Living Collection Manager

Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust; Arundel; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

An international conservation organization is seeking a passionate Living Collection Manager at the Arundel Wetland Centre to lead teams overseeing the care of diverse wildlife. This full-time role requires proven management experience, expertise in animal husbandry, and the ability to engage and inspire visitors. You will also ensure compliance with UK zoo legislation while enhancing the organization's mission to restore wetlands. Enjoy benefits like generous annual leave and free entry to all wetland centres.

Benefits

33 days annual leave

Free entry to wetland centres

Colleague discount on shopping

Cycle to work scheme

Contributory pension scheme

Life Assurance

Employee Assistance Programme

Qualifications

• Proven management-level experience in a similar setting.
• Extensive background in large-scale visitor attractions with animal collections.
• Expertise in the care, feeding, and husbandry of birds and mammals.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage the Grounds & Living Collection teams.
• Oversee care and maintenance of diverse living collection.
• Engage with visitors and deliver informative talks.

Skills

Management-level experience

Background in large-scale visitor attractions

Expertise in bird and mammal husbandry

Team inspiration and motivation

Knowledge of UK zoo legislation

Innovative problem-solving

Leadership skills

Public speaking

Job description

About The Role

We are excited to offer a fantastic opportunity for a passionate and skilled Living Collection Manager to join the team at the Arundel Wetland Centre. In this pivotal role, you will lead and manage the Grounds & Living Collection teams, overseeing the care and maintenance of our diverse living collection while ensuring exceptional standards of presentation and horticulture across the site.

As the Living Collection Manager, you will be responsible for upholding the highest standards of animal husbandry and welfare. You’ll work closely, leading the team to continually enhance and maintain our exhibits, showcasing a variety of wetland wildlife. Additionally, you will take an active role in engaging with visitors, delivering informative talks, and helping them connect with our collection and the importance of wetland wildlife conservation.

This is a permanent, full-time position, requiring you to work 37.5 hours per week, 5 days out of 7, including weekends and bank holidays.

About You

To join as our Living Collection Manager you'll bring:

• Proven management-level experience in a similar setting
• Extensive background in large-scale visitor attractions with animal collections
• Expertise in the care, feeding, and husbandry of birds and mammals
• A passion for inspiring and motivating a team
• In-depth knowledge of UK zoo legislation and animal welfare
• A strong track record in innovative problem-solving
• Excellent leadership and team-building skills
• Experience in customer relations, public speaking, education, and creative projects

If you are a dynamic leader with a passion for conservation and animal welfare, we would love to hear from you.

We reserve the right to close the advert early if we receive a sufficient number of applications from candidates who meet the required skills and experience. We therefore encourage early applications.

About Us

We’re WWT, and we’re on a mission to restore the super-powered ecosystems we call wetlands. There’s never been a more important moment for our work, and we’ve got some phenomenal people on the case.

Whether they’re taking a new visitor under their wing, or conducting ground-breaking research further afield, our team are second to none. And there’s nothing we love more than watching them soar.

Whatever you do here, you’ll be helping to restore wetlands and unlock their power. So, the only question left is, what role will you play?

Why you’ll love working at WWT

• Wake up every day knowing your work is helping to restore wetlands, and our world
• Be surrounded and inspired by our team of passionate, dedicated people
• 33 days annual leave (which goes up to 38 days after 5 years of service) – this includes bank holidays and you have flexibility to take those days whenever you want
• Free entry to all our wetland centres, including your family
• Free car parking and secure bike storage areas
• Colleague discount on shopping and memberships
• Cycle to work scheme
• Contributory pension scheme
• Life Assurance of three times your salary, for peace of mind for your loved ones
• Independent personal, workplace and financial advice from our Employee Assistance Programme

Equal Opportunities

WWT is an equal opportunities employer and all applications will be considered solely on merit.