Receptionist/Animal Care Assistant

Career Choices Dewis Gyrfa Ltd; Peacehaven; On-site; GBP 20,000 - 27,000; Full time

Job summary

A veterinary practice in Peacehaven seeks a full-time Receptionist / Animal Care Assistant to manage client interactions and assist in animal care. Responsibilities include welcoming clients, scheduling appointments, and helping veterinary staff. The ideal candidate will have 5 GCSEs including English and Maths, strong organizational skills, and the ability to provide quality customer service. Benefits include a workplace pension, paid volunteering, and pet discounts. A full training program is provided.

Benefits

Employee Assistance Programme

Pet discounts

Stakeholder pension scheme

Life insurance

Uniform

Holiday entitlement of 30 days plus flexible options

CPD allowance

Qualifications

• Excellent client interaction skills required.
• Ability to organize schedules and manage time effectively.
• Knowledge of animal care practices preferred.

Responsibilities

• Greet clients and assist with enquiries.
• Organize veterinary appointments and manage client files.
• Provide care to animals under supervision.

Skills

Client communication

Organizational skills

Basic animal care

Financial handling

Education

5 GCSEs including Maths, English, and Science

Job description

Employee Assistant Programme, pet discounts, stakeholder pension scheme, life insurance, uniform

Contract Type:

Permanent

Hours:

Full time

Disability Confident:

No

Closing Date:

29/01/2026

About this job

JOB DESCRIPTION JOB TITLE: Receptionist / Animal Care Assistant REPORTING TO: Branch Manager via Head Nurse LOCATION: Birchwood Vets, 3 Dewhurst Road, Birchwood, Warrington, WA3 7PG DATE WRITTEN: December 2025 Job Overview: Our aim within the practice is to treat our patients as though they were our own animals, and to treat our clients in the way we would wish to be dealt with ourselves.

This philosophy should be carried through all levels, in terms of our demeanour, appearance, professionalism and communication (between vets, clients, external providers such as laboratories and staff). We all have a part to play in ensuring the smooth running of the various aspects of the practice.

Roles & Responsibilities: To provide a professional, effective and organised client reception.

To provide assistance to the veterinary nurses in the care of our patients and general maintenance of the surgery premises.

Main Duties:

Greet clients with a smile and engage in “small talk” to put clients at ease, respond effectively to client enquiries via the telephone or in person and relay accurate messages to other staff.

Make client appointments, book ops, process enquiries, requests and messages.

Create new client files, update and monitor existing files, keep computer records up-dated.

With the help of senior members of the reception team, organise veterinary appointments and liaise with the vets to ensure the day runs as efficiently as possible.

Be aware of worming and vaccination policies.

Accurately assess client needs and offer appropriate services or products, liaising with the vets and nurses as required.

Pass on queries to other members of staff when they fall beyond the limits of your knowledge.

To support stock control within the practice to ensure that products are used in a timely and efficient manner.

Take payments at time of sale to prevent debt from being generated, having the ability to call clients after their visit if they have not paid or monies are outstanding which will include issuing statements and reminders to clients according to set protocols.

General clerical duties including ordering stationery, photocopying and sending faxes, dealing with the mail and reminders as required.

In the absence of your practices’ nominated insurance administrator, you may be required to process claims.

Full training and support will be given in order to process insurance claims according to set procedures.

Complete all daily and weekly financial tasks and records which includes cashing up and banking procedures.

You will be required to provide care to our patients under the instruction of a Registered Veterinary Nurse or Veterinary Surgeon.

With the appropriate training tasks may include:

• General Care


• Feeding


• Medicating patients topically / orally / and via the subcutaneous route


• Completing hospital sheets and writing up notes


• Ensure high levels of cleanliness and hygiene in all areas of the practice, at all times


• Assist Veterinary Nurses and Veterinary Surgeons


• Operate computer systems as directed, to access patient records, update records, generate invoices and day-to-day procedures


• Observe and monitor in-patients


• Supply products according to training and authorisation by a suitably qualified person (SQP)


• Assist the veterinary nurses and veterinary surgeons with administrative duties such as replacing theatre and prep stock as requested


• Preparation of theatre kits including cleaning and packaging, autoclaving drapes and swabs Additional notes:


• Dependent upon suitability and academic qualifications held, animal care assistants may be required to undertake the veterinary care assistance qualification (VCA).


• To undertake such duties as may, from time to time, be reasonably requested within the flexible definition of this post or as requested by the management team.

Our small and friendly team at Birchwood ensure that their clients and their pets feel like part of the family

• community is at the heart of what we do.

The practice works closely with our other two practices in Warrington and we can offer our own 24-hour emergency care from start to finish via Beech House Vet Centre.

Car parking is available at the practice.

There is the potential that this role could lead to an SVN Apprenticeship in the future therefore candidates would need to have the necessary qualifications which include 5 GCSE passes to include Maths, English and Science or Functional Skills in Maths and English at Level 2 plus a veterinary based qualification.

This is a full-time role working an average of
37.5 hours per week as
7.5 hour days on a rota Monday to Friday between the hours of 8:30 am to 6:00 pm.

The rota also includes working 1:4 weekends (3 hours) at either the Lymm or Holly House (Knutsford) practice.

Holiday entitlement is 30 days per year (including Bank Holidays) with the opportunity to buy up to an extra 10 days or sell 2 days per year.

Benefits also include a workplace pension scheme, uniform, enhanced family friendly benefits, colleague pet discounts and life insurance at 1 x annual salary.

We also offer Healthshield benefits which cover the everyday health needs of our teams by providing cashback for dental, optical and physiotherapy costs, alongside offering wellness services such as a Virtual GP Surgery and Employee Assistance Programme (EAP). We also offer the opportunity to take a paid day to volunteer elsewhere for a charity once a year.

A CPD allowance is in place based on 1 day and £250 per year for full-time staff.

Apply by sending a cover letter and CV to recruitmentwillowsvetgroup.co.uk quoting job reference 84 which must be received by the closing date of 5 pm on Wednesday 7th January 2026.

Jobs are provided by the Find a Job Service from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).