanding of budgets, supporting the control of expenditure and income generation targets
* Experience of resolving real time complaints to a positive outcome
Proven Experience of successful management (within a management role) – Criteria
* Experience of supervising, motivating and performance managing paid staff and/or volunteers including assessing workloads and delegating accordingly
* Able to ensure adherence to strict health and safety procedures by all staff and volunteers
* Makes clear and appropriate decisions in line with responsibility of role without the need to seek support
* Seeks advice and authority where necessary, required or appropriate
* Self-motivated – able to spot opportunities for service improvement, works flexibly, beyond contracted hours where necessary
* Self-awareness – able to support others, both direct and non-direct reports, manages own stress and emotions and supportive of others to do the same
* Respect for others – facilitates good team work across a variety of roles, supporting work colleagues; honesty in dealing with people, delivering difficult messages sensitively but directly in a timely and appropriate manner to a range of individuals
* Tenacity – resilient, coping with setbacks and perseveres in the face adversity, containing own and others anxiety
* Shows integrity – is reliable and trustworthy, going the extra mile when necessary
* Fitness – able to maintain a suitable level of fitness to be able to perform the role
* Able to spot new opportunities for on boarding supporters and building Enterprise
Place of Work: Jerry Green Dog Rescue, Warsop Lane, Blidworth, Notts, NG21 0PG
Interviews: To be held at the Nottinghamshire Centre w/c 20th March 2025
#J-18808-Ljbffr