Service assistant jobs

Contract:  Permanent, full time (37.5 hours per week) 

Salary:£25,787 to £27,047 per annum 

Location: Southampton SO30 2HL  

Closing date:Sunday 18th January 2026 

Interview date: Monday 26th January 2026 

We're recruiting an Assistant Manager – Offsite Services to lead and streamline our home-based pet operations. 

In this role you'll ensure that every pet finds the perfect match with their new family as quickly as possible, while maintaining top-quality care for both our pets and clients throughout the entire adoption journey. Join us in making a difference, one pet at a time! 

More about the role 

Our beautiful centre opened in 1988 and occupies approximately three acres of land in a discrete location surrounded by fields where we can walk our dogs, 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.

In this role, you’ll play a key part in ensuring exceptional care for both pets and clients while identifying efficiencies and making decisions that prioritise offsite pet welfare. As the leader of our home-based pet operations, you’ll oversee the smooth running of our foster and home direct services, placing pets directly from one home to another, with experience in practical animal handling and assessment. Your goal will be to prepare pets for adoption as quickly and effectively as possible. You’ll work closely with your team to ensure timely pet assessments, behaviour management, and training, while providing full support to foster carers and current owners. 

You’ll also be responsible for achieving pet-related targets, ensuring your team of Pet Welfare Assistants and Foster Coordinators maintain the highest standards of animal care and adheres to national processes in case management. Teamwork is essential to address the most urgent cases effectively. 

Motivating and managing your team is central to this role, enabling the centre to provide top-quality home-based pet care while helping your team develop professionally. 

At our Southampton rehoming centre, we provide onsite accommodation for pets in our care 24/7.  Overnight shifts are usually undertaken by team members who live on site.  Occasionally you will be expected to carry out night checks when the resident team members are either not working or away for a period of time. 

This is a full-time position, working 37.5 hours per week and you will be required to work 1 in 3 weekends.

About you 

You’ll be a great people manager, bringing finely honed skills from your experience in an animal-related environment, along with extensive knowledge of pet welfare and care. 

As a dynamic and innovative leader, you know how to inspire and motivate your team, driving continuous improvement, empowering them through effective management and coaching. 

With excellent communication skills, you adapt your approach for different audiences, ensuring your message resonates. While juggling multiple tasks, you remain calm and organised, making confident decisions in high-pressure situations. 

Your strong analytical skills enable you to monitor and evaluate effectively, implementing meaningful improvements. Rather than resting on your laurels, you’ll have a genuine desire to enhance offsite pet care services, actively engaging your team in the process. 

Having worked in emotionally charged environments, you understand the importance of resilience. Your emotional intelligence and empathy will shine as you support your team and the public, creating a compassionate and effective workplace. 

Knowledge, skills, and experience   

• Significant experience in managing a team. 

• Significant experience in delivering high level Customer service in a fast-paced environment. 

• Expertise and application of pet welfare and handling of domestic animals 

• High standard of verbal and written communication. 

• Current full driving license 

• The ability to demonstrate, understand and apply our Blue Cross values 

It would be great (but not essential) if you also had:   

• Performance management and improvement experience.

• Experience working with volunteers. 

• Understanding of safeguarding issues. 

Want to know more detail? Great! We have attached the job description which hopefully gives you everything you need.   

How to apply  

Click the apply button below and complete the online application process before the closing date on Sunday 18th January. 

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:   

• Enhanced annual leave entitlement: 30 days plus bank holidays    

• Pension scheme with enhanced employer contribution   

• Health cash plan  

• Life assurance   

• Unlimited access to an employee assistance programme  

• Programmes for physical and mental wellbeing support  

• Free access to GP via MetLife  

• Recognition scheme Annual volunteer days 

• Claim for professional fees  

Contract:  Permanent, full time (37.5 hours per week)
Salary:  £25,787 - £27,047 per annum
Location: Exeter, EX2 8ED
Closing date: Tuesday 20th January 2026
Interview date: Wednesday 28th January 2026 

 
We're recruiting an Assistant Manager – Offsite Services to lead and streamline our home-based pet operations in Devon! 

 In this role, you'll ensure that every pet finds the perfect match with their new family as quickly as possible, while maintaining top-quality care for both our pets and clients throughout the entire adoption journey. Join us in making a difference, one pet at a time! 

More about the role 
Our Devon centre has a wonderful group of dedicated people with varying skills that meld into one team with one mission: to help as many pets as possible. We help pets through our two main services, Home Direct and our fostering network of over 80 volunteer foster carers.

