At a Glance
- Tasks: Help pets find loving homes and support their welfare in a caring environment.
- Company: Join Blue Cross, a dedicated animal welfare charity making a real difference.
- Benefits: Enjoy generous holiday, wellbeing support, and professional development opportunities.
- Other info: Part-time role with flexible hours and a supportive team culture.
- Why this job: Make a positive impact on pets' lives while gaining valuable experience.
- Qualifications: Experience with animals and strong communication skills are essential.
The predicted salary is between 12488 - 12488 £ per year.
Application Deadline: 24 November 2026
Department: Rehoming & Fostering Services
Employment Type: Permanent - Part Time
Location: Manchester
Reporting To: Assistant Manager - Off-site Services
Compensation: £12,488 / year
Description
Contract: Permanent, part-time, 18.75 hours per week
Salary: £12,488 per annum (FTE £24,976 per annum)
Location: Radcliffe, Greater Manchester
Closing date: Tuesday 24th November 2026
Interview date: Thursday 3rd & Friday 4th December 2026
We’re recruiting a Pet Welfare Assistant for off-site animal care, for our Rehoming & Fostering team in Radcliffe! Since opening our high street centre in Radcliffe in 2018, we've been proud to support pets and people across our local community and beyond. Rather than housing animals onsite, many of the pets we help stay with their current owners through our Home Direct scheme or are looked after by our experienced volunteer foster carers. This allows pets to remain in a caring home environment while they wait for their forever families. Although the role doesn't typically involve daily animal care, you'll be making a real difference by helping pets find suitable homes and supporting people when they need it most.
At Blue Cross, we're dedicated to providing the best care possible to pets in need. As a Pet Welfare Assistant for our off-site services, you'll play an important role in our mission, ensuring that every pet receives the love, attention, and support they deserve whilst they are in our offsite care.
More about the role
As a Pet Welfare Assistant - Off-site Services, you will be responsible for expertly managing a specific number of pet cases within the offsite pet care service, these can be rehoming pets in foster or Home Direct service. You will be ensuring welfare standards are met and that rehabilitation plans are followed and supported for pets in foster homes. As we want to help as many pets as possible, this role will be responsible for ensuring the assessment of pets preparing for a new home in offsite services is completed in the quickest amount of time.
For many, the centre will be the ‘public face’ of Blue Cross so you will need to ensure that good customer service is at the heart of every interaction. At Blue Cross we are ambitious, and the work carried out by our centres is key in achieving our strategy and ensuring that ultimately, we help more pets and people.
This is part-time role working an average of 18.75 hours per week on a two week rota which will include weekends and public holidays.
- Week one: Sunday, Monday
- Week two: Monday, Wednesday & Saturday
If you excel in an environment where you can see the difference you make every day, then this is the role for you. Interested? Then apply and let’s work together to see if this is the role for you.
About you
The person will be empathetic, intuitive, and focused on animal welfare, with experience in a similar environment. You can assess pet needs, recognise behavioural signs, and have a basic understanding of medications like flea treatments and diabetes management. Self-motivated and collaborative, you bring practical, creative solutions for the best care outcomes.
Your communication skills are first‑class, making you approachable and effective in sharing critical information with fosterers, clients, and stakeholders. You're resilient and emotionally intelligent, able to thrive in emotionally charged situations while supporting both clients and colleagues with empathy.
Knowledge, skills, and experience
- Experience of having previously worked or volunteered with domestic animals or in an animal welfare environment.
- Good experience of recording information and being able to accurately convey this when communicating with others.
- Previous experience in working in a customer focused environment and used to achieving a high level of customer satisfaction.
- Good organisational and administration skills to include computer systems.
- A full driving licence.
- The ability to demonstrate, understand and apply our Blue Cross values.
Although not essential, it would be great if you also had:
- Qualification or similar experience in animal behaviour or animal training.
- Experience of cash handling.
- Experience of working to strict health and safety procedures.
- Understanding of safeguarding issues.
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.
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
- 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
Pet Welfare Assistant - Off-site Services in Manchester employer: Blue Cross
Blue Cross is an exceptional employer, offering a vibrant and supportive work culture in Andover that prioritises both employee wellbeing and community engagement. As a Retail Cover Supervisor, you'll enjoy flexible hours while making a meaningful impact in the lives of pets and people, all within a friendly team environment that values your contributions and encourages personal growth through various wellbeing programmes and generous benefits.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Pet Welfare Assistant - Off-site Services in Manchester
✨Get Involved in Local Initiatives
Dive headfirst into local community projects and social enterprises! This not only builds your experience but also connects you with like-minded folks who may know about part-time opportunities. Plus, many nonprofits announce openings through their events and volunteer activities, so keep your ears to the ground!
✨Join Social Impact Networks
Look for networks and forums centred around social impact – think local charity groups or online platforms where changemakers hang out. These places are goldmines for job leads, especially for part-time roles like the ones at Blue Cross. Engaging in discussions can also help you make meaningful connections with potential employers!
✨Utilise Your University’s Resources
If you’re still in uni, tap into career services that may have exclusive listings for part-time roles in nonprofits. They often host job fairs or info sessions where you can meet representatives from organisations like Blue Cross directly. It’s a great way to make an impression beyond your CV!
✨Check Out Online Opportunities
Websites like Idealist or CharityJob specifically showcase part-time positions in the nonprofit sector. Make sure to check these regularly while keeping an eye on Blue Cross’s own job listings on our website. Being proactive here can put you ahead of the curve!
We think you need these skills to ace Pet Welfare Assistant - Off-site Services in Manchester
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Your Passion for Social Impact:For a role like Pet Welfare Assistant - Off-site Services at Blue Cross, your cover letter is your chance to shine a light on why social impact matters to you. Share any personal experiences or volunteer work that highlight your commitment to the cause. We want to see your genuine enthusiasm!
Highlight Relevant Experience:Make sure your CV showcases any nonprofit work or projects you've been involved in, even if they were part-time or volunteer roles. Emphasize skills like project management, fundraising, or community engagement. These are key in the nonprofit sector, and we want to see how you can contribute to our mission!
Tailor Your Application:When applying for the Pet Welfare Assistant - Off-site Services, customise your documents to fit the vibe of Blue Cross. Use our language, reflect our values, and connect your personal goals with our mission. This shows us you’ve done your homework and you're excited to join the team in this part-time capacity.
Don’t Forget Your Availability:As this is a part-time position, clearly outline your availability in your application. Whether you're a student balancing studies or have other commitments, we appreciate transparency. Just pop your available hours in your cover letter or CV so we can see how you fit into our schedule.
How to prepare for a job interview at Blue Cross
✨Show Your Passion for the Cause
When applying for a part-time role in the nonprofit sector, it's essential to convey your genuine enthusiasm for the mission of Blue Cross. Be ready to share personal stories or experiences that highlight why social impact matters to you and how you align with their goals.
✨Bring Tangible Examples of Impact
Nonprofits often look for candidates who can demonstrate their ability to create meaningful change. Prepare examples from your past experiences—whether in volunteering, projects, or academic work—that showcase your skills in making a positive impact. Use metrics if possible; it's all about showing how you’ve really contributed.
✨Be Ready for Scenario Questions
Expect to encounter scenario-based questions during your interview. These will assess how you handle real-world challenges in the nonprofit space. For example, how would you deal with limited resources or navigate a conflict with team members? Think through your past experiences to give thoughtful responses.
✨Flexibility and Availability are Key
Since it's a part-time role, they might dig into your availability during the interview. Be open and clear about your schedule and how it can align with Blue Cross's needs. They’ll want to know that you can commit without compromising your passion for the work!
