Assistant Manager - Customer Growth, Manager-on-Duty & Canine Handler

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 Development

• Model daily protocols and reinforce safety and cleanliness standards.
• Help train new hires on daily tasks, customer service, dog handling, and facility procedures.
• Provide friendly feedback during shifts.
• Document issues for GM follow-up when needed.

What We’re Looking For

• 1+ year of supervisory, shift-lead, customer service, sales, marketing, retail, hospitality, or operations experience.
• Comfortable talking to customers, following up with leads, and promoting services.
• Sales-minded and proactive, without being pushy.
• Strong communication skills and a friendly, professional attitude.
• Comfortable handling dogs of all sizes or willing to learn canine body language and safe handling.
• Organized, reliable, and calm under pressure.
• Able to balance operations, customer service, dog care, and outreach responsibilities.
• Flexible schedule, including weekends, holidays, and evenings as needed.
• Reliable transportation for local outreach.
• Able to safely lift or move up to 50 lbs.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with customer outreach, lead follow-up, sales, marketing, or community engagement.
• Experience in pet care, dog daycare, grooming, boarding, veterinary, retail, hospitality, or service-based businesses.
• Experience using scheduling, POS, or customer management systems.
• Prior experience helping grow a local business or promoting services in the community.

Why Join The Dog Stop® Kent?

• Hybrid role with real leadership and growth opportunity.
• Help grow a new local business and make a direct impact on customer growth.
• Work in a fun, supportive, dog-loving environment.
• Be part of a growing national brand with local ownership.
• Opportunity to build skills in operations, team leadership, customer service, marketing, and sales.

How to Apply

Submit your resume and a brief note about your experience in shift leadership, customer service, marketing, sales, lead follow-up, pet care, or community outreach. Please also include your availability.

Kiddy K9 Klub Corporation, doing business as, The Dog Stop® is a one-stop shop for all things dog—daycare, boarding, grooming, training, and retail. Our Kent location is gearing up to open soon, and we’re looking for an energetic and community-minded individual to help spread the word and build lasting local relationships.