Animal Rescue Officer

For 200 years, the RSPCA has been a voice for animals. We've been changing minds, laws, industries and lives to create a better world for animals and people alike. A key part of our work is delivered by our dedicated Animal Rescue Officers (ARO), and we are excited to announce new openings for ARO positions across England and Wales.

Could you be the change in an animal's life?

What's the role about?

Our AROs play a critical role at the RSPCA responding to reports of animal cruelty, neglect or injury. You will work proactively to prevent or reduce the incidence of animal cruelty and neglect through interactions with members of the public, sharing knowledge through education and advice to owners.

• This role requires a strong commitment to animal welfare and the ability to handle challenging situations with empathy and professionalism.

• There is no typical day in the life of an ARO, but you can expect to work closely with people and animals everyday, offering the opportunity for a career that is both varied and rewarding.

• You will encounter upsetting and stressful situations involving animals and their owners, so you'll need to be able to make decisions and take action in the moment.

• You'll offer advice and support and work with other agencies to secure the welfare of animals. This may mean having challenging conversations with confidence to ensure the best outcome is achieved for the animal(s) and all concerned.

• The ARO role allows you to work autonomously as you'll spend a large part of your day on the road visiting unfamiliar remote and urban locations alone.

• The work can also be physically demanding as you'll be lifting and carrying heavy equipment and animals, as well as working at height, in confined spaces or even on water! We will provide full training to ensure you can carry out your duties safely and effectively.

• There are not many people who have a career that they are passionate about, but being an ARO means you'll be addressing animal welfare needs and creating an opportunity for them to have a better life on a daily basis.

• For more information, you can also refer to the attached job description.

Locations

To be considered you must live in one of the following postcode areas:

• HD1
• HD2
• HD3
• HD4
• HD5
• HD6
• HD7

To join our team, you'll also need the meet the following:

• You will need to be a resilient, independent thinker who thrives as a lone worker and can adapt to people's changing emotions and challenging situations with ease.

• Securing the welfare of animals is not a 9-5 job. Our Animal Rescue Officers (AROs) work varied shifts between 8am and 9pm, including weekends, and occasionally stay later to complete their tasks.

• Location: We will only consider applications from candidates who live within the parameters of the postcodes detailed in the advert. For the current campaign we are not considering applications from candidates who wish to relocate.

• Age Requirement: Must be 17 or older to apply and 18 by the course start date.

• Availability: Must be available to start on 28th April 2025 and commit to a continuous intensive training period for 20 weeks without annual leave.

• Travel Flexibility: Training will take place at various locations across the country requiring occasional overnight stays.

• Driving: A full manual driver's licence with recent manual driving experience and confidence in driving long distances.

• Qualifications: Ideally, you should have a Level 2 qualification in English Language (GCSE grade C or above, or Grades 4-9).

• Swimming: You must be a confident swimmer i.e.able to swim 50 metres fully clothed within 2.5 minutes by the time you are assessed within the ARO training course.

Benefits

• 25 days holiday - increasing annually to a maximum of 31 days, plus bank holidays

• Healthcare cash plan - a subsidised plan to help cover routine medical, optical and dental expenses

• Pension scheme - a competitive Defined Contribution pension

• Discount schemes - incl. retailers, travel, insurance, gym memberships, cinema, theatre etc.

• Professional Development - training programmes, career development etc.

• Employee Assistance Programme - Free and confidential access to our 24/7 Employee Assistance Programme

• Occupational sick pay - a generous scheme depending on length of service, starting at four weeks full pay in the first year

• Cycle to work scheme

• Life assurance - paid to dependants in the event of a colleague's death

• Family friendly policies - including maternity, adoption and shared parental leave, paid leave for IVF treatment and Paternity Leave (all subject to eligibility)

• Dog friendly policies - dog-friendly spaces across our sites, which means you can bring your dog to work with you (subject to eligibility criteria)

Do you have excellent communication skills, with a knack for defusing confrontational situations? Are you ready to join our movement? Apply now to join our dedicated team of Animal Rescue Officers.

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

Applicants must have the legal right to work in the UK as we are unable to sponsor visas.

We are really lucky that some of our roles attract a high level of interest, and for this reason we review applications as they are received. Unfortunately on some occasions this means roles may close earlier than advertised, so early submissions are highly recommended.

We recognise that a diverse and inclusive workforce is essential to achieving our core 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.