Job opportunities

Dog giving a high five
Rachel Oates © / The Kennel Club

The primary objective of The Kennel Club is to improve in every way the welfare, health and general well-being of all dogs throughout their lives, through various research and educational programmes, and our charitable trust.

As an organisation we are committed to promoting and protecting dogs' varied roles in society and defending the interests of all dog owners.

If you have the relevant skills, an interest in dogs, and want to join our team, please read on.

We have two offices, one in London located at 10 Clarges Street, Mayfair, London, W1J 8AB and another in Aylesbury located at Kennel Club House, Gatehouse Way, Aylesbury, HP19 8DB.

Equal opportunities and diversity

The Kennel Club is committed to activities that promote the culture of equality of opportunity. We recognise the worth of every individual and appreciate the benefits to be gained from making full use of people's talents to enhance our business performance.

We are committed to ensuring that recruitment, selection, training, development and promotion procedures result in no job applicant or employee receiving less-favourable treatment on the grounds of:

  • race
  • age
  • gender reassignment 
  • religion or belief
  • disability
  • marriage or civil partnership
  • sex
  • sexual orientation 
  • pregnancy or maternity

The Kennel Club's objective is to ensure that individuals are selected, promoted and otherwise treated solely on the basis of their relevant aptitudes, skills and abilities. All employees are responsible for ensuring that our equal opportunities policy is adhered to.

Rewards and benefits

To work for The Kennel Club you need to be passionate about making a difference for dogs. We believe that the unique skills and dedicated work of our staff should be rewarded. Below are some of the benefits we offer our staff:

Salary

We offer salaries that reflect the market we operate in and regularly check ourselves against similar roles in other organisations.

  • Employer pension contributions double the percentage of your plan earnings, up to 8%
  • Life assurance equivalent to three times your basic salary (two times your basic salary for non-pension scheme members)

Work-life balance

  • 23 days annual leave, increasing up to 27 days, in addition to statutory holidays. Staff may also receive additional days for any approved business closure days over the festive period in December
  • Option to buy up to five days of annual leave per year
  • Flexible working – formal and informal flexible working arrangements. The options available will depend on individual circumstances, and the demands and priorities of the department in which employees are based
  • Family leave; including maternity, paternity, adoption, shared parental, parental and dependant leave
  • Sabbatical leave

Health and wellbeing

  • Healthcare cashback programme with a fixed contribution paid for by The Kennel Club
  • Free eye tests with a voucher towards the cost of your spectacles
  • Employee assistance programme, providing access to independent advisors and counsellors for staff and their immediate families
  • Occupational health which we can refer staff if there are any health concerns
  • Flu vaccination vouchers
  • Discounted gym membership
  • Cycle to work scheme

Learning and development

We aim to create an environment where individuals are able to take responsibility for their own learning and development; an environment which recognises learning as an important element of organisational and individual achievement. We aim for continuous improvement in everything that we do.

  • Dedicated Senior Learning and Development Officer
  • Learning Management System which consists of over 500 courses
  • Open Training Programme with a spectrum of both in-house and external courses, comprising both practical skills and personal development opportunities which are supported by access to internal coaching
  • Financial support for professional and vocational qualifications, with five days' study leave provided
  • Free access to The Kennel Club Library and Art Gallery

Financial Benefits

  • Interest-free season ticket loan
  • Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption pay
  • Lifestyle discounts via our EAP and healthcare cashback programme
  • Discounts on The Kennel Club products and services
  • Complimentary staff tickets to Crufts and Discover Dogs

Recognition

  • Referral program – we are constantly looking for ways to attract and recruit the best talent possible who share our core values and aspirations
  • Values nomination – we encourage colleagues to nominate individuals and teams who they believe have displayed behaviour that demonstrates The Kennel Club values
  • Long service - to show our appreciation, staff would receive monetary rewards and a thank you card from our Chief Executive for their 10, 20 and 25 years’ service milestone
Our values

At The Kennel Club we promote and encourage our oneKC values.  They are called ‘oneKC’ because we believe that all employees are integral in embedding our values in the culture of the organisation.

Our oneKC values are:

Respect

Recognise and appreciate the value that each person contributes and treat each other with dignity.

Growth

Everyone is open to learning and adapting to new challenges and opportunities.

Teamwork

Our collective ambition can only be achieved by supporting, sharing and working together as oneKC.

Ownership

We accept the responsibility for our decisions, workload, and the way we interact with others.

Excellence

We take pride in our work. We aim high and celebrate excellence in achieving and surpassing our goals.

Future Focused

The world is changing faster than ever before. We must be future focussed to remain relevant, impactful and inclusive.

The purpose of our values is to:

  • Create a shared set of behaviours
  • Help build a common purpose that we stand for
  • Enable more transparency and consistency across the breadth of our work
  • Provide guidance – we are more likely to make the right decisions in the right way and achieve our vision and goals
  • Deliver a stronger framework for recruitment, progression, feedback – the ‘how’ is as important as the ‘what’

Current vacancies

Activities Liaison Administrator

An opportunity has arisen in the Canine Activities department for an Activities Liaison Administrator on a Fixed-Term contract for 12 months.


What the role involves:

      • Responsibility for day-to-day administration across all canine activities. 

      • Attending Crufts to support the exhibitors’ enquiries team 
      • Assisting with the production and proofreading of the Kennel Club Stud book 
      • Administrative support including but not limited to writing minutes and agendas for sporting committees, drafting letters to customers, preparing papers for sporting committee meetings and board meetings, updating booklets and specimen schedules when regulation changes are made, and data entry. 
      • Working as a team to ensure that grassroots participants are provided with a high level of customer service. 


We are looking for an Activities Liaison Administrator who has excellent time management and organisational skills in order to be able to support the team effectively. You will also need to be reliable and flexible and be able to deal respectfully with internal and external customers. 


An interest or experience of the dog showing world would be useful but not essential as training will be provided. 


Job Details:

Fixed-Term (12 Months) - Full Time

Location: London/Hybrid (2 days a week in our London office)

Salary: Up to £26,000 per annum

Closing date: 19 November 2024

Please be advised that if you are a member of The Kennel Club and are successful in your application you will be required to relinquish your membership.


Apply Here
Client Services Advisor

An opportunity has a risen in the Call Centre within the Operations Department for a Client Services Advisor.


What the role involves:


Your role within the team will be to ensure that our customers have all the information they require and that they feel valued. 


The ideal candidate will have:

  • Experience of delivering a broad range of products and services including sales promotion.
  • Experience of supporting customers using web related services.
  • Experience of using bespoke CRM / database systems. 
  • Knowledge of Microsoft products.
  • Effective questioning and listening skills.
  • Experience of working to KPI’s and targets.
  • To be able to communicate effectively and present in a professional manner.
  • Ability to interpret and work with rules and regulations (including formal, i.e. GDPR, ISO, PCI) 

 


We are looking for a Client Services Advisor who has excellent time management and organisational skills are a must to succeed in this role, alongside the desire to assist the department to grow moving forward.  You will need to be reliable and flexible with a can-do attitude and be respectful when dealing with internal and external customers.  To excel in this role, you will have the ability to work alongside other members of the team and take ownership for the tasks you are given.


Job Details:

Full time - Permanent

Location: Aylesbury/Hybrid

Salary: Up to £22,914 per annum

Closing date: Midnight on 15 November 2024

Please be advised that if you are a member of The Kennel Club and are successful in your application you will be required to relinquish your membership.

An interest and knowledge in the canine world would be useful but not essential as full product training will be given.


Apply Here
Internal Communication & Engagement Manager

An opportunity has arisen in the Marketing and Communications department for an Internal Communications & Engagement Manager. 

The Internal Communications Manager is responsible for developing, implementing, and overseeing internal communication strategies that foster employee engagement, ensure alignment with the KC’s objectives and enhance the company culture. The Manager will work cross-functionally with Executives and Senior Management to ensure clear, consistent, and effective communication across all departments.

What the role involves:

  • Driving communication efforts that support a positive and inclusive workplace culture.
  • Developing campaigns to boost employee engagement, foster collaboration, and reinforce the organisation’s values and purpose. Where necessary business partner with HR to achieve this.
  • Collaborating with the Chief Executive and the Executive Team to shape internal messaging, including emails, speeches, presentations, and internal announcements. Ensuring consistency of messaging across all departments of the organisation.
  • Leading internal communication efforts during periods of organisational change, ensuring transparency and clarity for colleagues.
  • Creating and implementing a comprehensive internal communications plan and timeline aligned with TKC’s overall strategy and plan.

The ideal candidate will have:

  • Previous experience in an internal communications manager role or similar experience. 
  • Proven experience in developing and executing internal communications strategies in complex organisations.
  • Strong managerial skills, with the ability to work collaboratively across all levels of the organisation
  • Experience with change management and crisis communications.
  • Proficiency in using Microsoft Teams and SharePoint and other digital internal communications tools.


We are looking for an Internal Communications & Engagement Manager who has excellent time management and organisational skills in order to be able to support the team effectively. You will also need to be reliable and flexible and be able to deal respectfully with internal and external customers. 


Job Details:

Permanent - Full Time

Location: London/Hybrid (2 days a week in our London office)

Salary: £55,000 - £60,000 dependant on experience

Closing date: 2 December 2024

Please be advised that if you are a member of The Kennel Club and are successful in your application you will be required to relinquish your membership.


Apply Here
Veterinary & Research Advisor


An opportunity has arisen in the Health, Welfare and Breeder Services department for an Veterinary & Research Advisor on a Fixed-Term contract for 12 months.


What the role involves:

  • Supporting the health standard as a credible source of information relating to breed associated health issues, as well as help in its further development, for example including an analysis metric to allow a standardised comparison of the severity of different diseases, for use in prioritising health intervention work.  

  • Strengthening the expertise within the team to enable progress towards The Kennel Club actions within the breed health and conservation plans, specifically relating to complex clinical areas lacking relevant research.

  • Supporting with operational processes relating to the veterinary and clinical aspects of the health standard including consideration of how we pragmatically include severity grading. 

  • Supporting and managing the list of clinical conditions/approach with research gaps as part of breed health and conservation plan action plans.


The ideal candidate will have:

  • Qualified veterinary surgeon with experience in clinical canine practice.
  • Experienced researcher, preferably having completed research relating to pedigree dogs. 
  • Prior experience and involvement with breed club and breed community health work.
  • Familiarity with The Kennel Club’s health work, preferably through previous voluntary service on health committees.


We are looking for an Veterinary & Research Advisor who has excellent time management and organisational skills in order to be able to support the team effectively. You will also need to be reliable and flexible and be able to deal respectfully with internal and external customers. 


Job Details:

Fixed-Term (12 Months) - Part Time - 3 days a week

Location: Remote/Homebased attending meetings as required

Salary: £29,000 - £32,000 per annum (pro rata)

Closing date: 25 November 2024

Please be advised that if you are a member of The Kennel Club and are successful in your application you will be required to relinquish your membership.


Apply Here

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