Blog

  • Conservation Adviser with Wessex Water

    Conservation Adviser with Wessex Water

    <p>We have an exciting new vacancy for a Conservation Adviser to join our Conservation team. If you are looking for a role focused on our local environment and you love engaging with equally passionate people, then we want to hear from you!</p>
    <p>We own and lease nearly 3,000 hectares of land. Our sites and landholdings range from small pumping stations to large treatment works, reservoirs and farmland. Wessex Water and our tenants occupy more than 290 hectares of SSSI and over 900 hectares designated as either a Local Wildlife Site or a Local Geological Site. Our Conservation team ensures that this land is well-managed for nature.</p>  

  • Assistant Species Recovery Officer – Beaver

    Assistant Species Recovery Officer – Beaver

    Forestry England, Gloucestershire and the Severn Vale, £30,105 pa. What could be better than working outdoors and making a tangible difference to the restoration of beavers in our landscape? Beavers are a national priority species for Forestry England, engineering …  

  • Assistant Species Recovery Officer – White Tailed Eagle

    Assistant Species Recovery Officer – White Tailed Eagle

    Forestry England, Bridgwater, Somerset, £30,105 pa. The White-tailed Eagle project commenced in 2019, and is led in partnership with the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation, looking to re-establish this species on the south coast of England following an …  

  • Community Animal Support Officer

    Community Animal Support Officer

    Voluntary membership organisation for dog and cat rescue and rehoming charities. 

  • Fostering Coordinator

    Fostering Coordinator

    Fostering Coordinator

    Application Deadline: 30 April 2026

    Department: Rehoming

    Employment Type: Permanent – Full Time

    Location: Manchester

    Compensation: £26,500 per year, plus benefits

    Description

    Are you passionate about dog welfare and building supportive communities?
    We’re looking for a Fostering Coordinator to play a vital role in helping dogs thrive outside the kennel environment, by recruiting and supporting volunteer foster carers.

    What does this role do?

    As Fostering Coordinator, you will:  
    • identify and place suitable dogs into foster care, including temporary placements for long-stay dogs needing respite from kennels, and carry out necessary intake assessments,
    • recruit, assess, and induct new foster carers, promoting the scheme through events, conversations, and collaboration with colleagues across Dogs Trust,
    • support foster carers with regular check-ins, arrange veterinary appointments, and provide access to behaviour or training support when needed,
    • deliver training to foster carers, either one-to-one or through organised group sessions,
    • promote dogs in foster or Home Stay settings by preparing profiles, contacting potential adopters, organising matching meetings, and completing all adoption paperwork. 

    Could this be you?

    To be successful in this role, you’ll understand the importance of fostering, and the positive impact it can have on a dogs journey to their forever home. With experience of working with volunteers, you will have excellent communication and organisational skills, and ability to support fosterers as they provide temporary care to our dogs. You’ll need some dog handling experience, as well as excellent customer service skills.

    What does this team do?

    Our rehoming centres house thousands of dogs each year until they are able to find a loving new home, and the success of our centres wouldn’t be possible without our dedicated team of staff and volunteers; there is a real family-community within each of our centres. Come rain or shine, our team are out in all weathers to make sure the dogs have the best possible life. Dealing with thousands of visitors each month, our rehoming centres are the face of Dogs Trust and we pride ourselves on our staff providing the very best in customer service. 

    Interviews provisionally scheduled for 7th/8th May 2026

  • Horse Rehabilitation Trainer & Behaviour Advisor – Fixed Term

    Horse Rehabilitation Trainer & Behaviour Advisor – Fixed Term

    Horse Rehabilitation Trainer & Behaviour Advisor – Fixed Term

    Application Deadline: 4 May 2026

    Department: Rehoming & Fostering Services

    Employment Type: Fixed Term – Full Time

    Location: Rolleston on Dove

    Compensation: £26,000 – £30,240 / year

    Description

    Contract: 35 hours per week – fixed term until May 2027  
    Salary:  £26,000 – £30,240 
    Location: Rolleston on Dove, DE13 9AU 
    Closing date: Monday 4th May 2026 
    Interview date:  
    • 1st stage interview – w/c 11th May 2026 
    • 2nd stage interview – w/c 18th May 2026 
     
    Are you a specialist in equine behaviour and training who is ready to give horses a true second chance? We are looking for a Horse Rehabilitation Trainer & Behaviour Advisor to join Blue Cross. This is a fixed term role until May 2027. 
     
    This is a specialist role focused on behaviour assessment, training, and rehabilitation. You will be working with horses that need expert support to overcome behavioural challenges so they can find their forever families. If you are ready to apply your expertise and uplift our team’s capabilities, we want to hear from you. 

    More about the role

    As a Horse Rehabilitation Trainer and Behaviour Advisor, you are responsible for expertly managing a specific number of horse cases within the horse care service, working alongside other team members.  You will ensure welfare standards are met and the assessment, training and rehabilitation of the horses preparing for a new home is completed in the quickest amount of time. You will work with other members of the team to plan for new intakes of horses and keep on track with optimum numbers of horses in training/care. You will play a vital role in supporting horses at every stage of their journey — on site, in foster care, and beyond adoption 
     
    No two days will ever be the same. One day you might be guiding an owner through a virtual behaviour consultation, the next delivering engaging team training, supporting a complex case on site, or representing Blue Cross in the media to champion horse welfare and rehoming. This is a role for someone who enjoys being at the heart of change, learning constantly, and sharing their expertise widely. 
     
