Job Description

Animal Care Assistant - Victoria animal hospital
Application Deadline: 18 June 2025
Department: Veterinary Services
Employment Type: Permanent - Full Time
Location: Victoria animal hospital
Reporting To: Deputy Nurse Manager
Compensation: 30,826 / year
Description
Contract: Permanent, full time (42 hours per week)
Salary: 26,208 plus 3,954 London Weighting Allowance per annum
Location: Victoria animal hospital, London SW1V 1QQ
Closing date: Wednesday 18th June 2025
Interview date: 30th June and 1st July 2025
Since June 1999, we've been a cornerstone of the Victoria community, delivering veterinary services to over 10,000 unique pets every year. From routine procedures like neutering to intricate surgeries and advanced diagnostics, our hospital offers a comprehensive range of treatments. Join us as an animal care assistant to make a difference to our community every day!
More about the role
Blue Cross animal hospitals and pet care clinics play a vital role in providing veterinary treatment to sick and injured pets, particularly when their owners are unable to afford private veterinary fees. Our veterinary care services are accessible to pets whose owners receive certain means-tested benefits and reside within the catchment area of one of our animal hospitals or pet care clinics.
Our Animal Care Assistants have a key role in our fast-paced hospitals, providing a high standard of care to the pets in our hospitals and providing support to their owners. They do this by providing the highest level of animal care and customer service with empathy and a non-judgmental mindset in all situations.
Each day will see you providing care to the pets in our hospitals which includes cleaning, feeding, exercising, grooming, laundry and administering treatment, dealing with clients on our busy reception, dispensing medication and taking payments. You will be monitoring our patient's health, wellbeing and behaviour as well as those recovering from anaesthetic.
Working closely with our Vets and Nurses, you will be assisting them with the preparation of preparation of patients and operating theatre for surgery.
This is full time role working 42 hours a week with a one hour paid lunch break on a rota to include weekends and public holidays. Due to the nature of the work of Blue Cross, and this post, it may be necessary to exceed these hours when the workload demands.
About you
The ideal candidate for this role is someone who has previous experience in a veterinary support role which may have been in a vet practice, or kennel setting. As well as the practical animal handling skills, we would like someone who has experience working in a busy reception alongside their animal care role who feels confident in both animal facing and customer facing environments, however this is not essential.
With great communication skills they will be able to speak to a wide variety of people. Working in an animal hospital can involve supporting clients that are distressed, therefore, you will be able to work in an emotionally charged environment and have excellent 'bounce back ability' and resilience, with ability to keep calm under pressure and re-prioritise tasks where needed. This person will be emotionally intelligent, showing empathy and knowing how to support clients and colleagues.
Knowledge, skills, and experience

• Experience working or volunteering in a veterinary practice or within a similar role
• Experience within a reception or client care role
• Good communication skills, both written and verbal
• IT literate with MS Office and web-based databases and platforms
• The ability to demonstrate, understand and apply our Blue Cross values

Although not essential, it would be great if you also had:

• Experience within a reception or client care role
• Qualification in Animal Care or similar
• The ability to observe changes in animals health and wellbeing
• The ability to interact face to face with clients and visitors and communicate effectively with a range of people

How to apply
Click the apply button below and complete the online application process before the closing date. 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 page on our website.