Border Force

**Details**:
**Reference number**:

- 264060**Salary**:

- £19,500- AHW of up to 21.14% is applicable on this role (see further information for more details).**Job grade**:

- Administrative Assistant**Contract type**:

- Permanent**Business area**:

- HO - Borders and Enforcement - Border Force**Type of role**:

- Operational Delivery**Working pattern**:

- Full-time, Shift Working**Number of jobs available**:

- 1Contents

Location

About the job

**Benefits**:
Things you need to know

Location
- Custom House, HullAbout the job

**Job summary**:

- Border Force is a Law Enforcement arm of the Home Office. We are responsible for handling the UK border control by implementing immigration and customs regulations and working with the wider Home Office on counter terrorism, organised crime, modern slavery and trafficking. Learn more on the Border Force careers page.**Job description**:
Detector Dogs provide a specialised service to front line staff. They are a highly visible demonstration to society of our work in addressing criminality.

Our business operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and is covered by a variety of different shift patterns.

Applicants will be required to work both early and late shifts on a flexible pattern of attendance. This includes weekend and Public holiday working.

This post of kennel assistant contributes to a team of kennel staff who provide the daily care, feed and exercise regime for Border Force detector dogs.

This post is not suitable for part time or job share arrangements due to dog welfare issues.

Please note: This role involves daily driving of official vehicles therefore a full valid manual UK Driving Licence is required, and applicants must be willing to become an official driver.

**Responsibilities**
- Providing detector dogs with twice daily exercise, high intensity training, grooming, feeding and dispensing of medication as required.
- Daily driving of official vans to/from exercise areas and visits to local veterinary provider.
- Maintaining the service records of the detector dogs.
- Maintaining the high hygiene standards of the kennels with a daily cleaning regime of all kennels and surrounding estate. This will include picking up dogs faeces and working with chemicals and cleaning products.
- Checking and maintaining kennel stores, food, medical and cleaning stocks.
- Providing some clerical support, although this is mínimal, and the role is an outdoor job.
- Ensuring that all detector dogs are correctly documented for the Passports for Pets scheme operated under the terms and conditions required by DEFRA.
- Weekly cleaning of the unit’s fleet of vehicles and maintenance of other assets as instructed by the Dog Unit Team Leader or Kennel Manager.

The kennel assistant may often work unsupervised for much of their shift.

The successful applicant will be required to undertake a 2-week kennel assistant training course delivered by Border Force which may be residential.

Applicants who do not currently hold a valid PST level 2 certificate must be prepared to undertake and pass this training.

All aspects of this training and mentoring programme are tested and failure to pass will be deemed as poor performance. New recruits to the Home Office, including transfers from other Government Departments will not receive AHA during their initial training, or periods where they are being mentored but not working in a shift pattern or at weekends.
Staff previously in receipt of AHA: Home Office staff on a level transfer or promotion will receive the rate of AHA applicable to the new role during initial training periods.

**Person specification**:
**Essential criteria**
- Good organisational skills and the ability to work effectively and professionally.
- Taking responsibility for your work in order to achieve goals and multi-tasking to work within tight deadlines.
- The ability to work under pressure with limited supervision.
- It is essential that all applicants are comfortable and confident around dogs and must not have been disqualified from:
Keeping or owning a dog under the terms of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1989
- Having custody of a dog under the terms of both the Animal Welfare Act 2006 & the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991
- This post is physically demanding and requires a high level of fitness as the role will require lifting and carrying of the dogs. The role also requires working outdoors in often hostile weather conditions.

**Desirable criteria**
- Previous experience of working with or looking after animals in a professional capacity.

**Licences**:

- Full valid UK manual driving licence**Behaviours**:
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

- Working Together
- Delivering at Pace
- Managing a Quality Service
- Working Together

**Benefits**:

- Learning and development tailored to your role
- An environment with flexible working options
- A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
- A Civil Service pension with an average emp