An opportunity to help us communicate our world-class conservation work to diverse audiences.

The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, the wildlife conservation charity that owns both RZSS Edinburgh Zoo and RZSS Highland Wildlife Park, is looking for a committed and passionate conservation science communication professional to join our exceptional staff team.

RZSS aims to connect people with nature and safeguard species from extinction, a mission that sees us working both here in Scotland and in more than twenty countries around the world. From inspiring the next generation about wildlife in our parks to protecting chimpanzees in the Ugandan rainforest; looking after some of the world’s most endangered species to saving the Scottish wildcat, RZSS is making a huge difference and we need your help to continue to grow.

We are looking for someone dynamic with a wide variety of communication and project management skills, plus a firm grounding in conservation science and practice. This unusual, multi-facetted role requires a diverse range of professional experience, as well as the initiative and motivation required to deliver a programme of activity that combines input from several different teams within our organisation.

The role

As Conservation Engagement Manager, you will help communicate the important work conducted by the RZSS Conservation team to audiences within and beyond our zoos. Based in the Conservation Department and managed by the Conservation Programme Manager, you will also work closely with our Animal, Communications, Education, Events, and Fundraising teams. The purpose of this role will be developing and delivering a programme that engages, informs, and enthuses people regarding the world-class conservation work we conduct both in the UK and overseas.

The following responsibilities/activities form part of this position:

• Rapidly develop a comprehensive understanding of the conservation work conducted by RZSS
• Identify ways to strengthen the profile of our conservation work with existing and wider audiences
• Develop content to communicate our conservation work across formats that will appeal to different audiences (including, but not limited to, written copy, online content, multimedia, events and face to face engagement)
• Deliver this content directly, or in conjunction with the relevant department
• Evaluate the effectiveness of the activity delivered via the role and devise new ways to develop these activities into an ongoing, long-term programme

This new and exciting post offers the opportunity to work with a diverse set of teams across a leading charitable organisation and to make a real difference as part of an internationally respected conservation department.

This is a full time, 2-year fixed term role where the working hours are 37.5 hours per week, and you will be required to work out with normal working hours.

Who we are looking for

The successful candidate will have an interest in increasing public engagement with conservation and science. You will need to be able to translate our conservation programmes to make them accessible to a variety of audiences. You will also need to be comfortable accompanying members of our conservation team into the field at times. Excellent communication skills and content creation experience are essential.

First class organisation and time management are required along with a proven, robust ability to deliver projects on time, to budget and to agreed standards of quality. You need to be a results-orientated self-starter who can respond to and balance constructive feedback from multiple people.

You will have a solid understanding of conservation practice and the multiple roles that organisations such as RZSS play in this sector. Your behaviours and personal attributes should be such that you are a good fit for the culture of RZSS and are someone who lives and breathes the ethos and values of organisation.