Department Coordinator

ZSL is looking for a department coordinator to join our support team. As a department coordinator you will play a pivotal role in providing high-quality administrative, coordination, and operational support to the Chief Zoological Officer and Head of Wildlife Health Services. This role ensures the department operates efficiently while driving strategic projects that deliver measurable impact. Acting as a central point of coordination, you will support effective communication, compliance, and governance while supporting project delivery, grant delivery, financial administration, and team development. Through proactive diary and meeting management, coordination of correspondence, and oversight of key department coordination, you will enable leaders and teams to focus their energy on high-impact conservation outcomes. The role is dynamic and collaborative, contributing to strong team culture, continuous improvement, and effective ways of working across ZSL. Your individual responsibilities and project priorities are shaped to the needs of the department and refined through regular Performance Development Review (PDR) conversations, ensuring alignment with departmental goals, operational requirements, and ZSL’s wider organisational strategy. This is a fixed term role over 12 months, offering hybrid working, with 2-3 days based at our Regent’s Park offices.

Key responsibilities:

• Diary and Schedule Management: Manage diaries, schedules, and meetings for the Chief Zoological Officer, Head of Wildlife Health Services and nominated senior team members, including arranging appointments, travel, and team events.
• Coordination and Support: Manage day-to-day zoological data within bespoke systems while liaising with third-party providers, support departmental compliance and governance including health and safety, licensing, and inspections, and coordinate administrative support for veterinary student placements.
• Financial Administration: Handle equipment purchases and credit cards with monthly checks, manage invoices and payments with Accounts Payable, and support approval and filing of grants, agreements, and documents.
• Event Management: Organise internal and external events, including workshops and conferences, and manage documents and minutes for the ZSL Animal Welfare Committee.
• Special Projects: Support the team in developing capacity in ex-situ and in-situ conservation professionals, veterinarians and students through our zoos and unique education and training environment.

About You: Strong background in administrative or coordination roles, ideally within a charity or multi-stakeholder environment. With the ability to prioritise competing demands and manage multiple tasks efficiently. Confident supporting senior executive staff, managing diaries, meetings, and projects. Skilled in basic financial administration, including invoices, purchase orders, and expense claims. Excellent written and verbal communication, confident in liaising with senior stakeholders and team members. Discreet and trustworthy, handling sensitive information with care and confidentiality. Proficient in Microsoft Office and other administrative systems. This role is subject to standard pre-employment checks, including confirmation of your right to work in the UK. Visa sponsorship is not available for this position. ZSL recognises that conservation is one of the least diverse sectors, and we actively encourage applications from candidates who identify as part of underrepresented communities. We are committed to building a supportive and inclusive workplace where everyone can thrive and celebrate the value of having a team of employees with diverse skills, experiences, and heritage.

About Us: We’re ZSL, an international conservation charity. Through our unrivalled animal experts in our two zoos (London Zoo and Whipsnade Zoo), the work of our pioneering scientists, our dedicated conservationists, our purpose is to inspire, inform and empower people to stop wild animals going extinct. Our vision is a world where wildlife thrives and we’re working every day to achieve this. From investigating the health threats facing animals, to helping people and wildlife live alongside each other, we are committed to bringing wildlife back from the brink of extinction.

What We Offer? At ZSL, we are proud of our approach to employee benefits. Our benefits include: Purpose driven work - join an organisation where every role contributes to creating a world where wildlife thrives. Pension scheme - we offer a generous pension scheme with up to 12% contributory pension. Flexible working - talk to us about your flexible working requirements and we will do everything we can to make sure you work in a way that suits you. Holidays - 25 days annual leave allowance, plus UK bank holidays (increasing with milestone anniversaries). Access to ZSL’s staff Equality Networks -Race & Culture, Team Pride, Disability, and Menopause, supporting an inclusive and welcoming workplace for those with lived experience. Wellbeing - access to a blended programme of wellbeing initiatives, including confidential access to our 24/7 Employee Assistance Programme. Life assurance - eligible employees will be enrolled in ZSL’s life assurance scheme from their first day. Complimentary tickets - annual allocation of Whipsnade Zoo and London Zoo tickets, with a 30% discount in online and retail shops. Cycle2Work - our cycle to work scheme enables you to lease a bicycle. Season ticket loan - we offer an interest free loan for eligibly London-based employees to buy a season ticket for travel between home and work. Family friendly policies - we offer enhanced maternity, paternity, and adoption packages. We may close this role early or extend the closing date due to the number of applications we receive, so we encourage you to apply as soon as possible. We anonymise applications until interview stage to ensure a fair hiring process. It’s important to highlight your unique skills, experience, and knowledge. Over reliance on AI-generated content may miss key criteria outlined in the job description and reduce the effectiveness of your application. If you have any questions about this role, we’d love to hear from you. Please get in touch with our recruitment team at - recruitment@zsl.org