Pet Welfare Assistant - Off-site Services

Pet Welfare Assistant - Off-site Services

Application Deadline: 16 June 2026

Department: Rehoming & Fostering Services

Employment Type: Permanent - Part Time

Location: Burford

Reporting To: Assistant Manager - Off-site Services

Compensation: £12,488 / year

Description

Contract: Permanent, 18.75 hours per week

Salary: £12,488 (£24,976 FTE)

Location: Burford, OX18 4PF

Closing date: Tuesday 16th June 2026

Interview date: Tuesday 23rd 2026

We're recruiting a Pet Welfare Assistant for off-site animal care, for our Rehoming & Fostering team in Burford.

As a Pet Welfare Assistant, you will play an important role in ensuring that every pet receives the love, attention, and support they deserve whilst in our offsite care.

More about the role

Our Burford centre has a dedicated team with varying skills. The team demonstrates a mission to help as many pets as possible. With great facilities, including a woodland, the team can accomplish daily successes together.

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. This includes rehoming pets in foster or Home Direct service and pets in temporary crisis care.

You will ensure welfare standards are met and that rehabilitation plans are followed and supported for pets in foster homes. You will also ensure the assessment of pets preparing for a new home is completed quickly.

The centre is the public face of Blue Cross; you must provide good customer service in every interaction.

You will provide overnight checks or stay in on site accommodation overnight when the resident team members are not working. These duties are organised on a local rota and shared between all members of the team.

This role works 2.5 days a week across a 4-week rota: Week 1 - Monday, Tuesday, Saturday and Sunday. Week 2 - Tuesday and Wednesday. Week 3 - Monday, Tuesday. Week 4 - Tuesday and Wednesday.

About you

You are 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 such as flea treatments and diabetes management. You are self motivated, collaborative and bring practical, creative solutions for the best care outcomes.

Your communication skills are first class, making you approachable and effective when sharing critical information with fosterers, clients, and stakeholders. You are resilient, emotionally intelligent and 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 customer focused experience and a record of high customer satisfaction.
• Good organisational and administration skills, including proficiency with computerised systems.
• A full driving licence.
• The ability to demonstrate, understand and apply Blue Cross values.

It would be great if you also had:

• Qualification or similar experience in animal behaviour or training.
• Experience of cash handling.
• Experience of working to strict health and safety procedures.
• Understanding of safeguarding issues.

Blue Cross benefits

• 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.