Kennel Assistant

**The role is**:Full time (37.5 hours per week including every other weekend)

**Job Status**:Permanent

**This role reports to**:Animal Centre Manager and Senior Kennel Assistants

**Location**:RSPCA Re-homing Centre Martlesham

**Job Purpose**

To work alongside the Senior Kennel Assistants, Behaviour & Welfare Advisor and Kennel Assistants providing daily care for all dogs in the kennel areas, maintaining administration procedures and establishing good customer relations.

Providing reward-based methods of training and implementing welfare, enrichment, and behavioural action plans for the dogs in our care.

**Main Responsibilities**
- Carrying out daily cleaning, feeding, exercising, grooming, laundry, and handling of the dogs and attending offsite vet visits.
- Administering medications and carrying out health checks.
- Carrying out reward-based methods of canine training.
- Implementing welfare, enrichment, and behavioural action plans.
- Communicating with adopters and members of public about the dog’s behaviour and rehoming requirements, by means of face-to-face consultations at the rehoming centre or via the telephone.
- Completing all necessary paperwork for the dogs. Including behavioural observational and health check forms.
- Working alongside all staff, volunteers, and our vet from Ryder Davis Veterinary practice.
- Ensuring building and storage units are secure.
- Operating the cash register and safe receipt of money.
- Ordering necessary equipment for the kennels when stock is low (e.g., food, meds, and walking equipment).
- Adhering to RSPCA and Branch Health and Safety policy and procedures.
- Keeping all work areas clean, tidy, and hygienic for others.
- Undertaking other duties as required by the Animal Centre Manager, Senior Kennel Assistants and Behaviour and Welfare Advisor.

**Job Context**
- Work is assigned by the Animal Centre Manager, Duty Manager, or Senior Kennel Assistants.
- Work is carried out within general guidelines in accordance with the RSPCA Licensing and other relevant National Society policies and procedures. Work is assessed through regular one to one meetings and annual appraisals with the Senior Management Team.
- The post holder is part of front-line staff providing care for animals, maintaining good customer relations, and projecting a professional image for the Branch and RSPCA.

**Knowledge, skills and experience**

a) Education qualifications:

- Good general standard of education including at least 3 GCSE’s grade A-C (essential).
- Animal Care qualification at least Level 3 (essential).

b) Professional/Technical Qualifications/Skills:

- Sound literacy and numeracy skills (essential).
- Good communication skills and customer care skills (essential).
- Team player (essential).
- Full driving licence (essential).
- Dog training or Canine behaviour qualification (highly desirable)

c) Experience:

- Experience of domestic animal care and husbandry from working in the animal care/welfare industry (essential).
- Experience of practical dog handling and behavioural observations in a rescue environment and/or experience implementing reward-based methods of dog training (essential).
- Experience of working with the public (essential).

**Full UK Valid driving license (essential)**

This job description is a statement of the job content required as of July 2023. It should not be seen as precluding future changes.

**Salary**: From £10.42 per hour

**Benefits**:

- On-site parking

Schedule:

- 8 hour shift

Ability to commute/relocate:

- Martlesham: reliably commute or plan to relocate before starting work (required)

**Experience**:

- Animal Care: 1 year (required)

Licence/Certification:

- Full UK Manual Driving License (required)

Work Location: In person

Application deadline: 03/08/2023