Recruitment Administrator

Zoological Society of London (ZSL); London; Hybrid; GBP 24,000 - 30,000; Full time

Job summary

Join a leading conservation charity as a Recruitment Administrator, where you'll support hiring across renowned zoos and global conservation programs. This hybrid role involves crafting job adverts, guiding stakeholders, and enhancing recruitment practices to attract exceptional talent. You will work closely with colleagues across the UK and internationally, contributing to ZSL's mission of wildlife conservation and inspiring others to protect endangered species.

Benefits

Generous pension scheme

25 days annual leave

Flexible working

Access to wellbeing initiatives

Life assurance

Complimentary zoo tickets

Cycle to work scheme

Interest-free season ticket loan

Enhanced family friendly policies

Qualifications

• Experience providing high-quality administrative support.
• Working knowledge of UK employment law and HR practices.
• Proficient in using applicant tracking systems.

Responsibilities

• Serve as primary contact for recruitment queries.
• Administer the recruitment process with accuracy.
• Collaborate with hiring managers to create job adverts.

Skills

Communication

Problem Solving

Organisational Skills

Education

Experience in HR or Recruitment

Tools

Applicant Tracking Systems

Job description

We’re looking for a proactive and organised Recruitment Administrator to play a vital role in shaping the future of ZSL, supporting hiring across our two world-renowned conservation zoos, our Institute of Zoology, and global conservation programmes.

In this varied and rewarding role, you’ll help bring exceptional talent into ZSL, ensuring a smooth and engaging recruitment journey for candidates and hiring managers alike. From crafting job adverts to guiding stakeholders through the recruitment process, you’ll work at the heart of a busy team making a tangible difference to wildlife and conservation worldwide.

You’ll collaborate with colleagues across the UK and internationally, gaining exposure to a wide range of roles, from zookeeping to science and fieldwork, and help strengthen ZSL’s reputation as an inspiring place to work.

This is a hybrid role with a requirement to work on-site at least two days per week. The post can be based at either London Zoo or Whipsnade Zoo, with occasional travel between both sites as needed. We welcome applications from candidates seeking flexible or part-time working patterns.

The salary for this role is £27,300 - £29,820 per annum if based at London Zoo, or £24,990 - £27,258 per annum if based at Whipsnade Zoo, depending on experience.

Key responsibilities:

• Candidate and Hiring Manager Support: Serve as the primary point of contact for queries by monitoring the shared recruitment inbox, responding promptly with clear, helpful guidance on topics such as reasonable adjustments, references, job postings, and ATS access.
• Process Improvement and Innovation: Contribute to the development of recruitment practices by sharing insights, feedback, and lessons learned to support ongoing improvements in efficiency, fairness, and candidate experience.
• Recruitment Cycle Administration: Administer the recruitment process with accuracy and care, ensuring data is up to date and maintained to the highest standards throughout every stage.
• Job Advertisement and Role Promotion: Collaborate with hiring managers to create compelling and inclusive job adverts that reflect ZSL’s standards and values, and ensure they are effectively posted on relevant platforms.
• Recruitment Best Practice and Compliance: Advise managers on recruitment policy and procedure, ensuring a consistent, inclusive, and legally compliant hiring experience across ZSL.
• Training and Coaching: Provide tailored 1:1 support and training to managers, building confidence in using the ATS and embedding safe, fair recruitment practices.
• Championing ZSL’s Values: Embody and promote ZSL’s core values in all recruitment activities and stakeholder interactions.

About You:

• Demonstrated experience providing high-quality administrative support, ideally within a recruitment, HR, or people-focussed environment.
• Trusted to manage sensitive employee information with discretion and in full compliance with GDPR and data protection standards.
• Strong communicator, able to build positive working relationships and engage effectively with candidates, hiring managers, and colleagues across ZSL.
• Proactive problem-solver with a continuous improvement mindset, regularly identifying ways to streamline processes and increase efficiency.
• Working knowledge of UK employment law and HR practices, with the ability to provide informed support or direct queries to appropriate guidance where necessary.
• Proficient in using applicant tracking systems to support the end-to-end recruitment cycle; familiarity with platforms such as Eploy or iTrent is advantageous.

This role is subject to standard pre-employment checks, including the candidate's right to work in the UK.

We strongly encourage applications from all backgrounds and celebrate the value of having a team of employees with diverse skills, experiences, and heritage. We are committed to ensuring our teams can bring their authentic selves to work without fear of discrimination. ZSL has active equality networks for our staff with lived experience and those who provide active allyship in Race and Culture, Team Pride, Disability Network, and Menopause Network, complemented by our strategic EDI Steering Group.

About Us:

We’re ZSL, an international conservation charity. Through our unrivalled animal experts in our two zoos (London Zoo and Whipsnade Zoo), the work of our pioneering scientists, our dedicated conservationists, our purpose is to inspire, inform and empower people to stop wild animals going extinct. Our vision is a world where wildlife thrives and we’re working every day to achieve this. From investigating the health threats facing animals, to helping people and wildlife live alongside each other, we are committed to bringing wildlife back from the brink of extinction.

What do we offer?

At ZSL, we are proud of our approach to employee benefits. Our benefits include:

• Our vision and purpose - you’ll work alongside colleagues who are passionate about science-led conservation, knowing that you will help us to inspire, inform and empower people to stop wildlife going extinct
• Pension scheme - we offer a generous pension scheme with up to 12% contributory pension
• Flexible working - talk to us about your flexible working requirements and we will do everything we can to make sure you work in a way that suits you
• Holidays - 25 days annual leave allowance, plus UK bank holidays
• Wellbeing - access to a blended programme of wellbeing initiatives, including confidential access to our 24/7 Employee Assistance Programme
• Life assurance - eligible employees will be enrolled in ZSL’s life assurance scheme from their first day
• Complimentary tickets - annual allocation of Whipsnade Zoo and London Zoo tickets, with a 30% discount in online and retail shops
• Cycle2Work - our cycle to work scheme enables you to lease a bicycle
• Season ticket loan - we offer an interest free loan for eligibly London-based employees to buy a season ticket for travel between home and work
• Family friendly policies - we offer enhanced maternity, paternity, and adoption packages

NB: We reserve the right to close our advertisement early or extend the advertising date until a suitable candidate has been found.