Vacancies at Donkey Sanctuary

We have an excellent opportunity for a Donkey and Mule Welfare lead to join our team at our Nairobi, Kenya office.  You will quality assure all work within the Kenya Strategy ensuring that global Donkey and Mule learning and standards are effectively implemented, and build an evidence base for Kenya that links sustainable welfare outcomes to evidence-based interventions, alongside contributing to global thought leadership, by representing Donkey and Mule Welfare at National and Regional Fora.

About you:

• A Degree in Veterinary Medicine with at least 4 years’ experience in donkey health practice.
• Must have at least 3 years of experience in Kenya of the Animal Welfare or International Development sector.
• Demonstrable knowledge of Equid Health, harnessing and Nutrition.
• At least 2 years’ experience of advocacy work at national and international levels.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills.
• Fully competent in Microsoft office 365.
• Fluent in English and Swahili (written and verbal).
• Kenya full valid driving licence.

About the role:

Your principal duties and responsibilities will include –

• In collaboration with the global Head of Programme Quality, lead on the donkey and mule welfare quality assurance to The Donkey Sanctuary Kenya (TDSK) directly implemented, and partner led programmes, to transform Donkey and Mule welfare through improved welfare in priority areas (Nutrition, Water and Working Practices).
• Be a proactive member of global technical working groups to build Kenya equine learning into global policy and standard practice.
• Lead in the development and dissemination of donkey and mule appropriate health and welfare educational material for use in training and awareness creation among various stakeholders including animal health students, practicing professionals, and donkey owning communities in line with The Donkey Sanctuary (TDS) standards.
• Provide technical input and support to the communication, advocacy and campaigns strategies, with key focus on the campaign against Donkey Skin Trade and Donkey Bush Slaughter in Kenya.
• Monitoring of equine diseases within Kenya, and have regional awareness of, in particular those affecting working donkeys and mules, and zoonotic ones, through regional stakeholders such as WOAH, FAO, DVS, CDVSs, Kenya Vet Association, KALRO, ILRI and Tertiary Institutions.
• In collaboration with TDS stakeholders be the country lead in the design, data collection and analysis of Donkey and Mule welfare and non-intrusive research.
• Represent TDSK and TDS organisations in all relevant technical meetings at National and Regional levels and develop effective working relationships and collaborative partnerships with all key stakeholders in collaboration with the Advocacy and Campaigns department.
• To carry out any other reasonable duty as may be required.

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We have an excellent opportunity for an Animal Health Assistant (AHA) to join our team at our Lamu office. As an Animal Health Assistant (AHA) you will provide clinical support to the veterinary surgeon in the provision of routine and emergency animal health services, ensuring improved health and welfare of donkeys in line with The Donkey Sanctuary (TDS) Kenya’s standards and code of practice

About you:

• Diploma in Animal Health or a related field from a recognized institution.
• Registered and retained by the Kenya Veterinary Board (KVB).
• At least 2 years of practical experience in animal health or veterinary support work.
• Excellent clinical and animal handling skills.
• Ability to communicate effectively with community members and colleagues.
• Willingness to work in rural and field-based environments.
• Excellent written and spoken Kiswahili.
• Good written and spoken English.
• Working knowledge of Microsoft packages.
• Willingness to undertake work related training as required.

About the role:

Your principal duties and responsibilities will include –

• Assist the veterinary surgeons in provision of routine and emergency clinical care of donkeys at the TDS Lamu Clinic and field outreach within the guidelines to Professional Conduct as issued by the Kenya Veterinary Board.
• Support veterinary surgeons during treatments, procedures, and animal handling.
• Assist with basic animal health interventions, wound management, and post-treatment care as directed.
• Support record keeping, including treatment records, inventory, and daily activity logs.
• Assist in community outreach, education, and training of donkey owners and handlers where required.
• Prepare instruments, treatment kits, and supplies for daily clinics and field visits.
• Supervise the burial of donkeys that die under the clinic’s care to ensure the process is carried out in accordance with established Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
• Maintain cleanliness and hygiene of equipment and work areas.
• Support stock management of veterinary supplies and equipment under supervision.