Animal Care Auxiliary

PDSA; Coventry; Hybrid; GBP 20,000 - 28,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading veterinary charity in Coventry seeks an Animal Care Auxiliary to provide essential support to the out-of-hours clinical team. This role combines reception and cleaning duties with animal care responsibilities. Candidates should have a caring attitude, strong customer service skills, and be willing to work night shifts. The position offers competitive benefits including holiday, pension contributions, and a supportive work environment.

Benefits

25 days’ holiday plus Bank Holidays

Pension contributions

Life assurance

24/7 wellbeing support

Retail and lifestyle discounts

Qualifications

• Experience in customer service with a caring attitude.
• Ability to handle animals with patience and care.
• Flexibility to work unsociable hours.

Responsibilities

• Ensure all areas are clean and hygienic.
• Respond to emergency calls from pet owners.
• Support clinical team with animal care tasks.

Skills

Customer service

Animal husbandry

Communication

Job description

Make a difference every day with PDSA

AboutUs

Join us to help keep even more people and pets together when times are tough. For over a century, PDSA have provided vital veterinary care for the pets of people in financial hardship.

We’renow on a journey to expand our reach to support even more people and their beloved pets. To achieve this ambitious goal, we need passionate and driven individuals who are ready to embrace change and help shape a future-focused PDSA. Together, we'll build a stronger organisation to ensure our services help those who need us most for the next hundred years.

If you're ready to make a real difference and be part of a team that’s creating positive change, we want you to join us. Let’s build a brighter future for pets and their owners, together.

About you

We’re looking for an Animal Care Auxiliary to join our dedicated team at PDSA in Coventry. If you have a business mind and a social heart, and want your work to make a real difference, this could be the role for you. You’ll be part of the UK’s leading veterinary charity, helping us care for the sick and injured pets of people in need and playing an important part in delivering our mission through the night.

The position is primarily focused on reception and cleaning duties (around 80%), with the remaining 20% involving animal care.

Key responsibilities include :

• Ensuring all areas, including clinical spaces, are kept clean and hygienic
• Responding to emergency calls and offering reassurance to worried pet owners
• Greeting clients and managing bookings for out-of-hours appointments
• Processing payments and encouraging client contributions
• Supporting the clinical team with light animal husbandry, including cleaning and caring for inpatients

Work pattern & rota

This role offers vital support to our dedicated out‑of‑hours clinical team, ensuring excellent care during overnight shifts.

Working hours are 8pm – 8am (12‑hour shifts)

Rota pattern :

One night on, followed by five nights off

Two consecutive nights on, followed by four nights off

You will also receive an additional 25% supplement on top of the advertised salary in recognition of working unsociable hours. As part of this role, you will join a supportive team of four Animal Care Auxiliaries who work collaboratively to cover annual leave and absences, while maintaining the flexibility to take on extra shifts when required to ensure the team is fully supported.

About the hospital

PDSA Coventry is a highly collaborative, effective hospital, a great place for teamwork, case discussion and shared learning. Our teams have varied clinical interests, giving you access to a wide pool of knowledge and experience when discussing cases and treatment plans.

Our Pet Hospitals are modern and well‑equipped and include separate dog and cat kennelling facilities, in‑house radiography, ultrasound, endoscopy, piped gases and extensive orthopaedic equipment.

Rewards,supportand benefits

We’re really passionate about being a great place to work, somewhere people feel proud of what they do, connected to a meaningful purpose, and able to make a genuine difference every day. Our teams are collaborative and supportive, and we encourage everyone to bring their ideas, individuality and passion for pets to work with them.

As well as a rewarding role and a positive, people-focused culture, we also offer a wide range of benefits, including :

• 25 days’ holiday plus Bank Holidays(pro rata)
• Three paid special days off: Volunteering Day, CelebrationDay and Wellbeing Day annually.
• Generous pension options, with PDSA contributions starting at 5% and rising to 10%.
• Life assurance providing four times your annual salary for added peace of mind.
• AXA Health Employee Assistance Programme, with 24 / 7 wellbeing support.
• Retail, holiday and lifestyle discounts available through our staff Fetch benefits platform.
• Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption leave to support you and your family.
• 15% discount on PDSA Pet Insurance plus access to staff veterinary services.

To apply for this role, click Apply Now at the top of the page, create a candidate account and complete our simple application form.

PDSA is committed to embedding a culture of diversity and inclusion within our teams that reflect the communities we serve. We aim to create a working environment in which all individuals are able to make best use of their skills, free from discrimination or harassment, and in which all decisions are based on merit. We offer a range of family friendly, inclusive employment policies and opportunities for flexible working arrangements to support team members from different backgrounds.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding accessibility, please contact us and we will be happy to discuss via email or telephone reasonable adjustments that you may require throughout the recruitment process.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, adults at risk and all our colleagues and expect everyone who works for us to also share this commitment and to treat people with courtesy and respect.

To support this commitment, our recruitment & selection processes are robust and rigorous. All appointments will be subject to satisfactory references and appropriate background checks.