Animal Assistance Charity Recruitment

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Ensuring impact through people

Securing exceptional people who can deliver impact and champion the human-animal bond

Recruitment that enables impact

Behind every partnership is an extraordinary ecosystem of expertise: dog breeding and training, client assessment and matching, aftercare, safeguarding, compliance, volunteer mobilisation and public education, and behind every assistance animal organisation is the team delivering this and much more, from leadership, to finance, and fundraising, to people and culture.

Working extensively in the animal assistance sector, Charisma approaches recruitment not as a transaction, but as a strategic enabler of impact. Our in-depth understanding leads to better, longer-lasting appointments. Through our targeted approaches, complex talent acquisition, and candidate vetting we assess not only a candidate's technical skills and leadership ability, but also emotional intelligence and values alignment, helping charities appoint people who can develop organisations while delivering operational excellence.

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We know what success looks like on the ground and we can identify people who will thrive, support teams, and uphold the highest standards of animal welfare and safeguarding. The result is a focused, credible search process and appointments that strengthen your organisation's impact on the communities you serve.

With a track record including:

Assistance Dogs UK – Chair of Trustees and an Advisory Panel (7 specialist seats)
Guide Dogs - Director of Guide Dog Service
Dogs for Good - CEO, Director of Income Generation, Director of People, Director of Finance and Administration, Head of Volunteering and numerous fundraising and campaign roles
Canine Partners - CEO, Chair of Trustees, Director of Income Generation, Director of Finance and Resources, and Corporate Fundraising Manager
Hearing Dogs for Deaf People - Interim Director of Finance, IT and Estates
Pets as Therapy – CEO and Trustees

Could your organisation be next on this list? Get in touch to start the conversation.

This area of work is led by Executive Director, Katherine Anderson-Scott. If you would like to discuss upcoming roles and how we could help, please get in touch.

Case studies

Dogs For Good

Why Charisma?

Sector expertise

With more than 20 years of sector specific experience, we bring an unparalleled understanding of the unique challenges, complexities, and opportunities within the charity and not for profit landscape. Every member of our consultant team has first-hand experience working in the sector, enabling them to apply their extensive subject matter expertise and authentic insight to every partnership.

Extensive network

Our highly experienced Talent Managers deliver proactive, precision-driven talent acquisition by combining expert headhunting with the reach of our national candidate database. Leveraging our extensive networks, we cast the net far wider than traditional recruitment methods, enabling us to identify, approach, and engage high calibre talent, including those not actively looking for new opportunities.

Candidate care

We prioritise the candidate journey, ensuring personalised support and communication, and a positive experience, regardless of the outcome of their application.

Senior led recruitment

You will have direct access to your lead Consultant, ensuring you receive personalised and responsive support at every stage of the recruitment process. Your assignment will be handled by an experienced specialist, and never passed down to a junior researcher, so you benefit from consistent expertise, informed decision making, and a high quality service throughout.

Ethical recruitment practices

We are committed to honest, transparent recruitment. We only put forward candidates who are a genuine fit for your organisation and the role. Our recruitment processes are built to uphold our own values while fully aligning with yours, ensuring every stage reflects a shared commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion.

Outcomes focused

We have been doing this since 2002, and we are proud to maintain an 84% repeat and recommendation client portfolio and have a 100% success rate placing exclusive appointments.