Farm Worker/Groom

The Donkey Sanctuary; Sidmouth; On-site; GBP 20,000 - 26,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Life Assurance

31 Days holiday

Pilates classes

Long Service Awards

Healthshield Plan

Free Parking

Subsidised restaurant and shop

Job summary

The Donkey Sanctuary, Sidmouth, Devon, invites applications for a full-time animal care role. You will join a busy team at the Sidmouth farms, providing care and rehabilitation for resident donkeys, mules and hinnies, and supporting the Farm Manager.

This permanent position offers 37.5 hours per week, five days over seven with weekend work as part of a team rota, plus benefits such as Life Assurance, holiday entitlement, Pilates classes and health plan, among others.

Qualifications

• Excellent animal observation to detect illness, distress or behaviour changes.
• Aligned with charity values and committed to personal development.
• Strong communication and teamwork abilities.
• Physically capable of demanding tasks in all weather, including overtime.
• Competent IT skills.
• Good command of English.
• Full valid UK driving licence.

Responsibilities

• Routinely checking, feeding, medicating, grooming, weighing, worming and training the resident donkeys.
• Assisting visiting vets, farriers and dentists.
• Operating machinery, and/or manually, mucking out, feeding and bedding up of barns and stables and distributing hay, haylage and bagged feedstuffs.
• Maintaining the farm by sweeping, pressure washing, cleaning, field sweeping, haymaking, strimming, compost management, willow management and dirty water control.
• Maintaining up to date manual records for the donkeys, farming practices, holidays and overtime.
• Providing feedback on a daily basis to the Farm Manager and Supervisor on donkey health, feeding regimes and land management and liaising with other staff to facilitate smooth running of the farm.

Skills

Animal care

Observation skills

Communication

Teamwork

Driving licence

Tools

IT skills

Job description

The Donkey Sanctuary is an international animal welfare organisation, offering care and protection to donkeys worldwide. Our vision is a world where every donkey has a good quality of life, and our mission is to improve the lives of donkeys every day. We will achieve this by transforming the lives of donkeys in need worldwide by fostering greater understanding, collaboration and support, and by promoting lasting, mutually life-enhancing relationships.

We have an excellent opportunity for a flexible and proactive team player with a passion for Donkeys to join our busy team at Trow and Hurford farms, Sidmouth, Devon. Possessing substantial equine and animal husbandry experience, you will provide care and rehabilitation for the resident donkeys, mules and hinnies, and support the Farm Manager in maintaining a safe working environment.

About you:

• Excellent animal observational skills and able to detect signs of illness, distress, or change in behaviour.
• Demonstrable alignment with the charity's values and committed to ongoing personal development within the role.
• Effective communication skills and the ability to work collaboratively within a team.
• Able to carry out physically demanding tasks, independently, in all weather conditions, occasionally outside of normal working hours.
• Competent IT knowledge and skills.
• Competent use of English language.
• Full, valid UK driving licence.

About the role:

Your principal duties and responsibilities will include –

• Routinely checking, feeding, medicating, grooming, weighing, worming and training the resident donkeys.
• Assisting visiting vets, farriers and dentists.
• Operating machinery, and/or manually, mucking out, feeding and bedding up of barns and stables and distributing hay, haylage and bagged feedstuffs.
• Maintaining the farm by sweeping, pressure washing, cleaning, field sweeping, haymaking, strimming, compost management, willow management and dirty water control.
• Maintaining up to date manual records for the donkeys, farming practices, holidays and overtime.
• Providing feedback on a daily basis to the Farm Manager and Supervisor on matters such as donkey health, feeding regimes and land management and liaising with other staff to facilitate smooth running of the farm.

What we offer in return:

This is a full-time, permanent contract starting as soon as possible, working 37.5 hours per week., 5 days over 7 with weekend work as part of a team rota.

• Life Assurance.
• 31 Days holiday (including Bank holidays), rising to 34 with each full year of service.
• Recorded Pilates classes.
• Long Service Awards.
• Healthshield Plan, including reimbursement of some medical expenses up to the specified limits per membership, offers, discounts and cashback on shopping, travel and entertainment from participating outlets and access to a 24/7 GP and counselling service.
• Free Parking.
• Subsidised restaurant and shop at The Donkey Sanctuary main site.

Closing date for applications: Tuesday 11 August 2026.

The Donkey Sanctuary is a Disability Confident Employer.

The Donkey Sanctuary is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of vulnerable people (children and adults), and expects all staff and volunteers to undertake this commitment. Applicants will be subject to safer recruitment processes, including an application for a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check where required for the post.

The Donkey Sanctuary also participates in the Inter Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme and, for relevant posts, may request information from applicants’ previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment during employment, or incidents under investigation when the applicant left employment.

Please note: The Guaranteed interview scheme is only applicable to candidates who consider themselves to have a disability applying for roles based within the United Kingdom.