Animal Care Mentor based in Clacton, Essex - with option to live in

Location: National Animal Welfare Trust, The Street, Little Clacton, Essex CO16 9LG

Salary:             £11.70 p/h

Hours:                         40 hours per week on a rota basis (alternate weekend working)

Term:                          Permanent (3 months probationary period)

Reports to:                  Centre Supervisor

The Animal Care Mentor carries out the daily duties of an animal care assistant but holds additional responsibilities for training and mentoring animal care staff and volunteers. They also support the Centre Manager/Supervisor in the day to day running of the centre.

There is also the option to live on site.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Animal Care

• Responsible for the day-to-day care of all animals, including the cleaning and maintenance of their accommodation, feeding, exercising and grooming.
• To deliver the required training and behaviour modification programmes to all applicable animals, adhering to NAWT’s approved positive reinforcement training methods.
• Maintain accurate paper and electronic records to include admission, rehoming, behaviour and veterinary information.
• To ensure that any animal illness, injury or behaviour issues are recorded and reported immediately to the centre management team.

Animal Intake and Rehoming

• Positively promote all homing services, including home direct and short-term fostering opportunities.
• Ensure a compassionate, empathic, and non-judgemental approach is taken with all members of the public needing to relinquish their pet.
• Inform customers of our rehoming procedures, give advice to those wishing to rehome a pet and assist customers with any homing enquiries, providing accurate information to ensure a thorough matching process is adhered to at all times.
• Ensure animals available for homing are advertised in a positive and professional manner, focusing on evidence based matching criteria.
• Ensure all paper and electronic details are updated in a timely manner and animal information recorded where required.
• To arrange and manage animal introductions with potential owners and animals available for homing.

Additional Responsibilities

• To be actively involved in the induction and training procedures for new animal care staff and volunteers.
• To ensure all homing and matching procedures are being adhered to when responsible for centre operations.
• To be a point of contact to answer any any queries/situations as they arise, in the absence of the centre manager or supervisor.
• To ensure the end of day routine is completed, all areas left secure, and all information is recorded and available for the following day.
• To take on any administrative duties as required.

Other Duties

• To be welcoming to customers visiting the Centre, informing them of our procedures and being helpful at all times whilst delivering exceptional customer service.
• To positively promote and contribute to centre fundraising activities.
• Responsible for keeping all areas of the centre clean and tidy.
• To continually maintain professional and collaborative working relationships with all colleagues.
• To ensure volunteers are made welcome and are supported during their time on site.
• To ensure that accurate written and electronic records for animals coming into and leaving the site are updated when necessary.
• To assist in other areas of centre operations when staffing levels require.
• Attend any meetings as requested, contributing positively and collaboratively.
• Attend relevant training and personal development opportunities to fulfil the requirements of the ACA role.
• To adhere to all NAWT policies and procedures and assist the organisation in developing, implementing, and monitoring them, including Equal Opportunities and Health & Safety policies.
• To carry out any other duties relevant to the post as directed by the Supervisor or Board of Trustees.

If you feel you have the right skills to be a successful Animal Care Mentor, please email your CV with a covering letter to Lizzie Reffell, Centre Manager: l.reffell@nawt.org.uk

Closing date for applications is 16th September 2024. However, we are accepting applications on a rolling basis and may close the recruitment process for this role prior to the deadline, so early applications are encouraged.

Please ensure to state in your email whether you would like to live-in or not.