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JOB TITLE:                         Centre Based Assistance Dog Instructor (Maternity Cover) 

LOCATION:                        Based at our Centre in Milton Keynes, with travel up to 3 hours 

SALARY BAND:                 £26K - £32K per annum, depending on experience. Line management experience desirable.

JOB TYPE:                          Full time and Part time applicants considered. Fixed Term of 12-18 months 

REPORTS TO:                    Interim Head of Assistance Dog Programme 

Medical Detection Dogs trains dogs to save lives. 

We train specialist dogs to detect the odour of human disease, providing life-saving alert assistance dogs to people with complex health problems across the UK and collaborating with NHS Trusts and other researchers and Universities both in the UK and internationally to advance the early diagnosis of disease.

We have an exciting new opportunity to join this small but fast-growing charity that is a world leader in its specialist innovative field. 

The Role 

We are looking for a passionate and driven person who has previous proven experience and skills working as an Instructor within an Assistance Dog organisation, who has worked with clients and partnerships. The role includes supporting both clients who have had a MDD dog placed with them and also our own dog applicants with their puppies and young dogs to ensure they receive the highest standard of socialisation and early training in terms of obedience, public access and developing an alert to the applicant’s condition, with the aim to reach an accreditable assistance dog partnership status. The role will also include carrying out client specific and odour training for MDD own dogs, placing these dogs with their new clients and looking after a number of established partnerships. This role would suit somebody residing up to an hour from our centre in Milton Keynes.  

Duties that encompass the role of an Instructor include:  

• Be the first point of contact for the allocated partnerships in your area. To provide guidance and instruction to applicants who have applied to the charity to have their own dogs considered for the training programme guidance and instruction on handling, behaviour and obedience and odour training as well as newly placed partnerships.

• Alongside the Instructing team, to run puppy classes, public access training, recall sessions in small groups for applicant own dogs that are in line with the charity’s quality standards and in accordance with timescales and targets. 

• To also carry out support visits and home interviews for applicants and clients that have been allocated to you.  

• Regularly monitor progress of any young dogs and partnerships in training in your area and provide detailed, evidenced feedback to Interim Head of Assistance Dog Programme.

• To carry out client specific training with any MDD owned dogs that have been matched, including the required odour scent training.

• Instructing, guiding and supporting new assistance dog clients in managing and handling a Medical Alert Assistance Dog effectively, via pretraining, placement training and aftercare visits.

• Supporting partnerships in training in successfully reaching an accreditation standard and in maintaining this standard throughout the life of the partnership.

• To support a number of established partnerships in the form of aftercare, refresher training and yearly re-accreditations, assisting further afield on occasions as required.

Responsibilities  

• To escalate issues and problems to the Interim Head of Assistance Dog Programme as appropriate.

• To carry out scent assessments on any MDD dogs in socialising as and when required with the support of the rest of the Instructing Team.

• To plan, organise and deliver practical and theoretical training to clients, meeting their individual needs in line with agreed standards to include areas such as dog welfare, appropriate handling, commanding and overall management. This will involve working with the parents as Team Leader and child as Client and working with adult clients.
• Assess the team dynamics of the family & balancing the needs of all family members as well as those of the dog.
• Assess the individuals preferred learning style and amending as relevant to aid a client.
• To accompany the client into all regular environments that they will take the dog to, ensuring the dog behaves in an acceptable manner and that the client and others are aware and clear in terms of where they dog should reside and behave for e.g. public transport, place of work. To complete a check list of environments for any applicant own dogs in training who are on the programme to be assessed within.
• To support and advise clients in transferring the odour training from pot training and recognising alerting behaviours to establish real life alerting.
• To ensure all partnerships are in line with the ADUK regulations with regards to behaviour, obedience and welfare and branding.
• Due to the nature of the role, flexible working hours may be required in some instances to facilitate the effective delivery of the work e.g. working during the school holidays with school age clients.
• To monitor the correct and false alerting percentages of allocated partnerships via data analysis, advising where necessary until the correct alerting levels are achieved.
• To complete comprehensive reports and paperwork for any time spent with applicants or partnerships in training or established. Maintain accurate records by providing verbal and written information with agreed timescales about clients, dogs, applicants and apprentices as appropriate.
• To work alongside allocated partnerships with the aim of the partnership reaching an accredited standard and feeding back to the Interim Head of Assistance Dog Programme if there are any concerns that the accreditation cannot be achieved.
• To provide clients with appropriate aftercare services at regular intervals in their own homes in the form of annual visits, support visits or at refresher workshops run at the Centre to agreed standards.  This will include continual re-assessment of the dynamics of family and dog, formulating and training on appropriate solutions, as well as offering additional dog training advice.
• To deliver handling days as part of an applicant’s pretraining to include ‘Introduction to Assistance Dog’ ‘Advanced Handling’ and Family Handling.
• To scent train and seizure proof advanced dogs in preparation to be partnered with an adult or child client and ensure that applicant own dogs have received this at the earliest opportunity.
• To maintain the ongoing public access training with any advanced dog in scent training that has been allocated to them.
• To liaise with Independent Contractors as relevant.
• To provide support to the Charity’s public relations and fundraising functions as required, specifically in your area.
• To act as the ‘contact’ person for the assistance dog programme in relation to training policy procedures with clients and their families, other professional service providers and members of the public.  This will include on-going research and development of the project.
• As required, to liaise and provide support for Volunteers of the Charity.

