Standby Horse Welfare Assistant

We’re recruiting for a Horse Welfare Assistant with experience in training and handling to join our team at our Rolleston rehoming centre! Working at our Rolleston site, you will be part of a rewarding and supportive team who thrive together on the challenges involved in rehabilitating horses from a variety of welfare backgrounds. More about the role Within this role you will be responsible for the rehabilitation of a variety of horses and ponies, many of which may not have had the best start in life. These horses are in desperate need of our love and as a team we work together to help rebuild their trust to best prepare them for finding a new home. In addition to hands on care and training of the horse, this role, will also see you getting advert photo’s and video’s of the horses, holding appointments with potential new homes and much more! If you like variety then this is the role for you as each day will see you caring, handling and training the horses and with great communication skills you will be giving advice to potential new owners and clients. You will have a genuine desire to improve the lives of pets and their clients and be proactive in the promotion and delivery of Blue Cross aims. This role is on a zero hour’s contract and therefore you will not have regular hours of work but will be on standby to work shifts as and when required. If you excel in an environment where you can see the difference you make every day, then this is the role for you. Interested? Then apply and let’s work together to see if this is the role for you. About you The ideal candidate for this role is someone that has experience handling and training horses together with great communication skills and able to speak to a wide variety of people to deliver a first-class service. Working as part of a close-knit team you will also have the ability to work on your own, planning and developing training plans for the horses in your care. This person will be emotionally intelligent, showing empathy and knowing how to support clients and colleagues. On rare occasion to cover absence and holidays, there is the need to provide overnight cover which includes staying on site on a rota basis to carry out night checks. We provide accommodation for this basis. Knowledge, skills, and experience • BHS stage 3, NVQ3 or equivalent professional experience • Good communication, literacy, numerical, computer and administrative skills • A working knowledge of caring for a variety of field kept and stabled horses/ponies • Handling and training a variety of different types of horses and ponies • Starting and producing a variety of young horses • Knowledge of basic horse veterinary procedures, common horse ailments and injuries • Valid manual driving licence • Experience of working to strict health and safety procedures • Ability to demonstrate, understanding and apply our Blue Cross values Desirable Knowledge, skills, and experience • Working with members of the public in a customer service environment • Working with and mentoring volunteers • Charity fundraising and assisting with promotional events • Qualified in B&E trailer driving, LGV driving, or experience of transporting horses • Practical application behavioural science and learning theory when training horses • Assessing, creating training plans and handling horses with behavioural problems • Preparing horses and ponies for rehoming • Working with unhandled horses and ponies • Preparing horses for competition The recruitment process will consist of a competency-based interview and an animal handling assessment. We reserve the right to close this vacancy early should we receive an overwhelming response. Blue Cross benefits Our people are the most important part of delivering our purpose. If it were not for their amazing efforts and commitment, we would not be able to make the difference that we do today. In return, Blue Cross wants to ensure we provide you with the best working environment we can. We want you to be happy working for us and will do everything we can to make sure you are. Our generous benefits package includes: • Enhanced annual leave entitlement: 30 days plus bank holidays • Pension scheme with enhanced employer contribution • Health cash plan • Life assurance • Unlimited access to an employee assistance programme • Programmes for physical and mental wellbeing support • Free access to GP via MetLife • Recognition scheme Annual volunteer days • Claim for professional fees Blue Cross is a national charity that has been helping sick, injured and homeless pets since 1897. Every month we help thousands of pets and their people by providing veterinary care, expert behaviour advice and find homeless pets loving families. We also offer education for future generations plus pet bereavement support for those who have lost their beloved pet companion