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Are you an experienced Dog Handler? Do you want to make a difference in your community?

We are looking for a passionate Team Leader to be responsible for day to day running of the Freedom Project, a pet fostering service for people fleeing domestic abuse across the West Midlands.

Dogs Trust is the largest dog welfare charity in the UK with a nationwide network of rehoming centres and charity shops. Last year, Dogs Trust centres cared for over 14,000 dogs; we never put a healthy dog down.

Outreach Projects runs several projects supporting pet owners who are homeless or in housing crisis in the UK, this includes the Freedom Project, a pet fostering service for people fleeing domestic abuse. However, most of our referrals come from women fleeing domestic abuse via women-only services. The service places dogs into volunteer foster homes on a temporary basis until their owners are able to be reunited with them. The Freedom Project runs in Greater London & the Home Counties, Yorkshire, the North East, the North West, East Anglia, Scotland, Wales and Hampshire.

Supporting pets and their owners you will manage the referral and placement process, assessing the dogs and matching them where appropriate. Our service relies on our wonderful volunteers, and you will recruit and manage the network ensuring that relevant ongoing support, veterinary cover and advice is provided during each placement.

Building relationships with key stakeholders you will be working closely with Freedom Project management team to promote our service offer to clients/pet owners and referral organisations such as refuges, abuse support services.

With significant experience of assessing and handling a variety of dogs in a rescue or rehoming environment you will be passionate about dog training and behaviour. A strong communicator with a knowledge of managing and recruiting volunteers across busy service you will have a good understanding of domestic abuse and of the problems faced by people fleeing domestic abuse with pets.

A large part of this role involves driving and/or transporting dogs in a small van across the region daily, so candidates should have a full UK driving licence and experience of driving as part of a previous role.

In return for all of this, we have a comprehensive benefits package, which includes excellent annual leave and pension allowances, and you will you join a team of highly professional and driven colleagues in a brilliant upbeat and collaborative environment, all with a genuine passion for dog welfare.

This is a full-time post at 35 hours per week, Mon to Fri, 9am to 5pm (candidates will be required to undertake occasional out of hours working to support the needs of the service).

This role is homebased but will involve significant travel across West Midlands and to other Freedom Project areas when required.

Due to the nature of this role, this post is for women only and is exempt under Schedule 9 of the Equality Act 2010

Please note - a basic Disclosure & Barring Service Check (DBS) will be required for this role.

To apply for this position please click the APPLY NOW button. Our application process requires you submit a CV and a cover letter explaining your interest and suitability for the role.

At Dogs Trust we value diversity and we're committed to creating an inclusive culture. We actively encourage applications from people of all backgrounds, abilities and cultures and believe that a diverse workforce will help us to achieve our mission. Should you need any adjustments to the recruitment process, either at application or interview stage, please contact us on [email protected]