Other 

• Share best practice with colleagues across the charity.

• Any other duties or tasks that are required to ensure the successful running of the Medical Alert Assistance Dog Department and the Charity overall.

PERSON SPECIFICATION 

SKILLS AND ABILITIES 

• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
• High level of preparation, organisational and co-ordination skills
• Strong and clear teaching and instructing skills
• Experience of running puppy classes, carrying out public access training and recall sessions
• Able to develop training plans for any dogs in training under your care
• High level of self-motivation and planning
• Approachable, calm and empathetic to children and adults with debilitating and life-threatening conditions
• Happy to travel alone within the UK to visit any clients as necessary
• Willing to be on call for partnerships as and when required
• Willing to stay away from home in local accommodation when client locations are too far to travel back home
• Happy and able to have Medical Alert Assistance Dogs in training reside in your home
• Good team player, but equally able to work independently
• Positive, empathetic and calm attitude
• Able to embrace a constantly evolving organisation
• Flexible

KNOWLEDGE & EXPERIENCE 

Essential 

• Previous Assistance Dog Instructing and Dog Training experience
• Knowledge of AD(UK) and ADI regulations
• Law in relation to dogs 
• Knowledge of medical conditions relevant to puppies between 8 weeks and 2 years of age
• Knowledge of dog and human psychology
• Proven evidence and experience of dog handling and training skills
• Previous experience of teaching and instructing
• Sound dog training and dog behaviour knowledge
• IT literacy and report writing skills
• Proficient in Microsoft Office, Teams, Zoom and SharePoint
• Full UK driving licence
• Pass a DBS (CRB) check due to regular contact with children

Preferable  

• Knowledge of debilitating medical conditions and understanding of how they can impact people, both physically and psychologically, particularly when they are unstable and fluctuating
• Previous knowledge of odour/scent training
• Previous line management experience 

PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES ​

• Strong and clear teaching and instructing skills 

• Approachable, calm and empathetic to children and adults with debilitating and life threatening conditions 

• Able to embrace a constantly evolving organisation

• You should be supportive of the charitable aims of Medical Detection Dogs and capable of working as part of a team, as well as able to motivate yourself

• You should be adaptable and positively embrace change by not only being flexible towards the ideas of others but also putting forward ideas to colleagues. This will involve creativity in problem solving and making appropriate responses to new ideas and unexpected situations

PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES

• You should be supportive of the charitable aims of Medical Detection Dogs and capable of working as part of a team, as well as being able to motivate yourself.
• You should be adaptable and positively embrace change by not only being flexible towards the ideas of others but also putting forward ideas to colleagues. This will involve creativity in problem-solving and making appropriate responses to new ideas and unexpected situations.

DIVERITY, EQUALITY & INCLUSION

We are a welcoming, diverse, and inclusive Charity. Medical Detection Dogs thrives when everyone feels comfortable bringing their best self to work. We celebrate difference, whilst striving to create an environment where colleagues feel respected and valued for their unique potential. We are committed to our values on equity, diversity, and inclusion.

Charity Values

All employees are expected to uphold the charity’s core values in their daily work. This includes demonstrating respect through open and considerate communication, fostering cooperation by working collaboratively, maintaining honesty in all interactions and ensuring fairness through just and transparent decision-making.

Finally, the successful candidate will also be expected to: 

• Hold a full UK Driving Licence 

• Provide proof of identity and eligibility to work in the UK. 

• Undertake a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check 

• Work some evenings and weekends 

• Be willing to travel to the Centre based near Milton Keynes

Tender is a nationwide charity harnessing the power of drama and the arts to educate children, young people and adults about healthy relationships. Our innovative, interactive approach empowers children, young people and adults with the skills and knowledge to recognise unhealthy relationships, nurture healthy ones, and seek support if they need help.

