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- Tasks: Lead home-based pet operations and ensure every pet finds their perfect family.
- Company: Join Blue Cross, a compassionate organisation dedicated to animal welfare.
- Benefits: Enjoy 38 days holiday, health support, and professional development opportunities.
- Why this job: Make a real difference in pets' lives while developing your leadership skills.
- Qualifications: Experience in team management and a passion for animal welfare required.
- Other info: Dynamic role with opportunities for personal growth and a supportive work environment.
The predicted salary is between 22000 - 24000 £ per year.
Contract: Permanent, full time (37.5 hours per week)
Salary: £25,787 to £27,047 per annum
Location: Southampton SO30 2HL
Closing date: Sunday 29th March 2026
Interview date: Wednesday 8th April 2026
We're recruiting an Assistant Manager – Off-site Services to lead and streamline our home-based pet operations. In this role you'll ensure that every pet finds the perfect match with their new family as quickly as possible, while maintaining top-quality care for both our pets and clients throughout the entire adoption journey. Join us in making a difference, one pet at a time!
More about the role
Our beautiful centre opened in 1988 and occupies approximately three acres of land in a discrete location surrounded by fields where we can walk our dogs, providing some wonderful enrichment in a quiet environment. The centre has facilities to care for dogs and cats, as well as a specialised area for kittens.
In this role, you’ll play a key part in ensuring exceptional care for both pets and clients while identifying efficiencies and making decisions that prioritise offsite pet welfare. As the leader of our home-based pet operations, you’ll oversee the smooth running of our foster and home direct services, placing pets directly from one home to another, with experience in practical animal handling and assessment. Your goal will be to prepare pets for adoption as quickly and effectively as possible. You’ll work closely with your team to ensure timely pet assessments, behaviour management, and training, while providing full support to foster carers and current owners.
You’ll also be responsible for achieving pet-related targets, ensuring your team of Pet Welfare Assistants and Foster Coordinators maintain the highest standards of animal care and adheres to national processes in case management. Teamwork is essential to address the most urgent cases effectively.
Motivating and managing your team is central to this role, enabling the centre to provide top-quality home-based pet care while helping your team develop professionally.
At our Southampton 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. Occasionally you will be expected to carry out night checks when the resident team members are either not working or away for a period of time.
This is a full-time position, working 37.5 hours per week and you will be required to work 1 in 3 weekends.
About you
You’ll be a great people manager, bringing finely honed skills from your experience in an animal-related environment, along with extensive knowledge of pet welfare and care. As a dynamic and innovative leader, you know how to inspire and motivate your team, driving continuous improvement, empowering them through effective management and coaching. With excellent communication skills, you adapt your approach for different audiences, ensuring your message resonates. While juggling multiple tasks, you remain calm and organised, making confident decisions in high-pressure situations. Your strong analytical skills enable you to monitor and evaluate effectively, implementing meaningful improvements. Rather than resting on your laurels, you’ll have a genuine desire to enhance offsite pet care services, actively engaging your team in the process. Having worked in emotionally charged environments, you understand the importance of resilience. Your emotional intelligence and empathy will shine as you support your team and the public, creating a compassionate and effective workplace.
Knowledge, skills, and experience
- Significant experience in managing a team.
- Significant experience in delivering high level Customer service in a fast-paced environment.
- Expertise and application of pet welfare and handling of domestic animals.
- High standard of verbal and written communication.
- Current full driving license.
- The ability to demonstrate, understand and apply our Blue Cross values.
It would be great (but not essential) if you also had:
- Performance management and improvement experience.
- Experience working with volunteers.
- Understanding of safeguarding issues.
How to apply
Click the apply button below and complete the online application process before the closing date on Sunday 29th March 2026. We reserve the right to close this vacancy early should we receive an overwhelming response.
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.
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.
Assistant Manager - Off-site Services in Southampton employer: Blue Cross
Contact Detail:
Blue Cross Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Assistant Manager - Off-site Services in Southampton
✨Tip Number 1
Get to know the company! Research Blue Cross and their values. When you understand what they stand for, you can tailor your approach during interviews to show how you align with their mission.
✨Tip Number 2
Practice makes perfect! Prepare for common interview questions related to team management and pet welfare. Role-play with a friend or in front of a mirror to boost your confidence.
✨Tip Number 3
Show your passion! During the interview, share personal stories about your experiences with pets and how they’ve shaped your understanding of animal care. This will help you connect with the interviewers on a deeper level.
✨Tip Number 4
Follow up after your interview! A quick thank-you email can go a long way. It shows your enthusiasm for the role and keeps you fresh in their minds as they make their decision.
We think you need these skills to ace Assistant Manager - Off-site Services in Southampton
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your Application: Make sure to customise your application to highlight your experience in animal welfare and team management. We want to see how your skills align with the role of Assistant Manager – Off-site Services!
Show Your Passion: Let your love for pets shine through! Share any relevant experiences that demonstrate your commitment to animal care and how you can make a difference in their lives.
Be Clear and Concise: Keep your written application clear and to the point. Use straightforward language and structure your thoughts logically so we can easily see why you’re the perfect fit for our team.
Apply Through Our Website: Don’t forget to apply through our website before the closing date! It’s the best way for us to receive your application and ensure it gets the attention it deserves.
How to prepare for a job interview at Blue Cross
✨Know Your Stuff About Pet Welfare
Make sure you brush up on your knowledge of pet welfare and handling. The interviewers will likely ask you about your experience with animals, so be ready to share specific examples of how you've ensured their care and wellbeing in previous roles.
✨Show Off Your People Skills
As an Assistant Manager, you'll need to motivate and manage a team. Prepare to discuss your leadership style and provide examples of how you've successfully managed teams in the past. Highlight any experiences where you've inspired others or resolved conflicts.
✨Demonstrate Your Problem-Solving Skills
Expect questions that assess your ability to make decisions under pressure. Think of scenarios where you've had to juggle multiple tasks or handle urgent situations. Be ready to explain your thought process and how you prioritised tasks effectively.
✨Align with Their Values
Familiarise yourself with the values of the organisation. During the interview, express how your personal values align with theirs, especially regarding animal welfare and community service. This shows that you're not just looking for a job, but that you're genuinely invested in their mission.