Assistant Manager – On-site Services

Association of Dogs and Cats Homes (ADCH); Thirsk; On-site; GBP 26,000 - 30,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

38 days holiday

24/7 GP access

Pension scheme

Life assurance

Health cash plan

Job summary

Blue Cross in Thirsk is seeking an Assistant Manager – On-site Services to lead our rehoming centre operations. You will supervise the Pet Welfare Assistants, uphold animal welfare standards on site, and ensure superb customer care for adopters and visitors.

This full-time role (37.5 hours) includes weekends and bank holidays on a rota, with on-site accommodation for pets and night-check duties as needed. You will drive continuous improvement, health and safety, and collaborate with Admissions,

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop the onsite Pet Welfare Assistants to uphold high animal welfare standards.
• Oversee day-to-day onsite accommodation, care, and medical attention to adoption readiness.

Job description

Blue Cross

Location: Thirsk YO7 3SE

Salary: £26,042 - £30,281

Hours: 37.5

Contract Type: Permanent

Closing Date: 26 November 2026

Assistant Manager – On-site Services

We’re recruiting an Assistant Manager – On-site Services to join our Thirsk rehoming centre.

Are you an experienced leader with a genuine passion for animal welfare, operational excellence, and developing great teams? As our Assistant Manager – On-site Services, you will play a central role in guiding our onsite pet care operations, holding accountability for animal welfare standards on site while creating an inspiring environment where both our people and our animals thrive.

More about the role

In this pivotal operational role, you will lead, inspire, and develop our dedicated team of Pet Welfare Assistants, taking full accountability for upholding exemplary animal welfare standards across the entire site. You will oversee the day to day rhythm of onsite accommodation and care, ensuring every pet receives top tier assessment, enrichment, and medical attention to be adoption-ready without unnecessary delay. Leading by example, you won’t hesitate to roll up your sleeves when practical handling and animal care expertise are needed, actively demonstrating best-practice techniques across the team.

Beyond daily pet care, you will champion operational efficiency and continuous improvement, working hand-in-hand as a strong collaborator with our Admissions, Adoptions, and Volunteer Coordinators to streamline intake and rehoming journeys. You will act as the centre’s operational anchor, maintaining strict health and safety standards, managing onsite equipment, and deputising for the Centre Manager whenever necessary. Crucially, because our rehoming centre is the welcoming public face of Blue Cross, you will ensure outstanding, empathetic customer care is woven into every interaction with adopters, visitors, and our local community.

This is a full-time role working 37.5 hours per week on a rota which includes weekends and bank holidays.

At our Thirsk rehoming centre, we provide onsite accommodation for pets in our care 24/7. Overnight shifts are usually undertaken by team members who live on site. However, as a manager you will be on a rota to carry out night checks or stay in onsite accommodation overnight when the resident team members are either not working or away for a period of time.

About You

You are an inclusive, proactive leader who knows how to bring out the very best in people and thrives as a genuine team player. You bring solid experience managing operational teams within animal care, welfare, or an aligned sector, and you genuinely enjoy coaching, mentoring, and empowering others to grow in confidence. With your background in practical pet handling and your commitment to high animal welfare standards, you possess the credible subject-matter expertise needed to guide your team through complex behavioural, enrichment, and care decisions.

Working in an animal rehoming environment is deeply rewarding, but it can also be emotionally demanding and fast-paced. You bring a pragmatic, solutions-focused mindset and are a strong, confident decision maker who stays calm and level-headed under pressure. You are analytical, always curious about how systems can work better, and adept at communicating with clarity, warmth, and empathy across diverse audiences. Above all, you share our core values of compassion, courage, and inclusivity, and you are ready to make a visible, lasting impact on the lives of pets and the people they love.

Using AI in your application

We’re happy for you to use AI tools to help you prepare your application, for example to organise your thoughts, improve clarity or check spelling and grammar. However, your application must be an honest reflection of your own skills, experience and achievements, and AI should not be used to write your application for you or create examples that aren’t your own.

Please read our guidance on using AI when applying to Blue Cross before submitting your application.

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
• 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.

About Blue Cross

If you’d like to learn more about Blue Cross, our mission, and the work we do to support animals and people, take a look at our About Us page