The Brown Dog Canine Care is looking for an Assistant Manager in Training to join our team in a hands-on leadership role.
This position is ideal for someone who genuinely enjoys both working with animals and working with people. We are looking for someone who can grow into a trusted second layer of management within our facility: someone approachable and supportive with employees, detail-oriented enough to catch the little things, and confident enough to take responsibility for the operation when the owner is not on site.
This is not a desk management position. Our Assistant Manager should understand the work they are asking others to perform and be willing to step in wherever needed. The person selected for this role will first learn our kennel operation from the ground up before assuming full Assistant Manager responsibilities.
What the role looks like
The Assistant Manager will work closely with the owner and our existing Lead Kennel Technicians to help keep the facility running smoothly.
Responsibilities will include:
- Acting as Manager on Duty when the owner is not on site
- Providing day-to-day support, guidance, coaching, and feedback to employees
- Creating a positive, approachable work environment where employees feel comfortable asking questions
- Supporting and overseeing Lead Kennel Technicians and other kennel staff
- Monitoring workflow and redirecting staff when necessary
- Helping new employees become comfortable and successful in their roles
- Reviewing daily reservations, services, special instructions, and other operational details
- Ensuring services are assigned appropriately and that service notes and special instructions have been reviewed
- Verifying that services and other required tasks are completed and properly documented in Gingr
- Following up on missed, incomplete, or incorrectly completed tasks
- Helping ensure clear communication between employees and shifts
- Handling routine client questions and check-ins/check-outs
- Assisting with kennel work when the team needs additional support
- Identifying problems before they become larger issues and bringing appropriate concerns to the owner
- Helping maintain consistent standards throughout the facility
Our Lead Kennel Technicians currently play an important role in training new technicians, answering routine operational questions, and helping keep daily kennel operations moving. The Assistant Manager will work above the Lead level, with broader responsibility for staff management, quality control, follow-through, and overall facility operations.
Training & Advancement
We believe a manager should understand the job from the ground up. The person selected for this position will initially join us as an Assistant Manager in Training and complete extensive hands-on training in our kennel operation before assuming full Assistant Manager responsibilities.
Training will include kennel procedures, dog handling, cleaning and sanitation, feeding, medications, services, Gingr, facility routines, client procedures, and our standards of care.
As training progresses, the candidate will work closely with the owner to learn the management, staff-support, and quality-control aspects of the position.
Advancement to the Assistant Manager role will be based on successful completion of training and demonstrated performance in the areas of:
- Leadership
- Judgment
- Communication
- Reliability
- Attention to detail
- Initiative
- Follow-through
- Employee management
- Overall operational competency
Advancement is based on demonstrated readiness for the role and is not automatic based on length of employment.
The right candidate will have the opportunity to grow into a position with significant responsibility and become someone the owner can confidently trust to oversee the facility, employees, and daily operation independently.
Who we're looking for
The right person for this position is:
- Friendly, approachable, and naturally comfortable working with different personalities
- Patient with employees who are learning
- Able to give correction and feedback while still maintaining a supportive working relationship
- Highly observant and detail-oriented
- Someone who notices when something doesn't seem right and follows through
- Comfortable taking responsibility and making routine operational decisions
- Able to balance being supportive with maintaining clear expectations
- Willing to ask questions and learn before assuming they know the answer
- Respectful of experienced employees and interested in learning from them
- Comfortable working independently when necessary
- Organized and reliable
- Able to remain calm when the facility is busy
- Willing to perform hands-on kennel work rather than simply delegate it
- Someone who takes pride in making sure things are done correctly, not simply checked off
- Comfortable working within established procedures while also recognizing when something needs additional attention
Previous management or supervisory experience is strongly preferred.
Animal-care, veterinary, boarding/daycare, dog training, hospitality, childcare, retail leadership, or other people-management experience may all be relevant. We are more interested in finding someone with the right judgment, work ethic, leadership style, and personality than someone who already knows our exact way of doing things.
Schedule
This position is being created in part to provide consistent management coverage during periods when the owner would otherwise need to be on site, so regular Saturday and Sunday availability is required.
Typical management coverage will include:
- Saturdays: approximately 7:00 AM–2:00 PM
- Sundays: approximately 7:00 AM–2:00 PM
- Monday and Tuesday availability for designated morning and/or afternoon management coverage
- Additional weekday hours for training, management responsibilities, operational support, and kennel work
Exact weekly schedule and total hours will be discussed based on the needs of the facility and the right candidate.
Our regular weekday client check-in/check-out periods are 8:00–10:00 AM and 4:00–6:00 PM. Weekend client hours are 12:30–2:00 PM.
Weekend availability is an ongoing requirement of this position rather than a temporary training schedule.
Expected hours: Approximately 25–32+ hours per week, with the potential for the role to grow over time.
Compensation
$24–$28/hour
Starting rate will be based on relevant experience. Opportunities for increases within the posted range will be based on successful completion of training, demonstrated performance, and increasing responsibility within the Assistant Manager role.
What makes this position different
We're not looking for someone who simply wants a management title.
We're looking for someone who wants to become an important part of a small business, understands that good leadership sometimes means cleaning kennels alongside the team, and recognizes that managing people requires patience, communication, consistency, judgment, and follow-through.
The goal is for our Assistant Manager to become someone the owner can confidently trust with the facility, the employees, and the daily operation — while still being willing to step onto the kennel floor and help the team when needed.
Apply today!
Pay: $24.00 - $28.00 per hour
Application Question(s):
- This position requires regular Saturday and Sunday availability, approximately 7:00 AM–2:00 PM, as well as some Monday and Tuesday availability. Are you able to consistently work this schedule?
- Please briefly describe any previous experience you have supervising, training, coaching, or managing employees.
- Are you comfortable performing hands-on kennel work, including cleaning kennels, handling dogs, feeding, administering medications after training, and cleaning up urine/feces/vomit?
- This position begins as Assistant Manager in Training. Advancement to Assistant Manager is based on successful completion of kennel and management training and demonstrated performance; advancement is not automatic based on time employed. Are you comfortable with this structure?
Work Location: In person
