Groomer Apprentice

Independent Pet Partners; Park Ridge (IL); Hybrid; USD 21,000 - 23,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

HSA/ FSA – medical and dependent care

$25K life insurance policy (employer)

Short and Long-term disability

Employer-subsidized pet insurance (he)

PTO — 2 weeks in first year, 3 weeks 2

Parental Leave and Paw-Ternity

401(k) with employer match up to 6%

Employee Assistance Program/ 24X7

Discounts on goods and services

Team Member Feeder Program

Store Bonus Incentive Program

Focus on quality and humanity

Job summary

Independent Pet Partners is seeking a Groomer Apprentice dedicated to high-quality pet care and customer service. You will participate in a mentorship program, learn grooming techniques from seasoned professionals, and grow your skills with hands-on practice.

You will handle bathing, brushing, nail care, and safety checks while engaging pet parents to understand needs, promote services, and ensure pet wellness. This role emphasizes kindness, safety, and professional development.

Qualifications

• Minimum 6 months of professional pet bathing/grooming experience.
• Must complete 60/90 day bather assessment period.
• Ability to work a flexible schedule including evenings and weekends.
• Exceptional active listening and customer service skills.

Responsibilities

• Complete grooming tasks: bathing, brushing, blow-drying, trimming hair/fur, nails and gland care.
• Provide hands-on pet check-in/check-out for each pet and pet parent.
• Engage pet parents with product knowledge and service recommendations.
• Maintain a clean, safe work environment and ensure timely, holistic pet care.
• Communicate proactively with pet parents via email, text, and phone.

Skills

Grooming experience

Customer service

Time management

Evening/weekend availability

Job description

Description

Position Purpose Section

Do you think of your pet as a member of the family? If so, then we have a lot in common! Like you, we are extremely devoted to our pets and only want the best for them. We are a community of true pet lovers with shared interests and values. We are professionally committed to being your resource for all aspects of pet ownership including health and nutrition, training, grooming and the latest in general pet care. As a Groomer Apprentice, you help make a difference in the lives of pets by providing customers by developing advanced level growing skills and providing our pet parents with an upscale pet styling experience. We provide a progressive training and mentorship experience the teaches you everything from: bathing, brushing, blow drying, de‑matting, cutting or trimming hair/fur, gland expression, brushing teeth, nail clipping and grinding, and other specialty services. Through our mentorship program you also will learn best practices from experienced groomers, pet handling, safety, and how to authentically promote service enhancements.

Essential Job Functions Section

Responsibilities

The incumbent must be able to perform all the following duties and responsibilities with or without reasonable accommodation.

• Successfully complete both levels of time‑sensitive, groomer training through a partnership we have established with a renowned, industry leader.
• We provide you with a high‑quality grooming toolkit, training, mentorship & encouragement, and the essential training resources and materials valued at $2,700.00.
• Complete superior grooms (e.g., bathing, brushing, blow drying, de‑matting, cutting or trimming hair/ fur, gland expression, teeth brushing, nail clipping and grinding, and other specialty services).
• Provide a thorough hands‑on pet check‑in and check‑out process for each pet and pet parent.
• Use good judgment and alert groomer of any anomalies that a dog may have.
• Actively engage pet parents and pets, share product knowledge, and educate pet parents.
• Authentically offer enhancements to meet our pet’s and pet parent’s specific needs to support the growth of the business.
• Always treat all pets and pet parents with kindness, respect, and proper handling.
• Positively interact with pet parents in‑person, via email, text, and phone providing them with proactive communication and exceptional service.
• Actively engage pet parents to continue to grow the business.
• Maintain a clean, safe work environment.
• Rebook with pet parents to ensure timely, holistic care to promote pet wellness.
• Other duties as assigned.

Requirements

Qualifications

• Must be 18 years or older.
• Minimum 6 months of professional experience in pet bathing / grooming assistance.
• Must complete 60/90 day bather assessment period with the company.
• Passion for dog bathing and promoting well‑being of pets.
• Willingness to be educated about the products and services offered.
• Ability to work a flexible schedule to meet the needs of the business, which will require evening and weekend shifts.
• Exceptional active‑listening and customer service skills.
• Good time management skills.

Physical Demands

• Position requires a person to be both indoors and outdoors (to assist with customer carry out).
• Must be able to stand 8 hours per day with or without reasonable accommodation.
• Must be able to lift 50 pounds on a regular basis with or without reasonable accommodation.
• Must be comfortable working with a wide variety of animals including small and large dogs.
• Must be able to work around pet hair and dander.

Program and Benefits Section

Full‑time team members enjoy the following:

Programs and benefit eligibility will vary based on average hours worked and length of service.

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Health Savings Account (HSA)/ Flexible Spending Account (FSA) – medical and dependent care
• $25K life insurance policy (employer paid)
• Short and Long‑term disability (employer paid)
• Greatly discounted, employer‑subsidized pet insurance
• PTO (paid time off) – 2 weeks in first year, 3 weeks in second year
• Paid Parental Leave and Paw‑Ternity (paid Pet Adoption bonding time)
• 401(k) Program – employer match at a rate of 0.25% for each 1% contribution, up to 6%. Must be 21 or older.
• Employee Assistance Program/ 24X7 – completely confidential
• Generous discounts on goods and services
• Team Member Feeder Program - eligible for two units (bags or cases of cans) of the participating vendors product/s each month
• Store Bonus Incentive Program
• Focus on quality vs. quantity AND humanity vs. vanity

$15.40-$17.27 per hour DOE/DOQ

Subject to change depending on State/City/County minimums.

IPP is an equal opportunity employer. In accordance with applicable law, we prohibit discrimination against any applicant or team member based on any legally recognized basis, including but not limited to: race, color, national origin or ancestry, religion, sex (including pregnancy, lactation, childbirth or related medical conditions) gender identity or expression, physical or mental disability, genetic information (including testing and characteristics), veteran status, uniformed servicemember status, sexual orientation, age (40 or over), or any other status protected by federal, state, or local law.