Animal Centre Manager (2945)

Do you want to help create a better world for animals? At the RSPCA, we believe animal welfare is everyone's welfare. Join us in creating a better world for every animal. We can do it if we work together, everyone for every animal.

We are excited to be looking for an inspirational, people centric new team member as Animal Centre Manager at our Southridge Site - 12 month Fixed term contract.

Southridge is an important part of our network, supporting the rescue, rehabilitation, and rehoming of animals in need. With exciting plans to develop a co-located site, this is a unique opportunity to help shape the future of the centre and the services we provide.

This is a fantastic opportunity to:

• Work closely with the Operations Manager to prepare the centre for its new co-located site
• Inspire and support colleagues and volunteers through a period of positive change
• Share your experience and lead by example as a role model and change champion
  
  

Working hours: 35 hours per week on a shift basis between 08:30 – 17:00, including weekends and Bank Holidays

Location: Southridge Animal Centre, Packhorse Lane, Potters Bar, EN6 3LZ

Southridge is one of the RSPCA largest centres caring for a significant number of dogs, cats and small animals along with taking a lead in holding and rehoming our farm animals in need of rehabilitation and rehoming. 

• Working hours: 35 hours on a shift basis between 08.30 - 5.00pm including weekends and Bank Holidays. 
• Location: Southridge Animal Centre, Packhorse Ln, Potters Bar EN6 3L
• Contract: Fixed term for 12 months

The role

Are you a collaborative and values-driven leader? Do you share our mission to create a kinder world for all animals?

As Animal Centre Manager, you'll lead the day-to-day running of the centre, ensuring excellent animal welfare, a positive customer experience, and a supportive environment for colleagues and volunteers.

You'll thrive in a fast-paced setting, balancing changing priorities with creativity and sound judgement. By coaching and developing a diverse team, you'll deliver high-quality care aligned with national standards, championing the voice of every animal through effective, triage-led approaches.

You'll also ensure the centre is safe, compliant, and sustainable, working collaboratively to create a positive space for both people and animals.

Are you ready to join our movement?

Our recruitment journey 

Here's what the process looks like, no surprises, just a friendly guide:

1. Application
   You'll be asked to answer an application question to give us a sense of your experience, skills, and potential. Don't worry if you don't tick every box - what really matters is what you can bring to the role and the team.
2. Panel Interview
   If your application is successful, you'll be invited to a panel interview with the Hiring Manager and a member of the Management team. This is a chance to:

• Share more about what you've done and what you're proud of
• Ask questions about the role, team, and impact you could make
• Show off your skills and behaviours in a relaxed, supportive setting
  
  

If you need any adjustments during the recruitment process, just let us know - we're happy to support you.

For full details, please see the job description. Here's a summary of key responsibilities:

• Leadership & People - Lead, support, and develop colleagues and volunteers, promoting wellbeing and performance
• Animal Welfare & Operations - Ensure care meets RSPCA standards across intake, triage, rehabilitation, enrichment, rehoming, transfers, and end-of-life decisions
• Fostering - Develop and grow fostering programmes to support capacity and care
• Compliance - Maintain a safe, compliant, and biosecure environment
• Collaboration & Improvement - Work with internal teams and external partners to share best practice and drive consistency

Essential:

• Proven leadership experience
• Experience managing budgets and operational expenditure
• Practical animal handling and husbandry experience
• Ability to remain calm under pressure and make sound decisions in sensitive situations
• Strong communication skills and ability to build effective relationships
  
  

Desirable:

• Knowledge of animal anatomy and behaviour
• HNC/HND (or equivalent) in an animal-related subject
• NVQ Level 2 (or equivalent)

Successful candidates for certain RSPCA roles will need to undergo a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.

Applicants must have the legal right to work in the UK - We are unable to sponsor visas at RSPCA

We want to ensure we do all we can to give you a positive candidate experience through our recruitment. Whilst we do try to give feedback where we can, sometimes due to receiving high levels of applications, this may not always be possible

We are building the future of a diverse Society, and our priority is to support animal welfare by finding people from all backgrounds who are committed  to our mission.  For this reason we actively encourage a wide diversity of applications - in particular from members of minority ethnic groups, and people with disabilities - as these candidates are currently under-represented at the RSPCA. Your transferable skills & lived experiences could make you a valuable addition to our RSPCA Family! 

We're here to support you and encourage you to let us know if you need any adjustments at any stage of the recruitment process. Please feel free to contact us at resourcingteam@rspca.org.uk or 0300 123 0685 so we can ensure the process works for you.