Chief executive jobs for the Animal sector

✨Something special is opening soon - our BRAND NEW charity shop in Hove✨

To lead this exciting launch we're looking for an experienced, passionate Shop Manager ready to turn great retail into even greater good!

✨ Take charge of our store and make it your own

✨ Lead and inspire a dedicated team of staff and volunteers

✨ Drive sales, manage stock, and deliver excellent customer experiences

✨ Play a key role in supporting animals through every purchase made

We need someone with charity retail know-how, leadership skills, and plenty of passion to keep things running smoothly day-to-day. From managing rotas to keeping standards sky-high, you’ll be at the heart of this shop’s success.

Ready to make a difference? Apply now!

Harris Hill is delighted to be working with the Cotswolds Dogs and Cats Home (CDCH) to recruit its new Chief Operating Officer (COO).

The CDCH has been providing care and support to vulnerable animals in our community for over 80 years. We work across Gloucestershire and support over 1,000 animals each year living in our community.  We find wonderful families for pets who need a new home and provide access to veterinary treatment for pets living with financially vulnerable families through our subsidised veterinary clinics, ensuring no animal suffers because of cost.

As COO, you will:

• Oversee operations, including the CDCH centre, retail and fundraising as well as project delivery, finance, human resources, IT, customer service, and facilities.
• Translate the Board’s strategic vision into actionable plans and upgrade daily procedures.
• Lead a high-performing team.

If you are inspired and excited by what CDCH does, we’d love to hear from you.

Job title: Chief Operating Officer

Salary: Up to £75,000 p.a.

Location: Gloucestershire

Employment term: Permanent / Full Time

Please review the Recruitment Pack for further information about CDCH, the COO position and for details on how to apply.

Closing date for applications: 9am, Monday 5th January 2026

Both CDCH and Harris Hill operate an equal opportunity policy and commit to treating all of our candidates and jobseekers fairly. We welcome and encourage applications from everyone regardless of age, disability, sex, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief and marriage and civil partnership.

Are you a passionate leader with a commitment to animal welfare? Join Greyhound Trust as our Head of Operations - where you will shape the future of homing services and champion the wellbeing of retired racing greyhounds across the UK.

About Us

At Greyhound Trust, we believe every retired racing greyhound deserves a loving home and a life filled with kindness and compassion. Our national network of homing centres and Branches—powered by dedicated staff and volunteers—supports over a thousand greyhounds each year in their journey from track to home.   You will help take us back to our pre covid numbers of several thousand greyhounds being homed by Greyhound Trust each year.

The Role

Reporting directly to the Chief Executive and sitting as part of the Senior Management Team, you'll be responsible for developing and delivering our national Homing and Welfare Strategy, while leading the transformation of our homing network to home more greyhounds and develop its impact. 

This is a rare opportunity to lead strategic change in animal welfare at both a national and grassroots level, whilst being operational and handws on in a sector that you love.

What You Will Do

• Lead national strategy for homing and greyhound care

• Oversee operations at our homing centres, including the flagship National Greyhound Centre

• Identify high impact changes to increase reach and home more greyhounds, and lead the relevant operational change across the homing network

• Develop new welfare and outreach initiatives

• Manage a high performing team of operational Managers, focused on greyhound outcomes, supporting and developing our valued volunteers and championing the breed

• Lead welfare governance, policy, and budget management

About You

We’re looking for a confident, collaborative and visionary leader who can balance strategic thinking with practical delivery. You will bring:

✅ Senior experience in animal welfare;  if not, you will need to evidnece your ability to be successful with a steep learning curve

✅ Strong operational and budget oversight skills

✅ Ability to analsyse data and trends, and model new ways of working to address identified needs

✅ A track record of driving service improvement and innovation

✅ Excellent communication and people management skills

✅ Experience working with volunteers and multi-site teams

✅ Confidence in navigating complex welfare and behavioural decisions

✅ A passion for animal welfare and a values-led approach

Experience in policy, outreach / project development and regulatory governance is a plus.

