Species Survival Officer in London

Dublin Zoo is a registered charity which aims to save wildlife and inspire a passion for nature, creating a place where our visitors can become active conservationists, helping us achieve our vision of a world where people live in harmony with nature. Founded in 1831, Dublin Zoo is part of a global network of conservation organisations committed to protecting species and their habitats.

In line with the "Dublin Zoo 200" 10-year strategic plan, Dublin Zoo will become a conservation organisation of global impact within a decade. Providing the headquarters for our parent charity, the Zoological Society of Ireland, our ambition is for Dublin Zoo to transform into a leading hub for wildlife conservation of national and global significance. Dublin Zoo already supports more than 20 field conservation projects run by partner organisations in as many countries on three continents.

In Ireland, Dublin Zoo provides support to partner organisations that work to protect a range of native species and their habitats. In addition, Dublin Zoo helps build global capacity for integrated conservation planning through our support of the IUCN Conservation Planning Specialist Group (CPSG) and commitment to the One Plan Approach, as outlined in Dublin Zoo's Conservation Master Plan (2022-2031).

The Species Survival Commission (SSC) is a global network of more than 11,000 volunteer experts who contribute data and expertise to helping the world understand and prioritise species conservation needs. These experts work for many different conservation organisations, such as universities, field conservation NGOs, governments, zoos, aquariums, or botanic gardens.

Summary Of The Role

Working closely with the team at Dublin Zoo, the IUCN Species Survival Commission, relevant government and NGO stakeholders and the wider conservation community, the post holder will play a key role in implementing the IUCN Assess-Plan-Act-Network-Communicate model to assess extinction risk, identify conservation needs, help plan effective and coordinated measures, mobilise conservation action, communicate conservation successes and network with governmental and NGO partners.

This position will support assessments to help inform species conservation prioritisation for Ireland (e.g., IUCN Red List Assessments, Key Biodiversity Area identification, National Assessments, situation analyses, etc). In doing this, the position will help to dramatically expand the understanding of the conservation needs of Irish species; laying the much-needed foundation to also focus on convening and facilitating prioritised conservation planning and mobilising the implementation of key actions and policy across the conservation of these species.

This position will also support the ex situ management of native Irish species at Dublin Zoo, including supporting project administration, reporting and public dissemination.

Key Responsibilities

• Support and coordinate efforts between the Species Survival Centre and the SSC Network throughout the Species Conservation Cycle.
• Implementation of the Centre's work plan, shared target setting and annual reporting, and updating it are needed on an annual basis.
• Receive and deliver training, as appropriate, in the use of IUCN SSC tools.
• Undertake, oversee &/or catalyse priority assessments, conservation plans and action mobilisation in line with the Centre's work plan.
• Collaborate, communicate and plan effectively to ensure unique skills, resources and efforts of different stakeholders collectively deliver species recovery and protection through efficient, comprehensive and effective efforts.
• Build and maintain quality relationships with the Dublin Zoo Team, the SSC Chair's Office and SSC Groups, relevant Government agencies, NGOs and other stakeholders to assist in identifying priority opportunities and achieving the Centre's key objectives.
• Strengthen collaboration among the wider conservation community to identify gaps, support collaboration and maximise the relevance and impact of joint conservation activities and projects.
• Work with the IUCN SSC Conservation Planning Specialist Group (CPSG) to catalyse and facilitate priority multi stakeholder conservation action planning using best practice tools and approaches.
• Gather and integrate knowledge and expertise in the creation and implementation of projects / initiatives on species specific issues.
• Work closely with Irish Government stakeholders, particularly the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS), to co-develop and implement annual workplans; organise and participate in coordination meetings; contribute to reporting and evaluation of outcomes; and collaborate on joint conservation projects and initiatives supporting national biodiversity priorities.
• Coordinate on-site biodiversity monitoring at Dublin Zoo, including delivery of a site-wide biodiversity audit and development of an associated action plan.
• Support grant writing and fundraising activities to secure funding for native species conservation.
• Support Dublin Zoo, IUCN SSC, Government and other decision-makers in communicating and reporting on success in species conservation.
• Participate in targeted conservation campaigns for species requiring urgent conservation attention.
• Support and coordinate conservation-focused events and public engagement initiatives.
• Identify key communities and stakeholders relevant to the Centre's work plan and establish capacity-building strategies.
• Supervise and support students and interns, including providing training in native biodiversity monitoring.

The above job description contains the main duties and responsibilities for this position. However, the Species Survival Officer is expected to show flexibility in their approach to work and be willing to undertake other tasks that are reasonably allocated to them, but which are not part of their regular job description.

Required Knowledge, Skills, And Abilities

• Minimum Bachelor level degree in e.g., conservation biology, zoology, botany, ecology, natural resources management or related fields.
• 2+ years of relevant work experience in the area of conservation planning (or similar).
• Excellent stakeholder relationship skills.
• Demonstrated experience and a good understanding of the practical aspects of biodiversity conservation actions.
• Strong skills in project management, planning and project implementation.
• Experience in scientific writing and the peer-reviewed process.
• Fluency in English is a requirement. Fluency in other languages is desirable.

Apply For This Job

To apply for this role, please submit your CV and cover letter via the following link: Application Link. Please note that applications will not be accepted by email.