    You will play a key role in uplifting the horse behaviour and training capability within the rehoming team, coaching and empowering colleagues to work with and handle horses to the highest possible standards, ensuring that each interaction is informed by best practice, evidence-based behaviour knowledge and expertise.   
     
    You will also work as part of a team to provide excellent customer service, showcasing and promoting Blue Cross horses and ponies to maximise their rehoming opportunities.  
     
    The role is primarily Monday to Friday, 35 hours per week, but flexibility is key. Travel, overnight stays, events, and work outside standard hours will be required to meet the needs of the horses and people we support. This is a fixed term role until May 2027. 

    About you

    You will be a confident and experienced horse trainer and educator with excellent communication skills, able to adapt teaching and learning approaches to suit a diverse range of people and horses to achieve the best possible outcomes. You will be highly skilled in both practically demonstrating training techniques and clearly explaining the theory and rationale behind them, enabling others to learn, apply, and sustain best practice. 
     
    You will be intuitive, empathetic, and welfare-focused, with the ability to adapt your approach to suit the specific needs of a horse that is looking for a new home. You are just as skilled with people as you are with horses, using your emotional intelligence to coach and support others through complex, and sometimes emotionally charged, rehabilitation cases. You are resilient, pragmatic, and forward-thinking, always looking for innovative ways to support behaviour change and act as a positive ambassador for Blue Cross values. 
     
    Essential Qualifications, Skills, and Experience 
    • Animal Behaviour and Training Council (ABTC) standard of Animal Training Instructor (ATI) Equine Training Instructor Pathway, equivalent or working towards 
    • Relevant experience and knowledge of horse behaviour and training techniques, including evidence of success in understanding horse behaviour / training problems  
    • Extensive experience of carrying out behaviour and training programmes for horses 
    • Experience of developing training programmes, and delivering to team members, owners or caregivers, that are practical and realistic for a horse owner or team member to understand and undertake independently 
    • Demonstrable knowledge of equine veterinary care and experience of working with equine vets to treat horses with behaviour problems 
    • Full UK driving licence 
    • Experience of public speaking 
     
    Desirable Qualifications, Skills, and Experience 
    • Hold industry appropriate qualifications, BHS Stage 3 Coach or equivalent 
    • Media Experience 
     
    How to apply  
    Click the apply button below and complete the online application process before the closing date on Monday 4th May 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.  
  • Dog Welfare Assistant

    Dog Welfare Assistant

    Dog Welfare Assistant

    Application Deadline: 30 April 2026

    Department: Rehoming

    Employment Type: Permanent – Full Time

    Location: Shrewsbury

    Compensation: £25,250 per year + benefits

    Description

    Have you always had an itch to scratch when it comes to helping dogs? We’re looking for someone with a commitment to animal welfare to join the team in our busy rehoming centre.

    Dog Welfare Assistants are the backbone of our centres, as they care for our four-legged friends every day. We’re looking for someone who can provide our dogs with the highest level of care and enrichment, as they prepare for their forever home. 

    What does this role do?

    As Dog Welfare Assistant, you’ll:
    • provide daily care to the dogs in the rehoming centre, working to Dogs Trust’s code of practice and Health and Safety guidelines, 
    • educate potential new owners and the general public on the care and welfare of their dogs,
    • deliver excellent customer service to all visitors to the centre.

    Could this be you?

    The successful candidate will be an excellent communicator with the ability to show empathy to both people and animals. A strong team player, you’ll have lots of energy and a positive upbeat attitude. Experienced in working with or handling dogs, you’ll be knowledgeable in basic behaviour and health issues and, above all, be committed to the aims and objectives of Dogs Trust. A full, manual driving licence is also essential, as driving will be a part of the role.

    What does this team do?

    Our rehoming centres house thousands of dogs each year until they can find a loving new home and the success of our centres wouldn’t be possible without our dedicated team of staff and volunteers; there is a real family-community within each of our centres. Come rain or shine, our team are out in all weathers to make sure the dogs have the best possible life. Dealing with thousands of visitors each month, our rehoming centres are the face of Dogs Trust, and we pride ourselves on our staff providing the very best in customer service.

    Interviews for this role are provisionally scheduled for the 12th and 14th May at Shrewsbury Rehoming Centre.

  • Rehoming and Welfare Assistant

    Rehoming and Welfare Assistant

    Voluntary membership organisation for dog and cat rescue and rehoming charities. 

  • Registered Veterinary Nurse

    Registered Veterinary Nurse

    Voluntary membership organisation for dog and cat rescue and rehoming charities. 

  • Vet Surgeon (Maternity Cover)

    Vet Surgeon (Maternity Cover)

    Voluntary membership organisation for dog and cat rescue and rehoming charities.