Why Join Us?

• Be part of a respected national charity with a mission led culture

• Shape the future of homing practices and volunteer engagement across the UK

• Work alongside a passionate team, who are dedicated to Greyhound Trust and Greyhound Welfare

How to Apply

If you are ready to lead national transformation in greyhound welfare, we wouldlove to hear from you.

Apply by submitting your CV AND a covering letter, outlining your suitability for the role and why you would be a great fit for Charity and its existing committed team.
 

Are you passionate about making a real difference?

Margaret Green Animal Rescue has been a trusted name in animal welfare for over 60 years, rehoming more than 60,000 animals. Now, we’re embarking on an ambitious five-year strategy to transform how we operate - using data and technology to create sharper insights, streamline processes, and ultimately help more animals find loving homes.

We’re looking for a Business Intelligence Analyst who can turn data into action. This is a pivotal role in our Transformation Programme, working closely with the CEO and senior leadership team to design and deliver a new business intelligence solution. You’ll help us simplify systems, empower staff and volunteers, and unlock insights that drive the numberof animals helped.

What You’ll Do

• Lead the design and implementation of our new BI solution.

• Streamline our data lake for clear, actionable insights.

• Transform processes and workflows to free up time for what matters most—animal welfare.

• Champion a data-led approach that connects strategy to real-world outcomes.

What We’re Looking For

• Proven experience in data-driven insight and transformation.

• Strong skills in data architecture, BI reporting, and process design.

• Familiarity with automation, workflow optimisation, and human-centred design.

• Ability to engage stakeholders with compelling stories and solutions.

• Passion for animal welfare and a desire to make a tangible impact.

Why Join Us?

This is more than a job—it’s a chance to shape the future of animal rescue. You’ll work in the beautiful Dorset countryside, alongside a passionate team, and play a key role in delivering a strategy that brings joy to animals, families, and communities.

Full details see our Job Description below.

Ready to make a difference? Apply now and help us create an insight-led future for animal welfare.

Please note that the role will be based on-site at our Church Knowle centre near Wareham, in Dorset, for at least 4 days per week. We will only consider applicants who are able to fulfil this requirement.

Due to receiving a high number of applications, we regret that we are only able to reply to successful candidates.

Location: Remote, in the UK (mandatory to travel to London once a month, at own cost)

Line Manager: Executive Director

WHO WE ARE

Animal Equality is an international animal protection organisation working with society, governments and companies to end cruelty to farmed animals. Animal Equality has offices in the United Kingdom, United States, Germany, Italy, Spain, Mexico, Brazil and India.

Animal Equality releases investigative materials captured from inside factory farms and slaughterhouses, exposing the conditions that farmed animals face around the world. We publish our findings on television, in newspapers and online. We routinely secure mainstream media coverage, including on the BBC, ITV, Sky news, The Times, the Guardian, New York Times and many more.

Animal Equality also advocates for political change. Our current campaigns include a UK ban on foie gras imports, increased enforcement of existing animal protection laws, legal protections for farmed fish, and Government subsidies for transitioning towards a plant-based food system.

We focus on farmed animals because of the scale and severity of the issue. More than a billion animals are confined and killed for human consumption every year in the UK. Farmed animals also often suffer in some of the worst ways: pigs typically endure painful mutilations, many chickens die of heart attacks, fish are confined in underwater cages, and some farmed animals are victims of deliberate abuse and neglect. But the problem is solvable! By utilising effective campaigning strategies, Animal Equality is having an impact for animals around the world and building a future where all animals are respected and protected, and are no longer exploited for human consumption.

Animal Equality UK’s current key campaigns include:

• Strengthening enforcement of animal protection laws
• Halting the expansion of Scotland’s salmon farming industry
• Achieving a ban on foie gras imports
• Securing species-specific slaughter legislation for fish
• Inspiring the public to eat plants, not animals

ABOUT THE ROLE

We are seeking a strategic, personable, persuasive, and policy-savvy Food Policy Specialist to spearhead Government relations and stakeholder outreach. This highly impactful role bridges high-level advocacy with on-the-ground influence, and involves advising Government Ministers, politicians, expert bodies, and sector stakeholders to promote policies that support plant-forward dietary shifts aligned with the UK’s sustainability, public health, and animal welfare commitments and priorities.

