**Attention: This position is only for someone with extensive dog handling and kennel management work experience elsewhere. If you are looking to care for our dogs but do not have this existing experience, please apply for the Dog Handler job posting we also have active. Thank you.
Prairie Peak Kennels is located in Battle Lake, Minnesota—a welcoming small-town lakes community where relationships matter and local businesses and their employees have the opportunity to become a meaningful part of the community. We are locally owned and operated, and the standard of care we expect from ourselves is anything but small-town; our goal is to provide a level of professionalism, service, and animal care that is second to none. Prairie Peak has been voted the #1 Kennel and #1 Grooming Service in Otter Tail County, and we are looking for an Operations Manager who wants to help us continue building on that reputation. This person will help connect the daily operations of Prairie Peak with the customers and community we serve—developing relationships, creating an exceptional customer experience, leading our team, and making sure the details of the business are executed at a high level. We are looking for someone who enjoys people as much as dogs, takes ownership instead of waiting to be told what to do, and wants to become a recognizable and trusted face of Prairie Peak in the Battle Lake community.
Operations Manager & Lead Canine Handler
The Operations Manager is a hands-on leadership position responsible for helping oversee the day-to-day operation of Prairie Peak Kennels. This is not strictly an office management position. The role combines customer service, front-desk operations, canine handling, employee leadership, scheduling, training, facility oversight, and business operations.
The right person will be comfortable moving between helping a customer at the front desk, managing a group of dogs, coaching an employee, reviewing the upcoming reservation schedule, solving an operational problem, and identifying opportunities to improve the business.
Primary Responsibilities
- Serve as a primary point of contact for customers by phone, text, email, and in person.
- Build strong relationships with existing customers and create an exceptional experience for new customers from their first visit forward.
- Give tours and introduce prospective customers to Prairie Peak's services and philosophy.
- Help customers understand boarding, daycare, enrichment, grooming, training, packages, policies, and service options.
- Develop relationships within Battle Lake and the surrounding community and look for opportunities for Prairie Peak to serve and participate locally.
- Handle dogs throughout the facility and assist with daycare, boarding, enrichment, feeding, cleaning, check-ins, check-outs, and daily care as needed.
- Maintain a high standard of canine handling, including control of playgroups and proactive management of excessive barking, reactivity, unsafe behavior, and overly high-energy situations.
- Evaluate dog behavior and help employees determine appropriate handling techniques, group placement, and level of care.
- Train new employees and provide ongoing coaching and refresher training to existing team members.
- Reinforce Prairie Peak's Standard Operating Procedures and ensure employees understand not only what should be done, but why the standard exists.
- Monitor employee performance, attendance, communication, and execution and escalate significant performance concerns to ownership or senior management.
- Participate in interviewing, hiring, onboarding, and development of team members.
- Review employee notes and communicate regularly with handlers to identify problems before they become larger issues.
- Role-play customer service and operational situations with employees so the team is prepared to communicate professionally and consistently.
- Review upcoming reservations and determine appropriate staffing based on the number of dogs, arrivals, departures, workload, and expected business volume.
- Schedule yourself strategically when additional management or handling support is needed.
- Help coordinate shift coverage, call-ins, and staffing adjustments.
- Maintain responsible control of payroll spending by matching labor to actual business needs.
- Look for opportunities to eliminate unnecessary labor overlap while maintaining excellent animal care and customer service.
- Proactively adjust staffing when business volume changes rather than allowing unnecessary payroll hours to accumulate.
- Coordinate responsibilities among managers and senior employees so multiple people are not unnecessarily performing the same task.
- Help oversee Gingr reservations, customer profiles, vaccination records, notifications, and other administrative functions.
- Send or coordinate vaccination reminders for upcoming reservations.
- Review voicemails, customer texts, and other communications to ensure customers receive timely and appropriate responses.
- Review grooming appointments and help ensure Gingr appointments coordinate with internal scheduling systems.
- Help oversee customer charges, invoices, cash handling, deposits, till counts, and basic transaction accuracy.
- Maintain records of deposits and cash movement as directed.
- Monitor kennel, office, cleaning, and operational supply needs and communicate purchasing needs to management.
- Delegate and audit routine and deep-cleaning responsibilities.
- Ensure the lobby, bathroom, indoor play areas, retail displays, and customer-facing areas remain clean and professional.
- Help ensure equipment is maintained safely and employees understand proper equipment use.
- Identify opportunities to improve operations, customer experience, efficiency, revenue, or cost control and communicate those ideas to ownership.
- Assist other departments and perform additional duties when business needs require it.
What We Are Looking For
The ideal candidate is a mature, dependable person who enjoys responsibility and naturally notices what needs to be done. This position requires someone who can lead without creating unnecessary drama, communicate clearly, make decisions, accept accountability, and help other people perform at a higher level.
Strong candidates will demonstrate:
- Leadership and personal accountability
- Excellent customer service and communication
- Strong organization and attention to detail
- Confidence working with dogs of different sizes, personalities, and energy levels
- Ability to coach and develop employees
- Good judgment and problem-solving ability
- Scheduling and operational planning skills
- Comfort making decisions in a fast-moving environment
- Ability to prioritize competing responsibilities
- Financial awareness and respect for payroll and business expenses
- Initiative and willingness to improve systems rather than simply maintain them
- Professionalism with customers and coworkers
- Ability to remain calm and constructive during difficult situations
- A servant-leadership mentality and willingness to work alongside the team
Previous professional canine experience is preferred, although the right leadership background, work ethic, and willingness to learn can also make someone successful in this position.
Physical & Work Requirements
This is an active position in an animal-care environment. Team members must be able to stand and walk for extended periods, bend, squat, kneel, move quickly when necessary, work indoors and outdoors throughout Minnesota's seasons, and lift approximately 50 pounds. The position includes regular interaction with dogs, customers, employees, cleaning products, animal odors, noise, and the normal conditions associated with a professional kennel.
Optional Dog Training Opportunity
For a candidate with the appropriate experience, interest, and ability, professional dog training may also be incorporated into this position as an additional income opportunity. Prairie Peak offers multiple canine services, and we value managers who are interested in developing additional skills and contributing to multiple areas of the business.
The Person We Want
We are looking for more than someone to fill shifts or complete a checklist. We want someone who can eventually look at Prairie Peak as a whole—the dogs, employees, customers, facility, schedule, financial efficiency, and community—and help make all of those pieces work together.
If you enjoy dogs, people, leadership, problem-solving, and being part of a locally owned business where your decisions can have a visible impact, we would love to meet you!
~Jack & Ashley Lelwica
Pay: $18.00 - $25.00 per hour
Benefits:
- 401(k) matching
- Dental insurance
- Employee discount
- Flexible schedule
- Paid time off
- Parental leave
- Relocation assistance
- Retirement plan
Application Question(s):
- Will you be able to reliably commute to Battle Lake, MN 56515 even during adverse weather conditions for this job?
- Do you have existing dog handling and kennel management experience at another facility? If no - Please apply for the dog handling job position we have instead.
Work Location: In person
