The Head of Career Change and Rehoming helps people with sight loss to live the life they choose by leading the Career Change and Rehoming Team at Guide Dogs. This role is responsible for defining and delivering consistent, ethical and person-centred approaches to dog health, wellbeing, behaviour assessment, training and matching, supporting the successful transition of 800+ dogs into appropriate alternative careers or forever homes. They lead the team to enable the development and delivery of well-prepared dogs that do not have the necessary skills and attributes to transition effectively into the Guide Dogs training programme. Line managing the Career Change and Rehoming Managers and providing inspirational leadership to the wider career change and rehoming team, the role is accountable for ensuring all aspects of Career changes and Rehoming, are managed effectively and efficiently, enabling our core Guide Dog service to flourish and deliver life changing outcomes for people with sight loss.
This role can be based out of any of our locations, frequent travel across all out locations, with occasional home working where appropriate.
We offer a generous pension scheme, annual leave, life assurance and enhanced pay for parenting and sickness leave. In addition, we provide an Employee Assistance Programme, flexible benefits package and discounts and cashback scheme to care for our people.
More details can be found in the attached candidate pack and job description.
Candidate requirements
To be able to fulfil this role, the skills and experience we are looking for in a potential candidate include;
Essential
• Degree educated or equivalent experience.
• Management, process management or continuous improvement qualification (e.g. ILM, Prince2, Agile, Six Sigma) or demonstratable equivalent experience.
• Experience of managing operational delivery in an animal rescue or rehoming organisation.
• Proven track record in leading and managing a multi-skilled / multidisciplinary team of staff working across multiple sites, to achieve results balancing local needs against national priorities.
• Evidence of successful people management including performance management, development and team building.
• Experience of introducing major new initiatives/services which affect organisational change.
• Demonstrable experience of delivering service transformation and/or continuous improvement initiatives.
• Proven experience of budget management.
• Demonstrable experience of managing successful customer relations.
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Understanding of charity governance, safeguarding and compliance.
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Demonstrable knowledge of the impact of cultural change on people’s behaviour.
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Extensive current theoretical and practical knowledge of dog training, behaviour and/or welfare.
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Proven credibility to work with behaviourists or veterinary professionals.
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Awareness of project implementation and seeing long term goals through to completion in an organisational / business setting.
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An understanding of customer relations and meeting the needs of a variety of customers.
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An understanding of the principles required for effective financial management.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills able to lead, influence and collaborate across stakeholders including senior leaders, staff, and volunteers.
• High digital literacy (including Excel, databases, and case management systems).
• Strong analytical skills, including ability to analyse data, identify trends, and use insights for decision-making.
• Excellent organisational and time-management skills; able to manage competing priorities under pressure.
• Excellent role model, demonstrating high levels of enthusiasm, passion and commitment to the principles and practice of positive reinforcement training.
• Skilled in business planning, budget management and resource allocation.
• Project implementation and seeing long term goals through to completion in an organisational / business setting.
• Ability to engage, conduct, diagnose, analyse findings, generate options and build commitment to solutions.