Director Life Sciences - Zoos Victoria

Davidson; Melbourne; On-site; AUD 250,000 - 360,000; Full time

Job summary

Zoos Victoria in Melbourne seeks a Director Life Sciences to lead Animal Care, Animal Health and Animal Planning across sites. You will set strategic direction, foster excellence in welfare, biosecurity and conservation outcomes.

Reporting to the CEO and joining the Executive Team, you will drive change, build capability, manage risk and performance, and shape the organisation's 2030 strategy for lasting impact.

Qualifications

• Deep credibility in Life Sciences, animal management, veterinary care or conservation.
• Experience leading complex teams and functions.
• Formal leadership or management experience essential.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership across Animal Care, Animal Health and Animal Planning.
• Oversee performance, financial management, workforce capability, risk, compliance, safety and continuous improvement.
• Shape the organisation's change narrative and build connectivity across sites.

Skills

Leadership

Strategic planning

Change management

Biosecurity

Animal welfare

Education

Tertiary qualification in Life Sciences or related field

Job description

• Lead the organisation's core animal care, health and planning functions
• Shape world class animal welfare, conservation and species management outcomes
• Join a purpose led, values driven organisation committed to fighting extinction

Zoos Victoria is a not-for-profit Victorian Government statutory authority operating Melbourne Zoo, Werribee Open Range Zoo, Healesville Sanctuary and Kyabram Fauna Park. Caring for more than 5,500 animals, Zoos Victoria is committed to ensuring no Victorian terrestrial species goes extinct on its watch.

With a vision to be a world leading zoo based conservation organisation, Zoos Victoria delivers conservation programs, wildlife recovery initiatives, emergency wildlife response and partnerships with communities, research institutions, conservation organisations and sister zoos nationally and internationally. The organisation's 2030 Strategy and Development and Growth Plan provide a clear focus on conservation impact, organisational capability and long term sustainability.

Reporting to the Chief Executive Officer and contributing as a member of the Executive Team, the Director Life Sciences will provide strategic leadership across Animal Care, Animal Health and Animal Planning. This is an exciting opportunity to bring Life Sciences together as a more integrated and influential organisational function, ensuring consistently high standards of animal welfare, husbandry, veterinary care, biosecurity and species management across all sites.

This is a significant change leadership role. You will help shape and communicate the organisation's change narrative, bring people on the journey and develop a contemporary approach to how Life Sciences operates into the future. With strong technical capability already established across the team, you will build on this foundation, strengthen integration and help create something new. Working closely with leaders across conservation, visitor experience, assets and operations, you will provide strategic and operational advice to the CEO, Board and Executive Team. You will oversee performance, financial management, workforce capability, risk, compliance, safety and continuous improvement across the portfolio.

The successful candidate will bring deep credibility in Life Sciences, animal management, veterinary care, conservation or a related specialist environment, together with experience leading complex teams and functions. You will be a strategic, people focused leader who combines technical credibility with curiosity, humility and the ability to build trust. Your capacity to listen, understand the organisation and lead through change will be critical, as will your ability to create a compelling vision for the future. Experience in zoological, wildlife, conservation, captive collections, animal management, public sector or another highly regulated environment will be highly regarded. A relevant tertiary qualification and formal leadership or management experience is essential.

This is an opportunity to join Zoos Victoria at a pivotal point in its development and play a defining role in shaping its next chapter as a world leading conservation organisation.

Davidson acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the lands on which we work and live. We are also committed to equal opportunity and strive to promote diversity, inclusion, belonging, flexibility, and accessibility in all that we do.

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