Assistant Manager (Offsite Services), Devon

Blue Cross; Exeter; On-site; GBP 25,000 - 28,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading animal welfare organization is seeking an Assistant Manager for Offsite Services in Exeter. This role focuses on leading home-based pet operations, ensuring optimal care for pets throughout the adoption journey, and managing a team of Pet Welfare Assistants. The ideal candidate has significant experience in team management and a strong background in pet welfare. The position offers a salary of GBP 25,787 - GBP 27,047 annually, along with generous benefits including holidays, wellbeing programs, and professional development support.

Benefits

38 days holiday increasing to 43 with service

24/7 GP services

Health cash plan

Pension scheme with enhanced contributions

Recognition scheme

Annual volunteer days

Qualifications

• Significant experience in managing a team in an animal-related environment.
• Ability to deliver high-level customer service in a fast-paced setting.
• Expertise in pet welfare and handling of domestic animals.

Responsibilities

• Lead home-based pet operations in Exeter.
• Ensure exceptional care for pets throughout the adoption process.
• Motivate and manage your team for optimal service delivery.

Skills

Team management experience

Customer service expertise

Pet welfare knowledge

Strong communication skills

Current driving licence

Job description

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Assistant Manager (Offsite Services), Devon

Application Deadline: 31 August 2025

Department: Rehoming & Fostering Services

Employment Type: Permanent - Full Time

Location: Devon

Reporting To: Centre Manager

Compensation: GBP 25,787 - GBP 27,047 / year

Description

Contract: Permanent, full time (37.5 hours per week)

Salary: GBP 25,787 - GBP 27,047 per annum

Location: Exeter, EX2 8ED

Closing date: Sunday 31 August 2025

Interview date: 8 & 10 September 2025

We're recruiting an Assistant Manager - Offsite Services to lead and streamline our home-based pet operations in Devon!

In this role, you'll ensure that every pet finds the perfect match with their new family as quickly as possible, while maintaining top-quality care for both our pets and clients throughout the entire adoption journey. Join us in making a difference, one pet at a time!

More about the role

Our Devon centre has a wonderful group of dedicated people with varying skills that meld into one team with one mission: to help as many pets as possible. We help pets through our two main services, Home Direct and our fostering network of over 80 volunteer foster carers.

In this role, you'll play a key part in ensuring exceptional care for both pets and clients while making well-connected, efficient decisions that prioritise pet welfare. As the leader of our home-based pet operations, you'll oversee the smooth running of daily activities, acting as the subject matter expert in practical animal handling and assessment. Your goal will be to prepare pets for adoption as quickly and effectively as possible. You'll work closely with your team to ensure timely pet assessments, behaviour management, and training, while providing full support to foster carers.

You'll also be responsible for achieving pet-related targets, ensuring your team of Pet Welfare Assistants and Foster Co-Ordinator's maintains the highest standards of animal care and adheres to national processes in case management. Since we don't have cattery or kennel facilities, innovation and teamwork are essential to address the most urgent cases effectively.

Motivating and managing your team is central to this role, enabling the centre to provide top-quality home-based pet care while helping your team develop professionally.

This is a full-time position, working 37.5 hours per week and you will be required to work 1 in 3 weekends.

About you

You'll be a great people manager, bringing finely honed skills from your experience in an animal-related environment, along with expert knowledge of pet welfare and care.

As a dynamic and innovative leader, you know how to inspire and motivate your team, driving continuous improvement. You'll lead a team of Pet Welfare Assistants, empowering them through effective management and coaching.

With excellent communication skills, you adapt your approach for different audiences, ensuring your message resonates. While juggling multiple tasks, you remain calm and organised, making confident decisions in high-pressure situations.

Your strong analytical skills enable you to monitor and evaluate effectively, implementing meaningful improvements. Rather than resting on your laurels, you'll have a genuine desire to enhance onsite facilities and services, actively engaging your team in the process.

Having worked in emotionally charged environments, you understand the importance of resilience and have excellent "bounce-back ability." Your emotional intelligence and empathy will shine as you support your team and the public, creating a compassionate and effective workplace.

Knowledge, skills, and experience

• Significant experience in managing a team.
• Significant experience in delivering high level Customer service in a fast-paced environment.
• Significant subject matter expertise and application of pet welfare and handline of domestic animals
• High standard of verbal and written communication.
• Current full driving licence
• The ability to demonstrate, understand and apply our Blue Cross values

It would be great (but not essential) if you also had:

• Performance management and improvement experience.
• Experience working with volunteers.
• Understanding of safeguarding issues.

Want to know more detail? Great! We have attached the job description which hopefully gives you everything you need.

How to apply

Click the apply button below and complete the online application process before the closing date on Sunday 31 August 2025.

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:

• Full time equivalent of 38 days holiday rising to 43 with service (including Bank Holidays)
• Programmes for physical and mental wellbeing support
• Free access to GP via MetLife- 24/7 GP services, private prescriptions and more for you and your family
• Free physiotherapy advice and face to face intervention
• Health cash plan
• Unlimited access to an employee assistance programme
• Pension scheme with enhanced employer contribution
• Professional fees paid with Continuing Professional Development and personal development support.
• Life assurance
• 20% discount on Pet Plan pet insurance
• Enhanced family friendly policies
• Recognition scheme
• Annual volunteer days
• Charity worker discounts across a variety of retailers

To read more about the benefits Blue Cross has to offer, please visit the 'why work for us' page on our website.