Education Projects Manager in Chester

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We are Chester Zoo. We're not just an amazing, award-winning visitor attraction that's home to 37,000 incredible animals inside 128 acres of stunning gardens. We're a major wildlife charity that is committed to the recovery of endangered species, globally. As the world faces an extinction crisis, we're making a hugely significant contribution to conservation at a time when it's needed most. We are Chester Zoo and we prevent extinction.

The Role

We now have an exciting new role for an Education Projects Manager, to join our award‑winning Conservation Education and Engagement directorate. Reporting to the Senior Conservation Education Manager, this role will lead small to medium scale cross‑departmental projects that are key to achieving our goals as leaders in Conservation Education. Projects could include significant annual events such as our community festival Nature Fest and the National Conservation Education Awards to leading a project team to successfully deliver our popular holiday clubs offer.

In driving effective project management across the directorate, this role will lead on reviewing and maintaining our systems and processes, ensuring we are effectively utilising platforms and project management tools. They will lead our Bookings and Administration team, ensuring excellence and efficiency in our processes across areas such as resource management, educational bookings, ordering and reporting.

We're looking for someone who can:

• Project manage to time, budget and quality the successful delivery of educational and engagement events and projects throughout the year e.g. Nature Fest, Holiday Clubs, National Conservation Education Awards, Youth Summit.
• Lead cross‑departmental project teams to deliver the above, working closely with programme managers across teams to ensure outputs achieve our goals for Conservation Education.
• Review and improve project management approaches and processes across the directorate, supporting effective communication, time and resource management.
• Build expertise and support the team to best utilise platforms such as SharePoint and specialist project management tools.
• Line‑manage the Education Bookings Team, ensuring our directorate processes are working effectively to support all teams in achieving our goals, including but not limited to bookings, invoicing, resource management, ordering, coordination of meetings and training, storage, filing.
• Manage the use and maintenance of our buildings and spaces across site.
• Champion health & safety and risk management across the directorate.
• Lead the collation of cross directorate reporting, facilitating us to communicate the impact of our work effectively both internally and externally.
• Provide management cover on a rota basis to provide senior level operational and pastoral management support to teams across the directorate.
• Act as Duty Safeguarding Officer on a rota basis.

What makes Chester Zoo a great place to work?

We're a huge team of conservationists, scientists, educators, animal welfare experts, marketers, visitor experience professionals, environmental policy influencers; the list goes on. Each and every one of us is on a mission to make Chester Zoo the best in the world and our planet a better place. As the UK's biggest and best zoo, we have ambitious goals, exciting plans, and there's always lots going on here. We're an inclusive and diverse organisation, made up of over 600 permanent and 500 temporary team members, and we know how important it is to invest in our colleagues to help boost their career development. We have ambitious goals, and we want you to be with us for the long term on our exciting journey. Our working environment could not be more different from a typical office – where else can you see critically endangered orangutans from your office window, or stroll among rare giraffes and tigers on your lunch break?

The Package

• Permanent Contract 40 hours per week, predominantly between 08:30‑17:00. This includes scheduled weekend working to support the functions of the directorate with days off in lieu given.
• Salary: £40,430 per annum.
• Opportunity for occasional working from home.
• 33 days annual leave plus the option to buy or sell up to 5 days.
• Staff pass so you can visit the zoo during your time off, plus multiple complimentary tickets for your friends and family.
• Cycle to work scheme.
• Healthcare plan and employee assistance programme.
• Discounted gym membership.
• Discounts on cinema tickets, restaurants, high street shops and more via Perks.
• Pension scheme with generous employer contributions up to 9%.

Our Requirements

• An understanding & affinity to the organisation's mission, vision & values, with a strong interest in conservation education and engagement.
• Experience working with children and young people and/or the education sector.
• Significant experience planning, leading and managing medium scale projects, with demonstrable project management skills and knowledge, managing project teams and tracking project progress.
• Experience project managing the successful delivery of events to time, budget and quality, ideally in the public engagement sector.
• Experience of managing and influencing the work of others, with and without authority – the post holder may reasonably be required to direct activity to achieve the project's goals across multiple internal teams.
• Attention to detail and critical thinking skills, with demonstrable experience of using own initiative in problem solving challenges to achieve results.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills.
• Skilled in the use of all key Microsoft packages, SharePoint and specialist project management tools.
• Excellent time management, administration and planning skills, with the ability to manage multiple concurrent projects, meeting deadlines and ensuring appropriate quality control.
• Excellent diplomacy and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work effectively under own initiative and as part of a team, to work under pressure with positive attitude and also to enthuse and engage others.

Although not essential, the following would be desirable:

• Experience using bookings management systems, ideally Gateway Ticketing.

Please note: Shortlisting and interviews may take place while the advert is live. The role will close early if a successful candidate is appointed, so early applications are encouraged.