Description
Contract: Permanent, full time
Salary: £25,787 - £27,047 per annum
Location: Rolleston, DE13 9AU
Closing date: Sunday 23 February 2025
Interview date: 3 & 4 March 2025
We’re recruiting an Assistant Manager – Onsite Services who will play a key role in ensuring the smooth running of our centre-based horse care services. You’ll lead and support teams, oversee horse welfare, and ensure horses are ready for adoption as quickly as possible. With your expertise in horse care and facility management, you’ll help us place the right horse in the right home. Join us and make a difference in equine welfare!
More about the role
As the Assistant Manager, you will support the delivery of the Blue Cross strategy by overseeing the smooth operational running of all centre based horse care services. By embedding a healthy culture which attracts and maintains engaged and empowered teams, you will ensure that the right horse is placed in the right service, in the quickest amount of time.
On a day-to-day basis you will have responsibility for the smooth running of the centre based horse operations, this includes providing subject matter expertise on practical horse care and handling horses where necessary. You will also oversee the buildings used for horse accommodation, all horse equipment and ensuring that the horses are prepared and ready for adoption as soon as possible.
At our Rolleston rehoming centre, we provide onsite accommodation for pets in our care 24/7. Overnight shifts are usually undertaken by team members who live on-site.
This is full time role working 37.5 per week on a rota which includes weekends and bank holidays.
For a more detailed look at the role and its requirements, please see the attached job description.
About you
You will be a positive, inclusive manager of people, having skills which are finely honed by working in a similar, horse welfare related environment. You will also have expert knowledge and application of horse welfare and care and understand how to drive performance improvements and efficiencies and be prepared to address promptly underperformance or poor levels of service.
You will be able to lead the adoptions preparations team, developing and empowering them through effective management and coaching. You will be positive and innovative manager, with excellent communication skills and with the ability to adapt your approach to different styles and audiences. As there are many ‘plates spinning’, you need to be organized, adaptable and be prepared to make decisions in a high pressure environment.
You will also bring strong analytical skills and can rigorously monitor, assess and evaluate in order to deliver improvements. You won’t ‘rest on your laurels’, you will have an appetite to continually improve onsite facilities and services, ensuring your team and others involved are engaged.
You will know what it is like to work in an emotionally charged environment and have excellent bounce back ability and resilience. In addition, you will be emotionally intelligent, showing empathy and knowing how to support your team and members of the public.
Essential Qualifications, Skills, and Experience
* Significant experience in delivering high level Customer service in a fast-paced environment.
* Knowledge of behavioural science and learning theory when training horses.
* Experience of working alongside vets to make key veterinary desions in complex vet cases
* Proven experience of dealing with and treating a range of equine veterinary illness and conditions
* High standard of verbal and written communication.
* Experience of performance managing & coaching operational teams.
* Proven decision-making ability.
* Current full driving licence.
Desirable Qualifications, Skills, and Experience
* Change management experience.
* Delivering training and presenting to large groups.
* Experience working with volunteers.
* Experience of working in horse rescue welfare environment.
* Qualifications in management, leadership, or coaching.
* Understanding of safeguarding issues.
* The ability to demonstrate, understand and apply our Blue Cross Values.
How to apply
Click the apply button below and complete the online application process before the closing date on Sunday 23 February 2025.
We reserve the right to close this vacancy early should we receive an overwhelming response.
Job Benefits
Our people are the most important part of delivering our purpose. If it weren’t for their amazing efforts and commitment, we wouldn’t be able to make the difference that we do today. In return, we want to provide you with the best working environment we can.
With a wide range of perks aimed at enhancing your life both inside and outside of work, you'll
thrive in a supportive and rewarding environment.
Our generous benefits package includes:
* 38 days per year, increasing to 43 with service (including bank holidays). For part-time roles, holiday entitlement is calculated pro-rata.
* Pension scheme with enhanced employer contribution
* Life assurance
* Unlimited access to an employee assistance programme
* Programmes for physical and mental wellbeing support
* Free access to GP via MetLife
* Recognition scheme
* Annual volunteer days
* Claim for professional fees
* Charity worker discounts across a variety of retailers.
We want you to feel valued and supported throughout your career with us. For more details on our benefits and to see how we invest in our team, visit the 'Why Work for Us' page on our website.
To read more about the benefits Blue Cross has to offer, please visit the 'why work for us' page on our website.
Blue Cross is a national charity that has been helping sick, injured and homeless pets since 1897.
Every month we help thousands of pets and their people by providing veterinary care, expert behaviour advice and find homeless pets loving families. We also offer education for future generations plus pet bereavement support for those who have lost their beloved pet companion.
We love the ways that pets can make such an amazing difference to the people they live with and we offer lifelong support and advice to help that unique relationship thrive. With your support we can give back to more pets and their families who need our help.
Pets change lives. We change theirs.
Our commitment to diversity and inclusion
We believe that every pet should enjoy a healthy life in a happy home, and we always seek to recruit the best people who share our values and commitment so we can continue to help and support pet owners across the UK to achieve this.
At Blue Cross, we want you to feel that you belong, without the need to hide any part of who you are.
Diversity and inclusion at Blue Cross means creating a workplace where all people, regardless of gender, race, sexual orientation, religion, nation or country of origin, disability, age, and socioeconomic backgrounds are welcome, respected, supported, and have access to equal opportunities.
We are working hard to reflect the world we live in and the communities we serve at every level of our organisation. As much as we have made positive advances, we consider diversity and inclusion to be a work in progress – a continual commitment that remains a priority for all of us.
If you would like to talk to us about any reasonable adjustments or changes to our recruitment process to support you to be your best, then please get in touch either via email at jobs@bluecross.org.uk, via telephone on 01993 825515 or if you would prefer a video call then we can arrange this using Microsoft Teams.
Our values
Our values define the way we do things. We use them every day to guide us, and to make sure we put people and pets at the heart of everything we do.
Compassionate: We listen, we are non-judgmental, we are kind and caring to the pets and people we encounter, and we offer support in difficult times
Courageous: We make brave decisions, embrace change, and encourage innovation, ensuring we always act with integrity – doing the right thing even when no one is looking
Inclusive: We value all our relationships and work in an open and positive culture where we celebrate our diverse talents and empower you to be you