Guide Dog Trainer

The Guide Dog Trainer helps people with sight loss to live the life they choose by providing technical support and expertise in order to maximise the organisation’s productive capacity by providing a wide range of technical and practical support to ensure a full and efficient service to clients. This includes the training of guide dogs in community and regional teams to class standard and elements of volunteer and customer training and support.

This role will be based on site at our Reading office, working closely with a team of guide dog trainers. You’ll be working 35 hours per week, worked 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday.

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.

We reserve the right to close adverts earlier than the closing date.

Diversity

Guide Dogs welcomes applications from all sections of the community and actively encourages diversity to maximise achievements, creativity and good practice. We positively welcome and seek to ensure we achieve diversity in our workforce and that all job applicants and employees receive equal and fair treatment, regardless of age, race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, disability or nationality.

We encourage applications from people with disabilities as they are currently under-represented in the organisation and guarantee an invitation to interview for all applicants with disabilities who demonstrate, within their application form, sufficient evidence to meet the essential criteria for the job.

Safeguarding

Guide Dogs is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all children, young people and adults at risk of harm with whom we work. We expect all our employees and volunteers to fully share this commitment.

Essential

• Qualified in the role of Guide Dog Trainer.
• Adaptability and flexibility to the changing needs of the role.
• Able to demonstrate aptitude for dog handling.
• Able to practically apply theoretical knowledge.
• Able to undertake physical demands of the role, including walking long distances daily (in excess of 8-10 miles), in all weather conditions, unaided, and able to handle and walk with a range of dog breeds, ages, sizes and temperaments.
• Willing and able to drive large transit dog-carrying vehicles, or suitable alternative to transporting multiple dogs.
• Current knowledge of dog handling and training techniques and approaches. A working understanding of dog care.
• Basic IT skills
• Working knowledge of dog ethology, behaviour, learning theory and positive reinforcement training techniques.
• Able to work independently or as part of a team.
• Able to use initiative to organise and prioritise multiple tasks for successful completion.
• Able to apply a professional approach and comply with policies and procedures.
• Able and willing to supervise/coach/mentor staff and volunteers
• Demonstrate excellent interpersonal skills.
• Communicate effectively using a good standard of written and verbal English.

• Accredited learning in the areas of animal welfare or behaviour.
• Accredited learning in the area of teaching or mentoring.
• 3 GCSE/O’ levels or the equivalent – including Math’s /English (QCF level 1-2 / SQCF levels 4-5)
• Previous experience in the areas of animal welfare, training or behaviour.
• Previous experience in a teaching or mentoring role.
• Previous experience of working as a mentor or supervising others.