Our vision is a world where all pets are well cared for in loving homes for life. To achieve this, we not only provide care for pets in need, but also help people be the best pet owners they can be.
We are looking to recruit an experienced Dog Care Specialist to support and implement a high-quality provision for dogs in our care.
Our Specialists work alongside Woodgreen’s Carers, Managers, and other Specialists, to implement a high-quality care provision by overseeing and supporting dogs’ welfare, training, and rehoming journeys.
The successful candidate will be able to make a real difference by mentoring and developing staff to ensure dogs are cared for to a high-quality level, as well as recognising and delivering training and behavioural interventions to enrich the lives of dogs on site and increase their chance of success in a new home.
The key responsibilities with this role are;
– Act as a subject matter expert to support successful assessment, training, and rehoming of dogs.
– Create and implement behaviour modification plans, using the Lima framework, for dogs with more complex needs.
– Support the Team Managers and Section Manager in ensuring the department helps as many pets as possible whilst maintaining a balanced population and maximising dog welfare and rehoming.
– Provide hands on training and mentoring to Carers and volunteers; giving effective feedback and imparting the skills and knowledge needed to Care for dogs.
This role requires an individual to be approachable and have a desire and ability to motivate, inspire, and develop others, showing strong communication skills with a positive outlook. The Dog Care Specialist will be required to have and maintain a high level of species-specific knowledge and use this to coach and support Dog Carers, handle and train dogs to improve their welfare and rehomability, and support the management team in decision-making for dogs. They will also act as a role model, imparting the values and ethos of the charity to all team members.
The successful applicant will have significant experience of dog training, behaviour and handling, and working in a Dog Care environment – ideally in a rehoming centre context.
The working pattern for this role would include every other weekend..
The starting salary for this position will be £24,000 – £25,936 per annum depending on experience. This will be complemented by;
– 36 days annual leave entitlement (inclusive of bank holidays) which will increase with length of service to a maximum of 40 days
– Up to 8% employer pension contributions (based on employee contribution level)
– Support towards healthcare costs (cashplan) and wellbeing
– Free access to Headspace
– Life assurance scheme (4 x salary)
To apply for this role please submit your CV and a Covering Letter which outlines why you feel that you would be the best candidate for this role. Applications without a covering letter will not be considered.
This vacancy may close earlier should we receive high volumes of applications. Interviews may commence prior to the closing date.
Woodgreen is committed to safeguarding children and adults at risk and protecting anyone that comes into contact with us from harm. We expect all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.
