General Sanctuary Assistant

Jacobs Ridge is an animal sanctuary, located in rural Murcia in Spain.  Surrounded by beautiful scenery, the sanctuary borders lemon groves and orchards and there are acres of neighbouring land to explore.  The animals in our care are given the very best we can offer them, with space to roam and be safe.  

Volunteers are vital to the sanctuary, as it enables the rescued animals who live here to get the best care possible.  Many of the animals at the sanctuary have had a difficult start to their lives before they came to live at The Ridge, so their wellbeing is the top priority.  With so many animals being abandoned and mistreated, sanctuaries offer an essential lifeline to those in need.  Volunteers enable the sanctuary to not only continue to give the necessary day to day care, but also to continuously improve the facilities and outcomes for the animals we have offered a home to. 

We are looking for a General Sanctuary Assistant to join our team, for a minimum of 3 months.

The Assistant will be carrying out a wide range of varying tasks but will mostly be focused on the day to day physical running of the sanctuary.

The ideal candidate:

• Must have a love for animals of all species' and a passion for animal rescue
• Must be prepared to work unsociable hours outdoors in all weathers
• Must have a strong work ethic with a positive "can do" attitude
• Must be able to communicate clearly with volunteers to be able to train and assist them
• Must be mentally and physically fit 
• Must able to carry out a number of different tasks
• Must learn quickly
• Must be able to work independently and as part of a team
• Must have some basic experience and knowledge of animal care 
• Must carry out their duties in a conscientious and efficient manner
• Must be polite, friendly and respectful 

The hours and days that the General Sanctuary Assistant will work will vary depending on the time of year and on how many other volunteers are working on that day. 
The ideal candidate must therefore be flexible and willing to occasionally work long weeks if necessary.  Usually, in the peak of summer, the day will start around 7am, due to needing to get many jobs done before the heat of the day sets in.  No two days are the same, creating a varied and interesting role for the successful person. 
The day is split into two parts with a break in the middle.  
As we must work around the daylight and temperature, the ideal candidate must be able to work unsociable hours.

Days of work required per week: 5-7
Hours of work required per day: 8 avg

The general daily responsibilities are as follows:

• Walking and feeding the dogs and cleaning areas of dog waste
• Feeding and watering the other animals
• Administering medication 
• Cleaning animal enclosures
• Cleaning feed and water buckets
• Maintaining clean work and communal areas
• Assisting with the cleaning of volunteer accommodation 
• Managing animal feed stock levels and arranging for deliveries
• Managing animal medication levels
• Updating animal health records
• Assisting with grocery shopping and animal feed shopping/deliveries
• Assisting with vet/farrier visits
• Assisting with the welcoming and training of weekly volunteers
• Assisting with volunteer excursions
• Assisting with food preparation and serving
• Assisting with ongoing tasks such as: fence and shelter building/repair, land tidy and maintenance, vegetable gardening etc

We are situated in a beautiful part of Murcia with many stunning locations just a short drive away.
The following activities are part of our normal routine with our weekly volunteers.
Whether or not you attend will be down to vehicle space and if there are any jobs outstanding on the sanctuary.
The opportunities will arise every week so if you have to stay behind one week, there is always the next: