Head of Pets in Chester House, Epsom Ave, Handforth, Cheadle, Greater Manchester, SK9 3DF

Head of Pets 

12/15 month maternity contract

Handforth based, with opportunity to work from home.

UK wide travel as required, requiring some overnight stays

Attendance at key industry events.

About Us

“We put pets first” is our number one value at Pets at Home. Every colleague has a part to play to ensure that we deliver on this value every day. Our love and understanding of pets led us to develop our long-term goal to improve the life of every pet in the UK.

This covers not only the pets in our care, the pets of owners that use our products and services but also the pets that we can help through our charity work and through educating and advocating for change in society and the wider pet care and veterinary industry.

We put pets first; it’s not simply a statement, its’ your driving focus as our Head of Pets.

About the Role

The purpose of this role is to be the guardian of our number one value “We put pets first” with the responsibility and accountability to manage store pets’ welfare across over 450 stores (from breeder to customer). This responsibility includes influencing welfare for the broader pet population through advising on products, marketing, customer services and PR. This unique role requires an experienced small animal vet, able to challenge confidently when required with good people skills and the ability to build relationships at all levels of the organisation, across the Pets at Home Group and a broad range of external stakeholders and regulators.

Reporting into the Group Veterinary Officer and part of the Clinical and Pet Welfare team, the focus and remit of the Pet Team is entirely retail focused and as such, close relationship with Pet Operations is essential.

The role extends beyond improving welfare and includes some operational aspects from pet supply chain, logistics and monitoring compliance via pet welfare audits.

This role will see you operating, leading, and guiding:

Veterinary and Welfare Lead

• Ensuring every store meets their pet welfare licensing obligations, developing, and maintaining a positive relationship with our Primary Authority
• Keeping up to date with pet welfare by attending key vet and welfare conferences ensuring store processes are updated and improved accordingly
• Collaborating with the Head of Clinical Services regarding pet health issues in stores or any concerns stores and practices
• Actioning all calls to the Pet Promise Line - a confidential internal whistleblowing line on animal welfare
• Providing pet welfare updates to the Group and retail lead to the Plc Board on pet welfare
• Managing pet welfare at suppliers: review audits, make improvements and take mitigating actions where required

Pet Operations

• Working closely with Head of Pet Ops to ensure the ethical sourcing and care of pets in our stores and any issues surrounding them.
• Accountable for pet welfare audits ensuring trends are monitored and appropriate action is taken.

External Ambassador

• Representing and lobbying for Pets at Home to vets, pet charities, trade bodies, conferences, etc. particularly on how a successful corporate company can live its number one value.
• Liaison with the RSPCA to maintain good relationship and continue to support new and existing initiatives
• Maintaining and developing positive relationships with trade bodies and animal welfare groups including OATA, REPTA, RWAF, ICC, PDSA, CP, Dog’s Trust, AWF, etc.
• Working with the Head of Communications and the Legal team on serious PR issues involving store pets, grooming and product issues from a veterinary and welfare perspective.
• Lobbying political stakeholders through DEFRA and CASC (Companion Animal Sector Council) to ensure animal welfare standards and protect Pets at Home.

Welfare advisor for Retail teams

• Maintain good relationships across departments to ensure they seek welfare advice early on for projects, new products etc.
• Working cross-departmentally to advise on and drive welfare with regards to customer and product queries and complaints, new products, and food development
• Proof reading, contributing, and signing off on colleagues’ training, articles on pet health and welfare for our website, VIP magazine, national press, and magazines in conjunction with members of the Pet Team
• Give media interviews including radio days and podcasts

About You – what we would like you to bring to our role

• Veterinary degree, MRCVS.
• Exotics qualification/certificate and Animal welfare qualification/certificate (Desirable)
• Strong desire to improve animal welfare
• Experience in UK small animal practice
• Knowledge of and experience in diagnosis and treatment of rabbits, small furries and reptiles
• Experience engaging and influencing stakeholders
• Experience working as a non-practicing vet (Desirable)
• Experience in retail environment (Desirable)
• Knowledge of and experience in diagnosis and treatment of ornamental fish (Desirable)
• Driven to improve animal welfare
• Must be able to communicate at all levels of seniority both within and outside the organisation
• Excellent communication skills and proven ability to engage and influence stakeholders at all levels
• Problem solving and conflict resolution
• Excellent written and oral communication skills. Computer literacy

Pets just see people. They aren’t biased and they don’t discriminate. We take our inspiration from pets and we value and respect difference in all its forms. Our aim is to reflect the diversity of the communities we operate in and every colleague can help us achieve this. We encourage our people to be themselves so even if your skills and experience don’t perfectly align, if you think you can make a unique contribution through your values and behaviours we want to hear from you!