Senior Animal Care Technician

To support the Animal Centre Coordinator in maintaining business operations and providing guidance to the business support team within the Animal care department.

• Undertake the duties of an Animal Care Technician as per the job description and in addition:
• Supervise and arrange the workloads of the Animal Care and Equine Technicians and work placement students in the absence of the Animal Centre Coordinator
• Ensure stock is regularly maintained and alert the Animal Centre Coordinator of any purchasing requirements
• Promote compliance with the Animal Care and Equine Standard Operating Procedures
• Oversee day to day Animal care across all Animal care and Equine Centre facilities in the absence of the Animal Centre Coordinator
• Take the lead on larger projects within the Animal Care Centre
• Conduct Health & Safety risk assessments and ensure relevant legislation (e.g. COSHH, BALAI) is being adhered to by staff and students
• Aid the Animal Centre Coordinator with scheduling the technician team rota, ensuring adequate staffing levels and consistent working patterns
• Ensure staffing levels are adequately met in the absence of the Animal Centre Coordinator
• Maintain accurate animal records, ensuring timely data entry in both digital and paper systems in the absence of the Animal Centre Coordinator
• Provide industry-relevant guidance to lesser experience staff members and students
• Report any and all issues within the department to the Animal Centre Coordinator in a timely manner
• Be responsible for the transport of animals on and off site when relevant in the absence of the Animal Centre Coordinator
• Any other duties of a similar level of responsibility as may be required

Qualifications

Essential Criteria

• Minimum of a full level 3 Science/animal management/care qualification
• Full UK driving licence and own vehicle with business insurance.

How Identified: By application

Desirable Criteria

• Proficiency in dog-walking certification
• Any other relevant qualification surrounding practical animal care.

How Identified: By application

Experience

Essential Criteria

• Experience of handling/ caring and maintaining a wide range of animals to include companion animals, livestock, equine, exotics, mammals and birds
• Leadership and communication skills to manage and guide less experienced staff.

How Identified: By application

Desirable Criteria

• Experience of handling/ caring and maintaining larger animals.
• Experience of managing a project

How Identified: By application

Specialist Knowledge

Essential Criteria

• Knowledge of current legislation including the Animal Welfare Act and the Health and Safety at Work etc.
• Basic Animal First Aid
• Understanding of breeding programmes, importance of genetic variability when breeding and how to promote sustainable breeding within a collection.

How Identified: By application/ interview

IT Skills

• Basic proficiency in Microsoft applications particularly Word, Outlook and Excel. Willing to undertake training appropriate to the role.

How Identified: By application/ interview

We are a Further Education College and University Centre offering a range of full and part time courses employing over 600 staff on our campuses in Rochdale and Middleton situated to the north-east of Manchester. Both campuses have ample free parking and subsidised restaurants.

We offer staff a range of benefits including free gym membership at our Middleton Sports Arena and generous holiday entitlement.

We are committed to being a great place to work and have membership status of the Greater Manchester Good Employment Charter. We are a Living Wage employer and an accredited Disability Confident Employer. Our Equality, Diversity & Inclusion statement is designed to ensure that unfair discrimination does not take place in any part of our recruitment process.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all learners and colleagues and we expect all colleagues and volunteers to share this commitment. The college complies with Safer Recruitment guidance in line with Keeping Children Safe in Education and all successful applicants are required to undertake a DBS check and other pre-recruitment checks in line with our Safer Recruitment policy. It is an offence to apply for a regulated role at the College if you are barred from working with children (or vulnerable adults if in a role where this applies).

This role is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and exemption orders 1975, 2013 and

STAFF BENEFITS

Working at Hopwood Hall College comes with a wide range of benefits including generous holiday and sick pay entitlements.

Other benefits include:

• Career average pension scheme
• Free gym membership at our Middleton Campus Sports Arena
• Purchase loans for computers and bikes
• Staff discount at the College's Riverside Salon, Sports Arena and Holiday Clubs
• On-site nursery (Rochdale Campus)
• Credit union for savings, low cost loans and life assurance
• Free on-site parking
• On-site Dog Kennels (spaces not guaranteed)
• An electric and hybrid car salary sacrifice scheme (with charging points on site)
• A cycle to work scheme
• Discounted public transport tickets
• Generous holiday entitlement (Teaching staff: 53 days, Business Support staff: 28 days plus bank holidays
• Christmas/New Year closure and the opportunity to buy additional holidays)
• Two Health and Wellbeing days per year
• Subsidised bistro and refectory