Level 3 Animal Care and Welfare Manager

Knowledge: Animal Welfare Act, Veterinary Surgeons Act, animal related legal and regulatory obligations and company policies how they are applied. Planning the care of animals taking into account the species, individual requirements and the five animal welfare needs. Impact of the animals' environment on animal care and welfare operations. Sustainable approaches to feed, accommodation and waste management. Species and breed characteristics, the common problems associated with them and how they influence the healthcare plan. Techniques to interpret animal behaviour, and how animal behaviour affects animal health care plans. Animal enrichment requirements and methods. How the principles of animal learning can be applied in the workplace. Signs of pain, injury, disease and distress and how this information is used to inform and adapt care plan to ensure animal welfare of different breeds or species. Preventative healthcare approaches for animals. Methods used to assess the health and weight of the animal and how health and weight impact on feeding and care requirements. Principles of planning feeding schedules (including appropriate feeds, frequency, and feeding methods). Techniques used for handling, moving and transporting animals and their advantages and limitations. Animal accommodation requirements and methods, including dimensions and setup costs. How to deal with animal health emergency situations. The limits of personal responsibility and when and where escalation is required. Risk assessment development, recording and monitoring processes. The importance of biosecurity and how risks can be managed through disinfecting, cleaning and correct disposal of waste. Strategies for delivering customer feedback and advice in relation to animal health, behaviour and welfare. How to access credible and reliable sources of information to keep up to date with advances in working practices and technologies. Legal and statutory health and safety obligations and how they impact on the organisation. How to identify and recommend improvement opportunities for business working practices. Project management techniques to monitor and allocate resources to deliver an efficient animal care service within budget constraints. The importance of key performance indicators and how they are measured. Approaches to build and maintain customer and stakeholder relationship and effective approaches to managing difficult conversations. The suitability of different communication styles for different audiences and to meet the desired outcome. People and team supervision strategies, including team dynamics, motivation, coaching, mentoring and training techniques. How to conduct performance appraisals and develop personal actions plans.