Assistant Conservation Project Officer - Project Support

The Royal Zoological Society Of Scotland; City of Edinburgh; On-site; GBP 24,000 - 26,000; Full time

Job summary

A wildlife conservation charity based at Edinburgh Zoo seeks a Project Coordinator to support the conservation team. The successful candidate will manage project administration, help prepare financial and technical reports, and coordinate various conservation projects. Applicants should have a degree in ecology or related fields, and proficiency in Microsoft Office is required. This role offers a starting salary between £24,896 and £25,516, generous annual leave, and various employee benefits.

Benefits

34 days annual leave (pro rata)

Employer contributory pension scheme

Healthcare plan access

Discount in retail/catering

Qualifications

• Qualified to degree-level or equivalent experience in ecology.
• Sound knowledge and understanding of conservation issues.
• Competent in Microsoft Office applications.

Responsibilities

• Support management with department running and conservation projects.
• Prepare financial and technical reports as needed.
• Manage project reporting and liaise with finance.

Skills

Project coordination

Financial administration

Ecology knowledge

Microsoft Office skills

Field work skills

Education

Degree in ecology, biology, or environment related discipline

Tools

Budget management software (e.g., SAGE)

Job description

About us

The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) is a wildlife conservation charity with a bold vision : a world where nature is protected, valued and loved. Edinburgh Zoo and Highland Wildlife Park are our gateways to the natural world through which people canexperience nature.

This is an exciting opportunity to join our conservation team based at Edinburgh Zoo.

How you’ll contribute to our mission

You’ll effectively and efficiently carry out a varied range of project support activities to ensure the smooth running of conservation department, including administrative, financial and coordination duties in support of the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland’s (RZSS’s) vision and mission.

In addition, provide targeted conservation project coordination on our international based projects) alongside the Head of Conservation and Science Programmes.

Some of the things you’ll do

• Support your manager with the running of the department and a range of conservation projects by providing a full range of administration service and support duties including for example : collation of weekly and monthly reports, coordination of external and internal meetings, taking minutes.
• Contribute to the preparation of relevant financial and technical reports.
• Perform a range of financial administrative services for the project in liaison with the Finance Department adhering to agreed timelines and standards.
• Contribute to project reporting, including authoring report sections.
• Conduct a range of tasks in support of our international projects including arranging and attending catch up meetings, taking and collating minutes at these meetings processing payments for project partners, disseminating communications and reports from project partners, keeping relevant RZSS web pages up to date, identifying potential stories for wider communication, and checking any content produced for wider communication past partners.

What we’re looking for

• Qualified to degree‑level or equivalent experience in ecology, biology or environment related discipline.
• Sound knowledge and understanding of conservation issues involved in species recovery.
• Competent in the use of Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook).
• Proficiency in field work skills and fieldwork organisation.
• Proven track record in providing first‑class service delivery, including responding to internal and external queries.
• Experience of working with budget spreadsheets (e.g. SAGE) would be an advantage.

What you’ll get in return

• Starting salary between £24,896 or £25,516 (offer based on experience) with future salary progression up to £27,749per annum
• 37.5hr working week (may require some weekend working)
• 34 days annual leave (pro rata)
• Discount in both retail / catering
• Access to a healthcare plan
• Access to Employee Assistance Programme (EAP), that provide 24‑hour counselling and support, including health, legal, finance, wellbeing and family advice
• Employer contributory pension scheme
• You will receive a staff membership which will give you (and family / friends) free (and discounted) entry to both the Highland Wildlife Park and Edinburgh Zoo as well as a number of other Zoo’s across the UK.

If this role excites you and aligns with your career aspirations, click APPLY now.

This role is subject to standard pre‑employment checks, including the candidate’s right to work in the UK and Basic Disclosure check

Please note that shortlisting of applications and interviews for this position will take place while the advert is live.

The advert will close once a successful candidate has been found.

Interested candidates are therefore encouraged to submit applications, as soon as possible.

The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland is an equal opportunities employer. Our policy is to recruit a diverse workforce following the guidelines of the Equality Act 2010.

Interviews will take place 13 January 2026