Regional Horse Adoptions Facilitator - Homebased in Oxfordshire or Warwickshire

Contract:  Permanent, part time  

Salary:  £18,963 - £22,050 per annum (£27,089 - £31,499 FTE) 

Location:   Homebased within Oxfordshire or Warwickshire 

Closing date:  Tuesday 24 September 2024 

Interview dates: 1 & 3 October 2024  

The Regional Adoptions Facilitator will be instrumental in streamlining our adoption services to maximise the number of horses we can help by 2026! 

More about the role

As Regional Adoption Facilitator, you'll collaborate with centre-based Adoptions Coordinators to swiftly execute the Blue Cross strategy, focusing on efficient horse adoption services, including home direct placements. You'll oversee the post-adoption process in your region, ensuring smooth ownership transfers after successful loan periods to expedite horse rehoming and optimize space for new cases.

Each day you will be conducting thorough home checks and visits—both in-person and virtually—for borrowers to uphold welfare standards and address any issues promptly. Collaborating with the Rehabilitation, Trainer, and Behaviour Advisor (RTBA), you'll manage challenging horse behaviours to support successful home placements. You'll also facilitate home direct rehoming initiatives, making critical decisions to match horses with suitable owners based on your expertise and ensuring ongoing support post-adoption.

To expand our impact, you'll recruit and manage a network of volunteers, including a regional volunteer manager, for home direct assessments and checks. This includes coordinating visits and appointments, fostering partnerships with external charities aligned with our home direct efforts.

Providing excellent client experiences is essential, ensuring every interaction covers all necessary information for successful matching and adopting horses into loving homes.

This is a home-based post with extensive travel. The nature of the post will require the coordinator to demonstrate considerable flexibility in arranging their work schedule and time allocation. This will include some weekend and evening work. Due to the nature of the charity’s work, it may be necessary to exceed these hours when the workload demands. The Regional Adoptions Facilitator will be required to use their own car in carrying out their duties and will be reimbursed for business mileage as appropriate. 

This is a part-time role working 26.25 hours over four days per week on a rota which includes weekends and bank holidays.  This role involves extensive travel covering areas such as Warwickshire, Nottinghamshire and across to Norfolk. 

 For a more detailed look at the role and its requirements, please see the attached job description.

About you

As this role requires coverage across specific regions, candidates must reside in either Warwickshire or Oxfordshire. You are an excellent communicator with experience in client-facing roles within horse-related environments. Your knowledge of horse welfare and riding will ensure successful adoptions. You can quickly absorb and record information while engaging with clients and stakeholders.

Client-focused and decisive, you handle pressure well and challenge risk-averse decisions using evidence-based methods. You follow set processes, adapt to new methods, and aim to improve horse welfare by maintaining high standards in the adoption process.

Strong communication and interpersonal skills are essential. You remain professional and approachable, handling difficult situations calmly. You are open-minded, adaptable, and able to communicate effectively with customers and colleagues.

Your skills allow you to assess support levels for horses and borrowers, identifying and addressing underlying issues. You support borrowers in maintaining high welfare standards.

Trustworthy and proactive, you approach your work enthusiastically. Your problem-solving mindset helps you find solutions and prioritize decisions with attention to detail.

Resilient and emotionally intelligent, you support clients and colleagues empathetically. Motivated, flexible, and dependable, you provide exceptional service to Blue Cross horses and customers, managing your workload effectively both independently and as part of a team.

Knowledge, skills, and experience 

• Demonstrable understanding and experience of matching considerations for horses and homes. 
• Full driving licence with access to their own vehicle 
• Minimum BHS Stage 4 or acceptable equivalent qualifications or experience 
• First class knowledge and practical experience in the care and management of a range of horses and their environment, their needs and conditions 
• Proven practical experience of the assessment of horses, riders and their environments 
• Experience of assessing riders and analysing ridden horse behaviour 
• Practical knowledge of horse behaviour and training 
• Excellent communication skills with experience of building relationships and rapport with customers
• Experience of working with the general public with the proven ability to deal with people in a variety of circumstances 
• Significant experience in delivering high level customer service in a fast paced and often emotional environment.  
• Good IT skills and experience of using a variety of computer packages 
• Excellent administration and organisational skills 
• Good questioning skills with the ability to gather information and distil the important points. 
• Proven decision-making ability.  
• The ability to demonstrate, understanding and apply our Blue Cross values. 

Although not essential, it would be great if you also had: 

• Experience working with volunteers. 
• Client relationship management experience. 
• Understanding of safeguarding issues

How to apply 

Please apply via our website and complete the online application process before the closing date on Tuesday 24 September 2024. 

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  
• Free physiotherapy advice and face to face intervention 
• 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

Blue Cross is a national charity that has been helping sick, injured and homeless pets since 1897. 

Every month we help thousands of pets and their people by providing veterinary care, expert behaviour advice and find homeless pets loving families. We also offer education for future generations plus pet bereavement support for those who have lost their beloved pet companion. 

We love the ways that pets can make such an amazing difference to the people they live with and we offer lifelong support and advice to help that unique relationship thrive. With your support we can give back to more pets and their families who need our help. 

Pets change lives. We change theirs.
 

Our commitment to diversity and inclusion   

We believe that every pet should enjoy a healthy life in a happy home, and we always seek to recruit the best people who share our values and commitment so we can continue to help and support pet owners across the UK to achieve this. 

At Blue Cross, we want you to feel that you belong, without the need to hide any part of who you are.  

Diversity and inclusion at Blue Cross means creating a workplace where all people, regardless of gender, race, sexual orientation, religion, nation or country of origin, disability, age, and socioeconomic backgrounds are welcome, respected, supported, and have access to equal opportunities.   

We are working hard to reflect the world we live in and the communities we serve at every level of our organisation. As much as we have made positive advances, we consider diversity and inclusion to be a work in progress – a continual commitment that remains a priority for all of us.  

Our values    

Our values define the way we do things. We use them every day to guide us, and to make sure we put people and pets at the heart of everything we do.  

Compassionate: We listen, we are non-judgmental, we are kind and caring to the pets and people we encounter, and we offer support in difficult times  
 

Courageous: We make brave decisions, embrace change, and encourage innovation, ensuring we always act with integrity – doing the right thing even when no one is looking