Dog Training Manager (South West)

Application Deadline: 3 July 2026

Department: Services

Employment Type: Permanent - Full Time

Location: The Grange

Compensation: £35,000 / year

Description

JOB TITLE: Dog Training Manager

LOCATION: Hybrid / Community based South West

HOURS: 35 hours per week, Monday to Friday

Hearing Dogs for Deaf People is looking for an experienced and enthusiastic Dog Training Manager in and around the South West of England.

The role of the Dog Training Manager is to support the development and training of Hearing Dog puppies to become future life changers.

From 8 weeks of age, puppies enter their training journey to be nurtured and cared for by their volunteer puppy trainer. The Training Manager supports the work of the team responsible for the training of these dogs, ensuring the best possible standards are achieved with each and every dog.

Training Managers form a vital part of the Services department, they provide leadership for the regional teams and are responsible for the quality standards, productivity and efficiency of the dog training pipeline.

Key Responsibilities

We are looking for a self motivated and positive individual with practical and theoretical experience in dog training and behaviour, with skills in teaching, mentoring and coaching people.

The ability to develop and train dogs using the skills of our volunteers is essential so we are looking for someone who finds value in working with both people and dogs and is driven by the overall goal to help train more dogs for deaf people.

You will need resilience and a high degree of efficiency to be a successful Dog Training Manager and hold a full clean UK driving licence.

Lead, motivate and support a team of up to 6 staff overseeing 60 dogs and 120 volunteers. Ensuring the team are clear and orientated towards their team targets, dealing with delays, challenges and issues proactively.
Support the personal and professional development of the team, implementing the departmental L&D programme, empowering people to become effective problem solvers, supporting career progression and delivery of CPD where relevant.
Provide constructive feedback relevant to performance and delivery, management of day to day personnel issues, implementation of performance improvement plans if required.
Be responsible for reaching productivity targets, delivering these on time and of the appropriate standard, ensuring each dog achieves the best possible outcome.
Carry out regular standards checks and assessments on the dogs; area managers are accountable for the quality of training in their region.
Manage resources required for optimum productivity, including volunteer numbers, intakes of puppies, appropriate client matching and placement delivery. Allowing for a smooth pipeline of dogs of the right ages and stages in the region.
Maintain a positive, collaborative and solution focused attitude amongst training team staff. This includes working cross departmentally, working collaboratively on areas such as volunteer recruitment, client matching and dog placement.
Be responsible for accurate planning, data management and data collection on dogs and volunteers in the region.
Highlight issues to your line manager which may impact the team. For example, volunteer concerns, client issues or dog delays.
Supervise and sign off that each client match is appropriate during the matching process and onward, until the handover of the dog to the Partnership Team.
Be responsible for monitoring the progress of dog placement courses and communicating updates to relevant staff and volunteers in a positive and timely manner.
Support with staff recruitment into the team, shortlisting candidates, planning and leading interviews and coordinating staff arrivals into the team.
Support staff with kit management and other resources, ensuring equipment is maintained in good condition with minimal waste.
Attend regular team meetings to discuss, share and review performance and to identify improvement opportunities.
Communicate, work collaboratively, support and share learning with all members of Services.
Create an environment to encourage empowerment and a culture of continuous improvement.
Interact with and monitor specific social media platforms relating to hearing dogs as requested.
Provide content and imagery about training dogs for fundraising and comms when requested.
Ensure cleanliness and tidiness of working environment and vehicles reporting any maintenance requirements as appropriate.
Attend fundraising, volunteering and operational events as a representative of Hearing Dogs for Deaf People. Act as an ambassador for the team and the Charity including involvement with publicity activities.

Skills, Knowledge and Expertise

Communication skills (spoken and written)

Excellent written and verbal communication skills are essential. Ability to communicate effectively on a one to one basis and between departments. Strong management skills to lead diverse staff members and create a dynamic and productive team is essential. An interest in team culture development is desirable.

Interpersonal skills

Work successfully and diplomatically with staff at all levels of the Charity, Volunteers, clients & the public. Awareness of the needs of lip readers and able to adapt communication appropriately when required.

Organisational skills

Excellent critical thinking, planning and organisational skills are essential. This is a varied and multi skilled role, the ability to organise one's self and prioritise the workload is extremely important. All roles within the manager's team will need to have strong time management & prioritisation skills in order to deliver their roles effectively, therefore the area manager needs to be skilled in instilling this practice with diverse staff.

Dog behaviour/training

Knowledge of canine behaviour and training techniques is essential. Must have a proven track record of theoretical and practical experience and an understanding of learning theory.

Information Technology skills

IT competency is essential.

Other

A full clean manual driving licence.

Please note: This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 due to its duties involving the protection of children and/or adults at risk. Applicants are therefore required to disclose all spent and unspent convictions, cautions, warnings, and reprimands, as well as any relevant non conviction information. The successful candidate will be required to undertake a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check in accordance with the Police Act 1997 (Part V).

Benefits

Employee Assistance Programme
Death in Service Payment
Annual leave enhancements recognising long service
Day off for your birthday
Defined contribution group personal pension plan
Enhanced sick pay
Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption pay
Eye care
Hearing tests
Learning and Development opportunities
Discounts on merchandise at Hearing Dog gift shops
Pet Dog Policy

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