The Finance & Operations Officer plays a central role in ensuring the smooth financial and operational running of Tender, supporting the organisation’s ability to deliver its mission effectively. The role spans core finance functions—including payroll, payments, reconciliations, budgeting support and financial reporting—ensuring that Tender maintains robust financial controls and compliance across all statutory and regulatory requirements. It also involves close collaboration with suppliers, funders, auditors and internal teams to support the Finance Director in producing financial plans, forecasts, annual accounts and audit preparation.

Alongside finance, the post holder is responsible for managing key operational areas including HR administration, ICT coordination, office management, and internal communication processes. This includes overseeing recruitment and onboarding processes, maintaining HR policies and procedures, ensuring effective cross-team collaboration, managing external service providers, and maintaining an efficient administrative and operational environment. The role requires someone who can work autonomously, use sound judgement, implement effective processes, and ensure alignment of systems across the organisation.

A successful Finance & Operations Officer will also contribute to organisational development by ensuring that policies, procedures and workflows are up to date, compliant and reflect best practice. With responsibilities that touch every part of the charity, the post holder acts as a vital hub for coordination, problem‑solving and continuous improvement, helping Tender maintain a high‑functioning, values‑driven working environment.

To be successful in this role, in the first 6 months you will have:

• Established reliable financial processes by ensuring accurate and timely payroll, payment cycles, reconciliations and financial reporting, maintaining full compliance with Tender’s financial controls and statutory requirements.
• Strengthened core operational systems by updating and consolidating HR, ICT, office management and policy frameworks, ensuring staff understand and follow consistent organisational processes.
• Improved cross‑team coordination by streamlining internal communications and embedding efficient administrative workflows, enabling smoother collaboration across finance, HR and operational functions.

Please refer to the full job description and person specification in the full recruitment pack for further details.

Director of Advocacy
£67,000 - £70,000, plus 8% pension contribution 
35 hours per week – flexible working and part-time considered
Permanent role
Hybrid working – home working, with travel to our Godalming office and regular meetings in London

Lead the strategy. Influence the law. Change the future for animals.

The League Against Cruel Sports is the UK’s leading charity working to create a kinder society where animals are never harmed in the name of ‘sport’. From securing the landmark Hunting Act to exposing cruelty through investigations and championing stronger protections, we are driven by compassion and powered by evidence.

We are now seeking a Director of Advocacy — a strategic, inspiring leader who can steer our campaigns, public affairs and intelligence work to deliver meaningful and lasting change for animals. The focus of the role is mission delivery - ending cruel ‘sports’.

About the role

This is a high-profile leadership position at the heart of the organisation, you will oversee the strategy for political change (with a particular focus on England and Wales).

You will:

• Provide strategic leadership for our campaigns, public affairs and intelligence functions (England & Wales).
• Lead organisational planning to ensure our advocacy is aligned, evidence-led and delivers maximum impact.
• Oversee the development of compelling campaigns to influence public opinion and drive legislative change.
• Ensure operational robustness, risk management and governance across all advocacy activities.
• Play a hands-on role developing our strategy for engagement with different press and broadcast media platforms and contributing to our capacity for delivering this work, supporting our Senior Communications Officer.
• Inspire and develop a talented team, line managing the Heads of Campaigns, Intelligence and Public Affairs.
• Work closely with colleagues across fundraising, marketing and senior leadership to ensure a unified approach.
• Support the CEO on strategic messaging, while they remain the organisation’s primary spokesperson.

This role is predominantly internally focused shaping the strategy, strengthening systems, and empowering teams with the evidence and direction needed to create effective advocacy. It is also an exceptional opportunity for someone aspiring to future executive leadership.

About you

We’re looking for someone who brings:

• Leadership experience in advocacy, campaigns, media or public affairs (ideally within the charity or campaigning sector).
• A deep understanding of political and legislative processes in England & Wales.
• Ability to lead multidisciplinary teams and drive cross-organisational planning.
• Strong strategic judgement with a track record of influencing policy or social change.
• Experience managing operational risk in complex or high-profile advocacy environments.
• Collaborative leadership style and the ability to inspire, motivate and mentor others.
• A passion for animal welfare and a commitment to creating meaningful, positive change.

Experience in animal welfare, environmental or social justice sectors — as well as existing political contacts — are welcome advantages.

Why join us?

At the League, you’ll be part of a courageous, committed and supportive organisation working every day to end animal cruelty. You’ll shape national debate, influence policy at the highest levels, and help secure a future where animals are protected and respected.

We understand the importance of a healthy work-life balance, enjoy flexible working arrangements, including options for compressed hours and remote work from day one. With 28 days (pro-rata) of annual leave, in addition to the public holidays, and a generous employer contribution of eight percent towards your pension scheme, we prioritise your well-being. Additionally, our benefits package includes discounts on shopping, electronics, hospitality and leisure. Find out more about working at the League. 

