Wildlife & Nature Reserve Executive / Coordinator

Tanqeeb; Dubai; On-site; AED 600,000 - 900,000; Full time

Job summary

Tanqeeb seeks an Executive/Coordinator to lead a wildlife reserve portfolio across multiple sites, aligning conservation goals with budget and compliance. You will report to ownership and high-level stakeholders, shaping strategy and ensuring performance in welfare, finances, and risk management.

You will oversee a team of reserve managers and department heads, drive cross-department collaboration, and sponsor partnerships and tenders to deliver measurable conservation outcomes.

Qualifications

• 15+ years’ progressive experience in wildlife conservation, zoological, or nature reserve operations.
• Proven track record managing high-profile environments across multiple sites or projects.
• Budget control, contract negotiation, and delivering measurable conservation outcomes.
• Strong governance, HSE, HR oversight, and reporting to boards or regulators.

Responsibilities

• Set strategic direction and annual objectives for the reserve portfolio.
• Act as primary accountability to ownership, private offices, and regulators.
• Own the overall budget and drive cost efficiency.
• Provide executive oversight of risk management across the portfolio.
• Ensure compliance with conservation standards, environmental law, and regulations.
• Approve senior staffing decisions and foster accountability.
• Coordinate cross-departmental efforts to deliver aligned outcomes.
• Represent the reserve in tenders, partnerships, and media; sign major contracts.
• Review reporting on wildlife trends, land management, and financial results.
• Coordinate across Reserve Manager tiers to translate strategy into delivery.

Skills

Executive leadership

Strategic planning

Budget management

Governance

Stakeholder engagement

Risk management

Contract negotiation

Conservation science

HSE compliance

Multi-site leadership

Team leadership

Education

Postgraduate qualification in project management/conservation/business administration

National Diploma/Degree in Game Ranch Management or Wildlife Management

Job description

Wildlife & Nature Reserve (Executive / Coordinator)

Reports to: Ownership / Board / Private Office Direct reports: Reserve Manager(s), Department Heads Location: On-site, multi-site portfolio

Purpose of the Role

The Executive/Coordinator holds ultimate strategic and organisational accountability for the reserve’sconservation, commercial, and operational performance. This is a senior leadership role responsible for setting direction across multiple sites or projects, representing the reserve to owners, governmentbodies, and other high-level stakeholders, and ensuring that conservation outcomes, welfare standards, budgets, and compliance obligations are all met at portfolio level.

Key Responsibilities

• Set the strategic direction, annual objectives, and long-term development plan for the reserve or portfolio of sites, including new project and facility development.
• Act as the primary point of accountability to ownership, private offices, government agencies, and regulatory bodies, including chairing and attending high-level stakeholder meetings.
• Own the overall budget: approve capital and operating expenditure, monitor financial performance, and drive cost efficiency through vendor and contract negotiation.
• Provide executive oversight of risk management across the portfolio, including disease outbreak response, natural disaster planning, security, and staff/visitor safety.
• Ensure compliance with international conservation body standards (e.g. EAZA/AZA/WAZA- equivalent guidelines), environmental law, and HSE regulation across all sites.
• Approve and oversee senior staffing decisions, organisational structure, and performance of the management team; foster a culture of accountability and continuous improvement.
• Sponsor cross-departmental coordination (animal care, veterinary, landscape/forestry, engineering, security, HR, finance, procurement) to ensure aligned delivery.
• Represent the reserve externally in tenders, partnerships, media, and community relations; approve major contracts and strategic partnerships.
• Review and sign off on reporting to ownership/government on wildlife population trends, land management outcomes, and financial results.
• Coordinate across the Reserve Manager and Assistant Manager tiers to ensure strategic direction translates into consistent on-the-ground delivery.

Requirements & Qualifications

• 15+ years’ progressive experience in wildlife conservation, zoological, or nature reserve operations, including senior multi-site or multi-project leadership.
• Proven track record managing sensitive, high-profile environments (e.g. private estates, biosphere reserves, government or royal/private office accountability).
• Postgraduate qualification in project management, conservation, business administration, or arelated field; a National Diploma/Degree in Game Ranch Management, Wildlife Management, orequivalent is strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated success in budget control, contract negotiation, and delivering measurable conservation outcomes (e.g. population growth, revenue generation).
• Strong governance experience: compliance, HSE, HR oversight, and reporting to boards, private offices, or regulators.

Core Skills & Competencies

• Executive-level stakeholder engagement and diplomacy, including with royal/private offices and government authorities.
• Strategic planning, risk assessment and mitigation, and organisational leadership.
• Financial acumen: budgeting, cost control, procurement, and contract negotiation.
• Strong understanding of conservation science, animal welfare standards, and regulatoryframeworks.
• Crisis and change management across multi-site, multi-disciplinary teams.