Dogs Trust Jobs – Family Engagement Officer

Are you passionate about improving dog welfare?

Do you have experience of developing human behaviour change interventions?

We are looking for Family Engagement Officer to join our Family Engagement Team in the Intervention Development Department. The postholder will play a crucial role in the development of behaviour change projects for key audiences and stakeholders to improve priority dog welfare issues.

Dogs Trust is the largest dog welfare charity in the UK and each year we care for around 14,000 dogs in our network of 21 rehoming centres across the UK and Ireland. We are here for all dogs, and the people who love them, providing support and services that ensure the human-canine bond can be enjoyed to its fullest.

The Intervention Development Department is core to the mission of Dogs Trust, with an aim of identifying, developing, piloting, and monitoring interventions which prevent and tackle priority canine welfare issues that commonly result in relinquishment or early euthanasia, and maximising the chances of alternative, pro-welfare solutions being sought.

The Intervention Development Department uses a behavioural science approach for projects, designing interventions which endeavour to change relevant decisions and behaviours of dog owners and non-dog owners. Canine welfare priorities include dog acquisition, bite prevention, early training and engagement with preventative behaviour activities, encouraging owners to seek and follow appropriate advice to treat existing behaviour, and enabling responsible relinquishment where this becomes necessary.

Interventions are delivered to a range of stakeholders, through a range of intervention approaches, and relevant audiences may include veterinary practices, community leaders, parent groups, schools, childminders, dog wardens and others in local authorities. Interventions may be delivered by regional teams in the Community Education and Engagement Department (CEE), and on occasion other Dogs Trust teams and departments. The Intervention Development Department needs to work closely with CEE, with often repeated cycles of review and revision, to identify approaches which best engage each target audience and achieve the desired outcomes.

You will play a vital role in leading phases of the behaviour change process and will have experience of applying behavioural science to programme design. You will need experience of managing multiple projects at one time, as well as highly developed communication skills to ensure effective stakeholder management. The postholder will also have a well-developed understanding of monitoring and evaluation and a background in developing and delivering impact evaluation and review with a range of stakeholders.

Please note while this is a home-based opportunity regular travel to London and other Dogs Trust sites will be required.

To apply for this position please click the APPLY NOW button. Our application process requires you submit a CV and a cover letter explaining your interest and suitability for the role.

At Dogs Trust we value diversity and we’re committed to creating an inclusive culture. We actively encourage applications from people of all backgrounds, abilities and cultures and believe that a diverse workforce will help us to achieve our mission. Should you need any adjustments to the recruitment process, either at application or interview stage, please contact us here.