The Food Policy Specialist will report to the UK Executive Director and oversee our diet change (‘Love Veg’) programme and team members working on diet change campaigns, with the objective of encouraging the public to eat plants, not animals. 

ABOUT YOU

You are a thoughtful communicator, tactically agile, and confident in high-level engagement – both in person and through written reports. You are strategic, evidence-driven, and ready to shape policy narratives that positively impact animals with proactivity and integrity.

You actively seek constructive feedback and use it to continuously improve your work. You show ownership and a growth mindset that is focused on improving the world for farmed animals. Knowledge of farmed animal issues and alignment with Animal Equality’s mission is a must, as is professionalism, adaptability, and discretion.

You must have a minimum of four years’ experience in public affairs, Government relations, policy advocacy, or food systems policy. You are expected to have a strong understanding of UK political structures and policy-making dynamics, excellent analytical written and presentation skills, and an ability to simplify complex research into persuasive policy messages. You must be a confident problem-solver, with a solutions-focused attitude and a collaborative spirit.

BENEFITS

• Holiday entitlement equal to 33 days per year (including standard public holidays).
• Personalised Employee Assistance Programme (EAP): an Animal Equality-funded benefit that offers employees confidential counselling and advice on a wide range of work and personal issues. The programme offers several services, such as a 24/7 confidential helpline and expert Cognitive Behavioural Therapy.
• Flexible hours, with the option to start between 8am-10am and finish between 4pm-6pm.
• Able Futures Support: The service is a nine month, practical and confidential support service for employees whose circumstances or mental health may impact their wellbeing or work. Employees can work with a mental health professional to deepen their understanding of how their mental health may impact them and will build coping skills and resilience to thrive at work.
• Yearly stipend to access learning and development resources, to help employees further grow their personal and professional skills.
• A free vegan lunch every month at the Animal Equality monthly meetups.

APPLY NOW

To read the full job description and apply, please visit our careers page.

Closing date: 5.00pm on Friday 9th January 2026

The interview process comprises a multiple-stage interview and skills test. The appointment process will run throughout December and January, with Animal Equality UK making an offer to the successful candidate shortly after.

Location: Remote, in the UK (mandatory to travel to London once a month, at own cost)

Line Manager: Executive Director

WHO WE ARE

Animal Equality is an international animal protection organisation working with society, governments and companies to end cruelty to farmed animals. Animal Equality has offices in the United Kingdom, United States, Germany, Italy, Spain, Mexico, Brazil and India.

Animal Equality releases investigative materials captured from inside factory farms and slaughterhouses, exposing the conditions that farmed animals face around the world. We publish our findings on television, in newspapers and online. We routinely secure mainstream media coverage, including on the BBC, ITV, Sky news, The Times, the Guardian, New York Times and many more.

Animal Equality also advocates for political change. Our current campaigns include a UK ban on foie gras imports, increased enforcement of existing animal protection laws, legal protections for farmed fish, and Government subsidies for transitioning towards a plant-based food system.

We focus on farmed animals because of the scale and severity of the issue. More than a billion animals are confined and killed for human consumption every year in the UK. Farmed animals also often suffer in some of the worst ways: pigs typically endure painful mutilations, many chickens die of heart attacks, fish are confined in underwater cages, and some farmed animals are victims of deliberate abuse and neglect. But the problem is solvable! By utilising effective campaigning strategies, Animal Equality is having an impact for animals around the world and building a future where all animals are respected and protected, and are no longer exploited for human consumption.

