DPS Honorary Secretary Vacancy
The Dales Pony Society, a company limited by guarantee and a registered charity, is seeking to appoint an Honorary Secretary, reporting to the Chair of Council. The Society currently has 430 members, maintains its own stud book and registers, and licenses all approved Dales Pony Stallions. It runs a Spring and a Summer breed show, a Festival show, a Foal show, an Annual Points Scheme, a Southern show, an East Anglian show, occasional Pleasure Rides and Driving Rallies. Newsletters are published for Members during the year.
The Honorary Secretary is responsible for providing a communication, development and administration service, liaising with an external service provider on pony registrations and Society memberships. Main duties include overseeing the foal registration process, administering the stallion licencing and stallion premium schemes, submitting grant applications, maintaining the Judges lists and training schemes, taking meeting minutes, maintaining and developing breed literature, distributing newsletters and magazines when appropriate, liaising with Area Group Leaders, and updating the website and Facebook pages.
An honorarium of £9,500 per annum is payable, rising to £10,000 on satisfactory completion of 6 months service. The role is self employed and home based. A Society computer and mobile phone will be provided for business use.
Main Requirements for the role
- Excellent interpersonal skills and able to interact with a wide range of people
- Excellent experience of all Microsoft Office applications, especially Word, Excel and Outlook
- Be hard working and conscientious
- Excellent organisational skills, with the ability to prioritise work and work calmly under pressure
- Ability to problem solve with a proactive approach with the ability to adapt style and approach to achieve effective outcomes
- Ability to work flexibly with a “can-do” attitude
- Ability to work confidentially and to treat issues with sensitivity
- Ability to work to a very high level of accuracy
- Demonstrate good commercial awareness
- Able to travel to meetings
- Have a working knowledge of the Zoom virtual meeting software
- Have a working knowledge of website and Facebook page maintenance
- Have a working knowledge of business accounting software
Desirable but not essential
- Experience of using the Grass Roots database
- Experience of Xero software
- Sound knowledge of the Dales Pony breed and history
- Dales Pony Society Member
Download a full Job Description and Person Specification on these links
To apply for the positions please email a CV and covering letter to Lindsay Knight at wreningham16@yahoo.com. The closing date for applications is Tuesday 2nd August 2022 at 9am. Interviews will be held in Barnard Castle on either Tuesday 9th or Wednesday 10th August 2022 (date to be confirmed).
Some really good news for mare owners who do not have their own stallion, and who would like to put their mare in foal. Thorpeley Rare Breeds Stud in Leicestershire are standing a Dales stallion again this year, Argill Jack the Lad owned by Mette Miller. This will be the only chance to use this stallion as Mette is returning to Denmark with her ponies later this year.
Mette is very kindly donating part of the stud fee to the Dales Pony Society who are supporting this initiative. Mares will be required to be tested for Contagious Equine Metritis (CEM), Equine Viral Arteritis (EVA) and Equine Infectious Anaemia (EIA) before arrival at the stud.