We are Chester Zoo, and for nearly 90 years, we have been a leading conservation and education charity, and an amazing, award-winning visitor attraction.

We’re also a team of passionate, talented, enthusiastic and expert people, doing everything we can to prevent extinction, from caring for animals to discovering new conservation ideas, and giving our visitors an inspirational day out.

We work hard because we love animals, we care about nature, we love Chester Zoo and, despite all the recent challenges thrown at us, we still want to be the best zoo in the world! If you think you can help us to achieve that, then we’d love to hear from you.

We currently have an exciting vacancy for a Senior Conservation Scientist/ Conservation Scientist to join our Science team.

The role:

• Contribute to an effective and efficient Applied Animal Behaviour and Welfare service and research programme, to internal and external staff and clients, ensuring timely advice based on collation and analysis of scientific data and/or sound scientific knowledge about animal behaviour and welfare, which contribute towards optimising behaviour and welfare of animal collections and population
• In consultation with the Lead Conservation Scientist advise on behaviour and welfare management of the entire animal collection, and other in situ and ex situ managed populations and make effective recommendations and appropriate mitigations about prioritized cases of concern. 
• Ensure the applied behaviour and welfare programme is cost-effective.
• In consultation with the Behaviour and Welfare Scientist provide professional support through training and consultancy to the society’s Science and Animal Teams, Discovery and Learning, and Field Programmes both within and outside the zoo, and promote best practice in animal behaviour and welfare. Effective supervision of PhD students and postdoctoral fellows within Chester Zoo’s Conservation Scholars and Fellows Programme, providing guidance, mentoring and ensuring training needs are met, overseeing work quality and assigning and monitoring objectives with other academic supervisors.
• Participate in scientific conferences and professional associations, and producing publications to establish Chester Zoo as a centre of excellence for welfare and conservation breeding.
• In consultation with the Lead Conservation Scientist progress our understanding of captive animal behaviour, and welfare, through targeted, collaborative research and problem-solving in line with the society’s values and needs, effectively utilising their expertise in behaviour and welfare to support other scientific disciplines within the organisation to enable a holistic approach to a variety of conservation projects, to attract and gain the respect of national/international key partners, and establish Chester Zoo as a centre of excellence for welfare and conservation breeding.