In this role, you’ll play a key part in ensuring exceptional care for both pets and clients while making well-connected, efficient decisions that prioritise pet welfare. As the leader of our home-based pet operations, you’ll oversee the smooth running of daily activities, acting as the subject matter expert in practical animal handling and assessment. Your goal will be to prepare pets for adoption as quickly and effectively as possible. You’ll work closely with your team to ensure timely pet assessments, behaviour management, and training, while providing full support to foster carers. 

 You’ll also be responsible for achieving pet-related targets, ensuring your team of Pet Welfare Assistants and Foster Co-Ordinator's maintains the highest standards of animal care and adheres to national processes in case management. Since we don’t have cattery or kennel facilities, innovation and teamwork are essential to address the most urgent cases effectively. 

Motivating and managing your team is central to this role, enabling the centre to provide top-quality home-based pet care while helping your team develop professionally. 

This is a full-time position, working 37.5 hours per week and you will be required to work 1 in 3 weekends.

About you 
You’ll be a great people manager, bringing finely honed skills from your experience in an animal-related environment, along with expert knowledge of pet welfare and care. 

As a dynamic and innovative leader, you know how to inspire and motivate your team, driving continuous improvement. You’ll lead a team of Pet Welfare Assistants and Foster Coordinators, empowering them through effective management and coaching. 

With excellent communication skills, you adapt your approach for different audiences, ensuring your message resonates. While juggling multiple tasks, you remain calm and organised, making confident decisions in high-pressure situations. 

Your strong analytical skills enable you to monitor and evaluate effectively, implementing meaningful improvements. 

Having worked in emotionally charged environments, you understand the importance of resilience and have excellent “bounce-back ability.” Your emotional intelligence and empathy will shine as you support your team and the public, creating a compassionate and effective workplace. 

Knowledge, skills, and experience  

• Significant experience in managing a team. 
• Significant experience in delivering high level Customer service in a fast-paced environment. 
• Significant subject matter expertise and application of pet welfare and handling of domestic animals 
• High standard of verbal and written communication. 
• Current full driving licence 
• The ability to demonstrate, understand and apply our Blue Cross values 

It would be great (but not essential) if you also had:  

• Performance management and improvement experience.
• Experience working with volunteers. 
• Understanding of safeguarding issues.

Want to know more detail? Great! We have attached the job description which hopefully gives you everything you need.  

How to apply  

Click the apply button below and complete the online application process before the closing date on Tuesday 20th January 2026. 

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:  

• Enhanced annual leave entitlement: 30 days plus bank holidays  
• Pension scheme with enhanced employer contribution  
• Health cash plan  
• Life assurance  
• Unlimited access to an employee assistance programme  
• Programmes for physical and mental wellbeing support  
• Free access to GP via MetLife  
• Recognition scheme Annual volunteer days 
• Claim for professional fees  

To read more about the benefits Blue Cross has to offer, please visit the 'why work for us' page on our website.  

About us

We’re Breast Cancer Now, the research and support charity. We’re the place to turn to for anything and everything to do with breast cancer. However you’re experiencing breast cancer, we’re here. 

The brightest minds in breast cancer research are here. Making life-saving research happen in labs across the UK and Ireland. Support services, trustworthy breast cancer information and specialist nurses are here. Ready to support you whenever you need it. Dedicated campaigners are here. Fighting for the best possible treatment, services and care for anyone affected by breast cancer.

About the role

You’ll ensure service enquiries are handled sensitively and efficiently, demonstrating excellent customer care skills via telephone, email and occasionally face to face. You’ll play a pivotal role in ensuring the smooth running of services includes Moving Forward courses, Living with Secondary Breast Cancer and Younger Women Together.

About you

You’re enthusiastic, proactive and committed to providing excellent customer service. An experienced administrator, you’ll be organised and methodical as well as possessing excellent working knowledge of IT systems, including working with databases.

Friendly and approachable, you’ll be able to quickly build effective connections with new people and have a sensitive approach and understanding of confidentiality appropriate for working with vulnerable people.

Job description and benefits

Please download the job description and our attractive benefits package.

Primary location of role and hybrid working

This role is primarily based in our Sheffield office. Our hybrid working model allows you to work up to 3 days per week at home.

When applying

We hope you choose to apply for this role. Please refer to the essential criteria on the person specification and clearly provide as much information as you can with examples, to demonstrate how and where you meet the criteria. If you’ve any immediate questions please contact the Breast Cancer Now recruitment team.

Our commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion

We’re committed to promoting equity, valuing diversity and creating an inclusive environment – for everyone who works for us, works with us, supports us and who we support.

Closing date 19 January 2026 9 am

Interview date week commencing 26 January 2026

We reserve the right to close this advert early subject to volume of applicants. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.

