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 International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is the world’s oldest and largest global environmental organisation, with more than 1,400 government and conservation NGO members worldwide. 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. These experts are organised into more than 205 Groups, focused on taxonomic, geographic or disciplinary priorities for species conservation, and are supported by the SSC Chair’s office staff and a partner-based network of Centres for Species Survival staff teams. The overall aim of these SSC Groups is to advance the understanding and long-term conservation of the species in their remit and their environments worldwide, and the recovery or restoration of populations and ecosystems where feasible. To achieve this, the groups work across three main pillars: Assessment, Planning, and Action.

The Centre for Species Survival: Ireland was created in 2023 as a partnership between Dublin Zoo and the IUCN SSC, and is headquartered in Society House at Dublin Zoo. The Centre works in close partnership with the SSC's volunteer expert groups to conduct extinction risk assessments, facilitate multi-stakeholder conservation planning, mobilise priority action, and build capacity to save species. Centres act as catalysers; working with the SSC and other partners, across NGOs, government agencies, academia, and others. Centres work to understand the key networks, stakeholders, and conservation efforts; to identify priority gaps in assessments, planning, and action needed to save species and ensure that efforts are connected effectively and have access to the necessary tools, capacity building and resources required to maximise impact.

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 (eg, 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.

Use globally recognised, consistent tools (such as the IUCN Red Lists) to systematically inform and identify species and ecosystem conservation priorities.

● Receive and deliver training, as appropriate, in the use of IUCN SSC tools. For example:

○ Complete ‘Introduction to the IUCN Red List’ online course, & pass with 75+%

○ Undertake other Asses training such as Green Status, Key Biodiversity Area Identification etc.

● 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. Including undergoing training, as appropriate in for example:

○ Conservation Planning Facilitation training

○ Assess to Plan methodology

○ One Plan Approach and population modelling

● 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, and ensuring alignment and reporting into broader national initiatives such as the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan and other relevant frameworks.

● Support the ex situ management of native Irish species at Dublin Zoo, including supporting project administration, reporting and public dissemination.

● Support grant writing and fundraising activities to secure funding for native species conservation, including identifying funding opportunities, contributing to proposal development, and assisting with reporting to funders as required.

Support Dublin Zoo, IUCN SSC, Government and other decision-makers in communicating and reporting on success in species conservation and the establishment and delivery of strong targets and policy for the conservation of species and ecosystems.

● Contribute to the development and review of communication as needed, including annual reporting of results to the SSC DATA Information system.

● Participate in targeted conservation campaigns for species requiring urgent conservation attention, mobilising relevant experts, conducting appropriate communication and behaviour change efforts.

● Support & / or implement and evaluate how the Centre can engage the public on species conservation issues at local, national or regional scales through the development of resources, including social media communications, blogs and podcasts, graphics and other emerging communication techniques.

● Ensure that relevant strategic priorities and opportunities related to species conservation are appropriately communicated and integrated into the host organisation's conservation strategy.

● Lead multi-stakeholder workshops and meetings, both in person and using virtual platforms (Zoom, Teams, etc.).

● Various media, social media and conference opportunities to the general public, the IUCN SSC community and the wider conservation community.

● Support and coordinate conservation-focused events and public engagement initiatives, including Dublin Zoo’s annual Native Species Festival, the regular Conservation Lecture Series, and other ad hoc events that promote awareness, collaboration and action for native species conservation.

Scale up the training, capacity and long-term impact of species conservation efforts as well as ensure connections to community and human well-being.

● Identify key communities and stakeholders relevant to the Centre’s work plan and establish capacity-building strategies to ensure the amplification of the Centre’s impact.

● Contribute to the strategic growth of the organisation by helping to create or refine tools and processes for effective implementation of species conservation initiatives.

● Support the development of proposals and fundraising efforts for the Centre.

● Supervise and support students and interns, including providing training in native biodiversity monitoring, use of IUCN tools and frameworks (e.g. Red List assessments), and offering appropriate pastoral support, mentoring, and professional development guidance.

Undertake any other duties as reasonably required to support the effective functioning of the Conservation and Science Team at Dublin Zoo and the objectives of the Centre for Species Survival: Ireland.

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.

Salary: 35K - 45k DOE

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. Ability to work as part of a team, confidence in interacting with experts, external partners, and ability to facilitate discussions towards shared outcomes with sensitivity to multicultural approaches.

● Demonstrated experience and a good understanding of the practical aspects of biodiversity conservation actions, endangered species protections and policy especially relating to species in Ireland.

● Strong skills in project management, planning and project implementation.

● Experience with international projects and supporting new initiatives.

● Ability to effectively manage teams to deliver results.

● Experience in scientific writing and the peer-reviewed process, ideally with a track record of peer-reviewed publications.

● International stakeholder management experience, multilingual and multi-cultural or cross-cultural experience desirable.

● Advanced and competent user of standard word processing, spreadsheet, presentation and database software and electronic communication technology (e.g., Outlook, Microsoft Teams, WhatsApp, conference calls, etc.).

● Working knowledge of the IUCN SSC, leaders, and stakeholders.

● Experience with administration including data management and numerical ability.

● Experience in fundraising and / or demonstrated success in proposal writing is desirable.

Personal Specification

● Self-motivated, flexible and energetic, with an attention to detail.

● Ability to multitask, handle high pressure situations, and meet tight deadlines.

● Demonstrated effective interpersonal and organisational skills.

● Demonstrable experience in scientific and public engagement, including good presentation and public speaking skills for audiences of various ages and abilities.

● A commitment to the worldwide role of accredited zoos, aquariums and botanic gardens.

● Excellent written and oral communication, diplomacy, and interpersonal skills.

● Fluency in English is a requirement. Fluency in other languages is desirable.

● Ability to work well in a global team to problem solve, self-manage, and find solutions.

● An eagerness to expand personal knowledge-base and adapt to new challenges.

● Ability to travel and to work flexible hours.

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