Position Summary:

Reporting to the Director of Grooming Academy and Services, the Grooming Instructor is a dog grooming subject matter expert. This professional instructs students of the organization’s dog grooming school and salon in the skills necessary to perform full-service grooming. Develops and prepares students to successfully enter the job market. Prepares lesson plans, conducts verbal and hands-on instruction, evaluates student performance, identify areas of development, and conducts individual remedial training as necessary to ensure student success.

Principal Duties:

Grooming Academy

• Interact and communicate with colleagues, volunteers, donors, vendors and the public in a manner that advances a culture of positivity, professionalism, trust, transparency, empathy, and excellence at Joybound.
• Instruct students in the classroom and hands-on in the skills of full-service dog grooming; bath, touchup, and breed-specific haircut.
• Prepare lesson plans; establish key objectives for lessons, and enhance curriculum to accomplish the set objectives.
• Respond to student questions and provide support to help them succeed.
• Write, administer and grade examinations that test student’s knowledge.
• Listen and observe to pick up on signs that students may be having difficulty grasping the lessons and material and conduct individualized training to ensure student success.

Grooming Salon

• Prioritize grooming requests received from the organization’s Veterinarian Department. 
• Communicate the function of the academy and obtain approval from grooming salon clients for students to participate in grooming clients’ dogs.
• Read dogs’ body language; safely handle all aged dogs and teach the same to students.
• Cut and style hair, using specific techniques to accommodate the needs of breed standards and client preference.
• Bathe dogs using safe handling skills, and ensure proper cleanliness is achieved.
• Assign dog grooms to students and ensure the grooming is performed in a safe manner to students and staff.
• Ensure the academy is clean, presentable, and adequately stocked with grooming supplies.
• Ensure grooming equipment is maintained and serviced properly.
• Ensure the academy’s website is performing as it should.
• Handle student and client concerns and complaints.
• Report to the director of the grooming academy safety issues, injuries, serious concerns in a timely manner.
• Assist staff with identifying in-house dogs for grooming.
• Other duties as assigned, including occasional assistance with animal care duties or with adoptions.

Experience, Abilities, and Qualities Required:

• Minimum of 12 months instructing/teaching experience, preferably involving animals, required.
• Minimum of 36 months experience grooming a range of dogs and/or cats in a grooming salon, veterinary, shelter, boarding facility or other formal setting, required.
• Knowledge of various breeds and their characteristics, and familiarity with symptoms of diseases common to dogs, required.
• Ability to multitask and manage class participants while maintaining a safe environment.
• Works well under pressure.
• Proven ability to supervise, mentor and lead employees.
• Communicate information skillfully and effectively. Ability to comprehend and follow written and/or verbal instructions.
• Affection for animals, concern for their welfare and a willingness to accommodate animals in the workplace.
• Always communicate with the public, volunteers, and co-workers in a professional, courteous, and tactful manner.
• Demonstrate maturity, good judgment and professional manner and personal appearance.
• Ability to provide first aide to dogs.
• Computer skills to use PowerPoint presentations and word-processing.
• Comfortable and skilled in working with a diverse staff, volunteers, and community.
• Pre-employment background check screening required.

Physical/Environmental Requirements:

• Work environment includes constant exposure to dogs and cats and their allergens.
• Push/pull moderately heavy objects up to 25 pounds.
• Lift and move animals weighing up to 150 pounds for short distances and to humanely restrain animals when necessary.
• Walk dogs weighing up to 150 pounds in a variety of weather conditions.
• Kneel, bend, stoop, squat, reach above and below shoulder level, grasp and turn objects, stand and/or walk frequently and repetitively throughout each shift.
• Flex the neck upward and downward; twist the neck and the waist.
• Dexterity to handle animals and small objects.
• Assess medical and behavior changes in animals using a variety of techniques including, but not limited to, visually and audibly.
• Sit for long and short periods of time using a computer.
• Stand for long periods of time grooming dogs.
• Tetanus and rabies inoculations are required or must be waived.

Hours:

Full time: 40 hours per week. Daily reporting hours and days of the week may vary according to the needs of the department. Weekend work will be required. Periodical hours may be needed to cover vacation and illness of other co-workers.

Joybound is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to the diversity of its staff and strongly encourages all qualified candidates to apply.