The Donkey Sanctuary Ireland (TDSI) works as part of an international animal welfare organisation, offering care and protection to donkeys worldwide. Our vision is a world where every donkey has a good quality of life, and our mission is to improve the lives of donkeys every day. We will achieve this by transforming the lives of donkeys in need worldwide by fostering greater understanding, collaboration and support, and by promoting lasting, mutually life-enhancing relationships. 

We now have an excellent opportunity for a proactive and flexible person with outstanding interpersonal skills and a strong customer service ethic to join our busy Fundraising Department. As Visitor Experience Assistant, you will be the public face of TDSI’s visitor site at Knockardbane, ensuring that every visitor’s experience is positive and memorable, engaging with members of the public and winning over hearts and minds for the charity’s work worldwide.

About you:

• Excellent customer service skills.
• Demonstrable experience of effectively engaging with the general public (including public speaking).
• A true team player.
• Able to make good decisions under pressure.
• Basic IT skills.
• Excellent communication skills with a good standard of written English.

About the role:

Your principal duties and responsibilities will include –

• Giving a warm welcome to all visitors, engaging them in the charity at every opportunity and advising them about the work of the charity, and answering queries on visitor facilities at Knockardbane.
• Proactively promoting the adoption of donkeys to site visitors and encouraging them to participate in onsite events and activity trails.
• Providing visitors with informative and inspiring talks and tours.
• Ensuring the Visitor Centre is tidy and presentable, and well-stocked with charity literature and goods for sale.
• Taking donations and adoption applications and completing appropriate paperwork.
• Preparing tills, checking floats, ordering cash from Accounts and cashing up at the end of the day.
• Monitoring the visitor facilities at TDSI (including car parks, toilets, walkways, bins, signage etc.) ensuring a high standard of health, safety and welfare is maintained.

What we offer:

This is a part-time, permanent contract,  working 14 hours per week, flexibility to work over both weekdays & weekend is required, the shifts will be 09.00-16.00.

Benefits:  

• Competitive pension.
• Life assurance.

• 20 days holiday per year. This increases by one day each year until a maximum of 25 days is reached. There is an additional 10 public holidays.

• Wellbeing team.
• Recorded Pilates classes.
• Healthshield plan – Reimbursement of some medical expenses up to the specified limits per membership – Offers, discounts and cashback on shopping, travel and entertainment from participating outlets.

• Access to a 24/7 GP and counselling service.
• Free parking.

Closing date for completed applications: Thursday 4 September 2025.

The Donkey Sanctuary is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of vulnerable people (children and adults), and expects all staff and volunteers to undertake this commitment. Applicants will be subject to safer recruitment processes, including an application for a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check where required for the post.

The Donkey Sanctuary also participates in the Inter Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme and, for relevant posts, may request information from applicants’ previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment during employment, or incidents under investigation when the applicant left employment.

Please note: The Guaranteed interview scheme is only applicable to candidates who consider themselves to have a disability applying for roles based within the United Kingdom.

NOTE TO APPLICANTS: We look forward to receiving your application, but we do ask you to complete this in your own words, and not to employ an Artificial Intelligence (AI) writing tool or assistant. Applications that are considered not to be an applicant’s own work may not be shortlisted for interview.