We know that 91% of people affected by a brain tumour, will have experienced a negative impact to their emotional well-being; often exacerbated by cognitive issues, personality changes, long term side effects and reduced prognosis. The Support Team at The Brain Tumour Charity are addressing this by offering free, professional counselling to the brain tumour community, ensuring that when needed, those diagnosed and their loved ones, always have somewhere to turn.

As a Counselling Service Assistant for this service, you will support with the day-to-day operations of the service. You will help to deliver each element of the service, from referrals and assessments, right through to feedback requests and discharging clients.

WHO WE'RE LOOKING FOR:

We are looking for a professional and empathetic person, who has experience of working in a busy admin role. The ideal candidate would also have a good understanding of counselling and would be able to confidently explain this to prospective clients. We are looking for someone with excellent IT and telephone skills and the ability to learn and use various databases is essential.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES:

• Day to day delivery of all service operations, mainly answering phone calls, responding to emails and managing a busy diary.

• Supporting a team of volunteer assessors to ensure they receive the help and guidance they need to deliver their role.

• Giving clients in the service a positive, empathetic and professional experience, where they feel well supported.

• Requesting feedback from clients about their experience within the service

• Maintenance of appropriate and accurate records on our service system and CRM database, as required to evidence the impact and reach of our support services

• Work to promote the service across all areas of charity and within the wider community

• Assist with the covering of the Charity’s Support Line where required

• Committed to observing confidentiality, in line with the service and organisational policy

• Contribution to safeguarding and promotion of the welfare of clients, in line with organisational policy

Become an Apprentice Worker and use your lived experience to inspire clients throughout their recovery while gaining a qualification and working on your professional development.

At St Mungo’s, we believe in creating opportunities for people with lived experience of homelessness, substance use, mental health challenges, involvement with the criminal justice system, and/or recovery services. Our Apprenticeship Scheme is designed to help you build a career while making a positive impact. We have opportunities available for 18 month fixed term contracts as Client Support Apprentice Workers.

What you’ll do as an Apprentice Worker

Working as Client Support Apprentice Worker, you will complete practical work experience and academic learning, and work alongside colleagues, students and volunteers working together to empower clients, with a variety of needs in achieving personal goals.

• Gain practical experience and skills in caseload management while working in a person-centred way to support wellbeing and recovery.
• Learn how to deliver day-to-day services while collaborating with colleagues and external partners.
• Have opportunities to shadow experienced staff and receive on-the-job training, observing how we empower our clients to access the right support and move on.
• Complete the practical element of your apprenticeships with meetings and event attendance as well as formal learning while completing a Level 3 Peer Worker qualification.
• Complete on and off the job learning, shadowing and development opportunities.
• You will receive support and supervision from an Apprenticeship Advisor as well as a direct line manager, every step of the way.

Where you’ll work

We’re excited to offer 2 Client Support Apprentice Worker opportunities, joining the team in the London Borough of Camden in the following services:

Camden Shared Houses: A large service spreading across 6 properties and supporting over 40 clients with their needs around homelessness, substance use, mental and physical wellbeing. This service works closely with Camden Council, other accommodation providers in the Adult Pathway, CAPP nurses, and other local services to ensure clients receive holistic support and move towards independence.

North Camden Mental Health Accommodation Services: A mental health supported accommodation service supporting clients with high and low support. Generally, clients move to high support services from hospital and move on from there to low support and then into independent accommodation in the community. This service works closely with other providers within the Mental Health Pathway and community mental health teams.

What we’re looking for

We’re looking for self-motivated people who can bring their own lived experience of recovery or using services, and use it positively and appropriately to inspire and empower our clients on their journey.

• You will have great communication and listening skills, empathy, and a genuine desire to make a difference.
• You will have some experience through volunteering or working in a similar setting, basic admin and IT skills and a  proactive attitude towards learning.
• If this sounds like you, we encourage you to apply!

If you don’t think you meet all of the requirements, we would still love to hear from you. You can find more information about the scheme and our contact details on our website, why not get in touch with the team who can answer your questions. 

How to apply

To view the job description and guidance on completing your application form, please click on the ‘document’ tab on the advert page on our website.

To find out more and apply please go to the St Mungo’s careers page on our website.

Closing date: 10am on Monday 12 January 2026

Interview and assessments: between 27-29 January 2026

St Mungo's are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace. We strongly encourage applications from all under-represented groups.

What we offer

• A full-time, paid role (37.5 hours per week) for 18 months.
• A comprehensive training programme.
• A dedicated team to support and empower you.
• Excellent development and growth opportunities
• A diverse and inclusive workplace
• Great pay and other benefits