Type: Full-time, including weekday, weekend, and evening coverage
Join a fast-growing, fun, and pet-loving environment at The Dog Stop® Kent! We’re hiring a hands-on Assistant Manager / Customer Growth Lead who can support daily operations, help lead the team, care for dogs, and play an active role in bringing new customers into the business.
This is a hybrid role. When the General Manager is on-site, you may support the team as a Canine Handler and customer service lead. When the General Manager is off-site, you will step up as the Manager-on-Duty. A major part of this role will also include marketing, customer outreach, lead follow-up, explaining current offers, and helping convert interested pet parents into paying customers.
We are looking for someone who is friendly, proactive, confident talking to people, and excited to help grow a new local business.
What You’ll Do
- Serve as Manager-on-Duty when the General Manager is off-site, including opening/closing, assigning tasks, and maintaining safety and cleanliness standards.
- Work hands-on with dogs as needed, including supervising playrooms, supporting enrichment, and keeping dogs safe and happy.
- Proactively follow up with customer leads by phone, text, email, or other approved channels.
- Explain current offers, promotions, and service benefits to potential and existing customers.
- Help convert leads into booked daycare, grooming, boarding, and other service appointments.
- Support grassroots marketing, local outreach, and community relationship building.
- Welcome clients, provide tours, recommend services, process bookings/POS, and deliver excellent customer service.
- Support daily operations across daycare, grooming hand-offs, retail, boarding, inventory, and supplies.
- Train and coach teammates on daily protocols and model great service for pets and people.
Key Responsibilities
Customer Growth, Marketing & Lead Follow-Up
- Proactively contact new customer leads and interested pet parents.
- Explain current promotions, packages, membership options, and service benefits.
- Follow up with customers who toured, inquired, booked once, or have not returned recently.
- Encourage new customers to book daycare, grooming, boarding, and other services.
- Track outreach activity, customer interest, follow-ups, and outcomes.
- Look for opportunities to increase new customer visits, repeat visits, and service bookings.
- Work with the GM/Owner(s) on simple local marketing ideas that help drive business growth.
Grassroots Marketing & Community Outreach
- Build and maintain relationships with local businesses and community partners, including veterinarians, apartments/HOAs, pet stores, parks, and local events.
- Distribute approved promotional materials and represent The Dog Stop® Kent professionally.
- Help set up small branded tables or attend local events when scheduled.
- Share feedback from the community and suggest ideas to improve outreach.
- Support adoption drives, partner events, and other local brand-building activities.
Shift Leadership — Manager-on-Duty
- Open and close the facility as scheduled.
- Lead weekend, evening, or GM-off-site coverage.
- Assign daily tasks and check that work is completed properly.
- Maintain safety, cleanliness, and playroom protocols.
- Respond to incidents and communicate clearly with pet parents when needed.
- Support onboarding and on-shift coaching.
- Escalate performance, customer, or safety concerns to the General Manager.
Canine Handling & Dog Care
- Set up playrooms at the start of the shift with fresh water, clean supplies, and proper equipment.
- Monitor dog play and watch for early warning signs.
- Safely interrupt conflicts and assist with first aid or incident reports when needed.
- Keep rooms, kennels, indoor areas, and outdoor areas clean and safe.
- Disinfect surfaces and equipment, change water/mop buckets as required, and maintain hourly standards.
- Run simple enrichment activities such as recall, sit/stay, follow-the-leader, bubbles, and other assigned activities.
- Document activities and dog behavior as needed.
Operations & Systems
- Support bookings, customer records, POS transactions, and basic system updates.
- Help track cleaning supplies, house supplies, retail items, and inventory needs.
- Assist with inventory counts, pricing updates, storefront organization, and basic record keeping.
- Support schedule inputs, time-off notes, and payroll review preparation as assigned by the GM.
Training & Team De