How to apply

To apply, please submit your CV and a short covering statement outlining how your experience aligns with the role, by 19 April 2026.

The interview process will include a 30-minute online introduction to our intelligence unit on Thursday 23 or Friday 24 April and an in-person interview at our Godalming Head Office on Tuesday 28 April or Thursday 30 April.

The League Against Cruel Sports is committed to inclusivity and diversity, and we welcome candidates from all backgrounds to apply.

We believe that together we can end animal cruelty in the name of sport. Join us in our purposeful mission to redefine what is acceptable and inspire positive change in animal welfare legislation.  

We’re currently recruiting a part-time (28 hours per week) Counselling Service Manager to manage the Charity’s Merton counselling service and work with colleagues across our services in Croydon, Merton and Sutton. For this post you need to have a counselling/mental health qualification along with extensive clinical and management experience. We are also looking for people with an open and flexible attitude; excellent engagement skills and a passion for working with children and young people around mental health.

Responsibilities include supporting less experienced staff and supporting the cohesive working between services within the charity. In addition, you will be offering a flexible range of short-term and longer-term mental health interventions to children and young people aged 11-25 including individual and group-based support; workshops; crisis support; mental health themed activities. The posts have scope and opportunity for developing new initiatives and ways of working to support young people’s mental health across South London. 

All posts are fully office based and will require flexible working across service areas and interventions and will involve some regular evening and/or weekend work to meet the needs of young people.  

Please read the full Job Description and Person Specification for this role included in the Service Manager Maternity Cover Recruitment pack below, before completing the forms.

Applying for the Posts  

In the Recruitment pack you will find the Job Description and Person Specification for the Service Managers roles. 

To be considered for the position, the Application Form and the Equality & Diversity Monitoring Form need to be completed and return to the email address on the Application Form by midday on Tuesday 5th May 2025.    

We understand some candidates may want to use AI tools when applying. Whilst we welcome the use of technology to support clear communication and structure, we also want to learn more about the authentic you, so please ensure that your application reflects your own skills, knowledge and experiences wherever possible. In the spirit of transparency - we also ask that you indicate if you have used AI in your application.    

Decisions about who to invite for interview will be based on how well someone demonstrates that they meet the person specification for the specific post, so please make sure you complete the application form fully and accurately, giving evidence of how you meet each point in the person specification and indicating your relevant knowledge, skills and experience. Please note that CVs will not be considered.   

Email applicants will receive a confirmation of receipt and shortlisted candidates will be contacted as soon as possible

*We may close this vacancy early if we believe we have enough strong applications to be able to successfully fill the role(s). Interested candidates are encouraged to apply as soon as possible.

Assistant Financial Accountant

West Midlands | Hybrid working | Competitive salary and excellent benefits

An exciting opportunity has arisen for two Assistant Financial Accountants to join a well-established public sector organisation, supporting the delivery of high-quality financial reporting, technical accounting and statutory returns. Sitting within a corporate finance team, these roles offer the chance to play a key part in the production of the statement of accounts and audit process, with opportunities to specialise in either VAT or capital accounting.

Working as part of a collaborative and forward-thinking finance function, you will gain exposure to a wide range of technical accounting areas while contributing to continuous improvement and strong financial governance.

What you’ll do

• Support the delivery of the annual statement of accounts, ensuring accuracy and compliance with statutory deadlines
• Lead on technical and capital accounting entries, applying relevant regulations and best practice
• Partner with stakeholders across the organisation to provide clear financial advice and insight
• Act as a key contact for internal and external audit, resolving queries efficiently
• Take ownership of balance sheet reconciliations, maintaining strong financial controls
• Develop financial models and support statutory returns, including VAT submissions
• Support and mentor junior team members within the finance function
• For the VAT-focused role, prepare and review VAT returns, ensuring accuracy and identifying discrepancies
• For the capital-focused role, maintain the fixed asset register, ensuring accurate classification and depreciation

What you’ll need

• AAT Level 4 or part-qualified with a recognised accounting body
• Experience working within a finance environment, ideally within the public sector
• Strong technical accounting knowledge with the ability to apply this in practice
• Experience using financial systems such as Oracle and advanced Excel skills
• Strong communication skills, with the ability to present financial information to non-finance stakeholders
• Exposure to VAT and or capital accounting would be advantageous

You will benefit from a flexible hybrid working pattern, generous annual leave entitlement, and the opportunity to develop specialist technical expertise within a supportive and progressive finance team.

About the company
This organisation is a large and diverse public sector body based in the West Midlands, serving a broad and vibrant community. With excellent transport links and a strong focus on community impact, it offers a rewarding environment where finance plays a key role in supporting essential services and long-term strategic objectives.

Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, to avoid disappointment apply today!