Executive Director

Dogs Trust is the dog welfare charity in Ireland, and we’ve been helping dogs since 2009. We believe every dog deserves to live life to the full, and we will not rest until we make Ireland a safe and happy place for dogs – so, together, we never have to let any dog down. Over the past 17 years, we’ve built and operated a best in class rehoming and rehabilitation centre, extended our reach through regional rehoming, introduced our Lead and Learn academy to help both professionals in the sector and dog owners to learn more about how to care for their dog or address difficult behaviours. 

But there’s still so much more to do to improve dog welfare in Ireland. We won’t rest until we make Ireland a safe and happy place for dogs and the people who love and own them. We have just started a review of our strategy, taking a systems change approach, to truly understand our landscape and how we can have the biggest positive impact for dogs in Ireland, whether through our own operations, supporting the wider sector or through inspiring cultural and legislative change. If we’re to deliver our ambitious goal for the next decade, we need sustained income growth and operational excellence, and we’re looking for someone to join us and take the lead in developing and delivering the strategy.

You’ll shape and deliver our strategy to increase our impact and help us ensure that Ireland  loves dogs, so that they feel safe and happy in all homes and circumstances. Our track record of consistent strong performance means that you’ll be starting from an excellent position, and we plan investment in engagement, operational delivery and fundraising to maximise both our impact and income. 

As the leader of our Senior Leadership Team, you will understand the importance of sharing integrated responsibility for the wider leadership and delivery of our organisational strategy. You’ll be part of the Dogs Trust UK Joint Executive Team, sharing learnings between the countries and leveraging expertise across the Dogs Trust Group.

Candidates will bring an exceptional professional skillset, with expertise across all areas of charity leadership, including governance, income generation, public affairs, operational delivery, training and engagement. Experience of senior leadership and accountability at a charity is essential, along with heart-centred leadership – demonstrating compassion and care for our people. 

An assured strategic planner and leader through change, you’ll bring an approach that combines creativity, analysis, and strong interpersonal skills. You’ll demonstrate a 
sophisticated ability to maintain a close focus on both near- and medium-term priorities and must share our passionate commitment to the welfare of dogs.

If you have any queries that are not covered in the candidate materials, you can email us at Recruitment@dogstrust.ie. Alternative formats for candidate information may be requested at your initial contact.