Centre Manager (Southampton)
Application Deadline: 3 August 2025
Department: Rehoming & Fostering Services
Employment Type: Permanent
Location: Southampton
Reporting To: Rehoming Operations Manager - Pet Welfare
Compensation: £28,481 - £33,118 / year
Description
Contract: Permanent, full time
Salary: £28,481 - £33,118 per annum
Accommodation: there is the option to live in or out with this role
Location: West End, Southampton, SO30 2HL
Closing date: Sunday 3 August 2025
Interview date: 1st stage – w/c 11 August, 2nd stage w/c 18 August
Are you an experienced operational manager, who relishes a challenge, with a passion for pets and people?
We’re recruiting a Centre Manager with strong leadership, organisational and communication skills to lead our Southampton Rehoming Centre in all pets, people, facilities, financial and compliance matters!
More about the role
Blue Cross Southampton Rehoming Centre opened in 1988 and occupies approximately three acres of land in a discrete location surrounded by fields where we walk the dogs in our care, providing some wonderful enrichment in a quiet environment. The centre has facilities to care for dogs and cats, as well as a specialised area for kittens who are all looking for loving new homes. The offsite team cares for dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, mice, rats, gerbils, degu and chinchillas through our foster homes and home direct scheme.
As the Centre Manager, you will support the delivery of the Blue Cross strategy by overseeing the smooth operational running of your Centre and associated services. Working closely with your Assistant Managers, you will embed a culture of continuous improvement, identifying efficiencies and empowering others to take ownership for their areas of responsibilities.
As a strong leader, you will develop and deliver a clear strategy, leading and engaging your teams, addressing issues quickly and adopting an agile, problem-solving mindset.
For many, the Centre will be the ‘public face’ of Blue Cross so you will need to ensure that customer service is at the heart of every interaction. You will also develop relationships with the local community, spot opportunities for commercial partnerships and cultivate business development ventures.
This is a challenging role which provides opportunity to make a positive difference to the lives of pets and people. There will be tough days too but being able to see the bigger picture and approach the work with purpose will make this role incredibly rewarding!
The standard hours for this role are 37.5 hours per week on a locally agreed rota to include weekends and bank holidays.
Accommodation– this role comes with the option of on-site accommodation by way of a two-bedroom bungalow which includes a study/third bedroom and a large private garden!
Want to know more detail? Great! We have attached the job description which hopefully gives you everything you need.
About you
You will be a positive, inclusive, and innovative manager, with finely honed skills having worked in a similar, animal welfare related environment.
You will have the ability to multitask effectively in a busy environment and help to identify areas for continuous improvement.
As a strong business manager, you will have analytical skills, commercial acumen, and the capability to rigorously evaluate, problem solve and drive performance improvements.
You will know what it is like to work in an emotionally charged environment and have excellent ‘bounce back ability’ and resilience. In addition, you will be emotionally intelligent, showing empathy and knowing how to support colleagues and members of the public.
Knowledge, skills, and experience
* Significant experience of successfully motivating, leading, and developing high performance teams, including setting clearly defined objectives, and managing performance in an animal welfare setting.
* Strong knowledge of animal welfare/care, ensuring operational excellence in a similar animal welfare environment.
* Experience of positively embracing and adapting to change by identifying, leading, and managing change in line with organisational objectives.
* Financially aware and numerate.
* Proven experience of working constructively and collaboratively with colleagues from different teams.
* Interpersonal and consultative skills, including the ability to communicate, present, negotiate, influence, and build credibility with colleagues and external parties.
* Experience of working in a commercial environment where the need to control costs and deliver high levels of service are important.
* The ability to demonstrate, understand and apply our Blue Cross values
* Current full driving licence.
It would also be great if you had:
* Relevant animal related qualification.
* Experience of working effectively with and/or managing volunteers.
* Experience of acting as a spokesperson in print and broadcast media.
* Experience of keeping up to date with and applying good practice in your sector/role and encouraging those that you manage to do the same.
* IT literate with good experience of MS Office and other relevant IT systems as appropriate for the role.
* Understanding of safeguarding issues.
How to apply
Click the apply button below and complete the online application process before the closing date on Sunday 3 August 2025.
The recruitment process will consist of a first stage competency-based interview and a tour of our wonderful site at our Southampton rehoming centre. Shortlisted candidates will then be invited to a second-stage assessment centre the following week.
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.
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