Animal Equality UK’s current key campaigns include:

• Strengthening enforcement of animal protection laws
• Halting the expansion of Scotland’s salmon farming industry
• Achieving a ban on foie gras imports
• Securing species-specific slaughter legislation for fish
• Inspiring the public to eat plants, not animals

ABOUT THE ROLE

The Communications Coordinator will play a key role in shaping Animal Equality UK’s public voice. The postholder will ensure all outgoing content, both digital and print, aligns with our brand, values, and mission.

This role will lead on paid digital marketing and lead-generation activities to grow our supporter and donor base; oversee video production; manage website content; optimise organic and paid reach; support SEO strategy; and ensure consistent day-to-day engagement across our social media channels.

The successful candidate will work collaboratively across all UK departments, particularly Marketing and Campaigns, as well as with international colleagues, to maximise our impact for farmed animals.

ABOUT YOU

You are a detail-oriented and data-aware communicator who approaches your work with accuracy, care, and a strong focus on long-term financial impact for the organisation. You bring a creative eye for compelling storytelling, particularly through video and social content, and use this flair to proactively take ownership over your work, producing engaging, high-quality digital materials. You are solutions-focused and highly self-motivated, taking initiative to solve problems, respond swiftly to unfolding events, and share timely campaign updates, victories, and breaking news.

You excel in organisation and time management, balancing a varied and fast-paced workload while meeting deadlines and working independently when needed. Your strong written communication skills allow you to craft persuasive, clear, and compelling copy across platforms, always tailored to audience and context.

Collaboration comes naturally to you: you work cooperatively with colleagues across teams and international offices to achieve shared goals. You are driven, self-starting, and strategic in your approach, with a deep commitment to Animal Equality’s mission and the protection of farmed animals. Professionalism, adaptability, and discretion are essential to how you work. You actively seek constructive feedback and use it to continuously improve your work. You show autonomy, pride over your work, and a growth mindset that is focused on improving the world for farmed animals. 

You must have a minimum of three years’ experience in running paid ads on Meta and Google, with a proven ability to design and deliver content for successful lead generation and long-term fundraising. 

BENEFITS

• Holiday entitlement equal to 33 days per year (including standard public holidays).
• Personalised Employee Assistance Programme (EAP): an Animal Equality-funded benefit that offers employees confidential counselling and advice on a wide range of work and personal issues. The programme offers several services, such as a 24/7 confidential helpline and expert Cognitive Behavioural Therapy.
• Flexible hours, with the option to start between 8am-10am and finish between 4pm-6pm.
• Able Futures Support: The service is a nine-month, practical and confidential support service for employees whose circumstances or mental health may impact their wellbeing or work. Employees can work with a mental health professional to deepen their understanding of how their mental health may impact them and will build coping skills and resilience to thrive at work.
• Yearly stipend to access learning and development resources, to help employees further grow their personal and professional skills.
• A free vegan lunch every month at the Animal Equality monthly meetups.

APPLY NOW

To read the full job description and apply, please visit our careers page.

Closing date: 5.00pm on Friday 9th January 2026

The interview process comprises a multiple-stage interview and skills test. The appointment process will run throughout December and January, with Animal Equality UK making an offer to the successful candidate shortly after.

The Retail Manager with e-commerce will have responsibility for the five Danaher Charity

Shops providing strong leadership for shop managers to drive and enhance the

profitability and attraction of the shops, ensure standards and administrative procedures

are streamlined and stock levels are properly controlled with supplies also made available

for online sale. Building an online, e-commerce, function is a key priority for this role.

A high level of organisation and communication is required in this role and a hands-on

approach to ensure success at this small charity. Main responsibilities of the e-commerce

manager’s post will include:

•  producing income for Danaher through sales via online platforms such as Vinted and eBay and through charity shops.

• Building good relationships with local business and doners to ensure a continuing supply of stock for resale.

• line management of the five charity shop managers and the Danaher drivers to provide to manage the logistics of stock and supplies, support volunteer recruitment

• Taking part in events to create opportunities for sales and promotion of Danaher animal home.

• Alongside other senior key staff members, provide Senior leadership out of hours at weekends on a rota basis as an emergency contact should staff require it.