Kennel Officer

Job Description

Organisation: London Borough of Waltham Forest

Salary: Scale 4 £30,288 to £32,070 

Contract Type: Full-time/Fixed Term Contract (12 months) 

Number of openings: 2

Working hours per week: 36 (07:00 to 15:00 / 14:00 to 22:00 5 of 7 Rota) 

Application Deadline: 10/09/2026

Proposed Interview Date(s): TBC 

Reference: 2302

About Us: 

Bursting with culture, energy, and opportunity, the London Borough of Waltham Forest is a fantastic and exciting place to work. 

We are a highly ambitious borough. Driven by culture and the innate creativity of our residents, we have developed new and innovative ways to build our communities. Our Council is relentlessly resident-focused, insight-led, digitally driven and commercially minded; a Council focused on meeting the needs of our existing and future residents. 

London Borough of Waltham Forest is one of the Mayor of London’s Good Work Standard employers. This accreditation is a proof of our commitment to creating a healthy, fair and inclusive workplace. This includes fair pay and conditions, workplace well-being, skills and progression and diversity and recruitment. 

The Council’s preference is for online application. However, if you have a disability and are unable to complete an online application, please email [email removed] so we can arrange an alternative application method. 

About the role: 

To ensure that all dogs at the Councils kennelling facility are properly cared for and in good health. This will include the cleansing of the kennels and other areas, provision of suitable food, water, bedding, exercise, veterinary care and sleeping considerations. This will include the transportation of dogs as required.

We are a Home Office–licensed sponsor; however, for this specific role we are not able to provide Skilled Worker visa sponsorship. To be considered, you must already hold a form of UK work authorisation that does not require sponsorship.

>> Click here to download the Role Profile << 

Key Responsibilities: 

• To collect stray dogs from members of the public or police stations or other locations as required.
• Ensure that kennels are in a safe and secure condition at all times and are thoroughly cleansed. This will include the provision of suitable food, water, bedding, exercise, veterinary care and sleeping considerations.
• To notify the Dog Enforcement Team Leader or relevant supervisor if any dogs appear to be sick or injured.
• Undertake necessary administrative duties in respect of dogs received, kennelled, reclaimed and re-housed.
• To ensure that all enquiries in relation to kennelled dogs are dealt with in accordance with Council policy
• The above mentioned duties are neither exclusive nor exhaustive and the post holder may be required to carry out other duties as required by the service

Qualifications and Requirements: 

• Physically fit and capable of working outdoors and indoors in all weather conditions.
• Flexible and adaptable, with the ability to change shifts at short notice when operational requirements dictate.
• Reliable, punctual, and self-motivated, with the ability to work both independently and as part of a team.
• Committed to maintaining high standards of animal welfare and kennel hygiene.
• Able to undertake physically demanding tasks, including lifting equipment, cleaning kennels, and handling dogs safely.
• Good observational skills, with the ability to identify and report changes in a dog's health, behaviour, or welfare.
• Basic record-keeping and communication skills.
• A calm and patient approach when working with nervous, reactive, or challenging dogs.
• Willingness to work weekends, bank holidays, and occasional unsocial hours as required.
• Previous experience working with dogs or within an animal care environment is desirable but not essential, as training will be provided.
• A full UK driving licence is essential.
• Professional and courteous manner when dealing with colleagues, dog owners, and members of the public.
• Ability to follow procedures, risk assessments, and health and safety requirements.
• Commitment to safeguarding animal welfare and promoting responsible dog ownership. 

Terms and conditions: 

The below terms and conditions apply to this role: 

• Satisfactory employment references and CIFAS identity checks; 
• Satisfactory declaration of interest; 
• Suitable driver’s license; 
• As a public authority, we must ensure that members of staff in public-facing roles are able to speak fluent English. This means that they must have a command of spoken English, with confidence and accuracy, sufficient for the effective performance of their role. This requirement does not refer to any particular English language qualifications, regional or international accents, dialects, speech impediments or the tone of conversations. It does not require staff to speak only in English. 

How to Apply: 

Interested candidates are invited to submit their applications online by pressing the ‘Apply’ button below. This includes a supporting statement that outlines to us how your skills and experience make you a good candidate for this vacancy. 

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.  

Equal Opportunity Employer: 

Waltham Forest is a diverse borough where diversity is valued and is integral to both, service delivery and employment of its staff. The Council is proud of its rich mix of communities and as the largest employer in the area, it works hard to respond to the changing needs of its population. We use our statutory duties on race, gender and disability equality and best practice in respect of age, faith and sexual orientation to ensure equality of opportunity in the workplace. The Council is committed to meeting its 4 equality objectives: - Promoting equality of opportunity - Opposing all forms of discrimination, intolerance and disadvantage - Ensuring our workforce reflects the diverse communities of Waltham Forest at all levels. - Providing fair, appropriate, accessible and excellent Services to all. Respecting Diversity is a core Council value. 

To support the above and reduce the risk of bias in its recruitment activities, the council is operating an anonymous shortlisting process, which hides personal information that can identify individuals until their application has been considered for shortlisting. The council also operates a scheme whereby, for jobs graded up to and including scale SO2, internal candidates are considered first. This includes those candidates who self-identify as having a disability for the purposes of the Disability Confident scheme. For more information, please refer to our recruitment and selection policy. 

We are keen to support employees to balance their working life with other commitments. Therefore, wherever possible, we will consider working arrangements that suit an individual's personal circumstances whilst still meeting the need