Deforestation-Free Campaigns Project Officer

Deforestation-free campaigns project officer

The Role:

At Chester Zoo, the strength of our voice and the breadth of our audiences means we can open eyes to the environmental challenges that face our planet and empower people to be part of the solution. Harnessing our world-class keepers, scientists and educators, together with our highly collaborative approach and extensive partner networks, we can engage our audience of millions to be part of genuine conservation action. The journey to deforestation-free sustainable palm oil is one example of how we can interlink science and practice, using this approach to find innovative ways to tackle the biodiversity crisis. Through our engagement expertise we understand how to inspire the public and influence businesses, agencies and governments at a policy level to deliver change

We currently have an exciting vacancy for a deforestation-free campaigns project officer to support the continued development of our sustainable palm oil campaign and deforestation-free commodities policy work. The project officer will be responsible for the day to day coordination of our high profile Sustainable Palm Oil Communities Project, and will assist in the development of advocacy and engagement work on deforestation-free commodities.  

Our Sustainable Palm Oil Communities Project is part of a long-term campaign to promote the use of sustainable palm oil and stop unsustainable practices that are causing deforestation and other major impacts to biodiversity in countries such as Indonesia and Malaysia.

Chester City became the first sustainable palm oil city in the world, a campaign developed by our conservationists. Reporting to the Policy Lead, you will help to continue building on this success by; supporting our lead partners across ten UK communities, who are striving to become the next sustainable palm oil community; develop new relationships and assist in the setup of new communities; and help to deliver other global projects such as our PalmOil Scan app.  

The role: 

• To develop an in-depth understanding of issues relating to deforestation-free commodities, and Chester Zoo’s policy 
• To provide support for the continued development of the Sustainable Palm Oil communities project by updating and overseeing the project database 
• To manage relationships with current, and develop relationships with new, palm oil community partners and assist with their progress towards project completion by providing practical information and advice. 
• To use research skills to find new partners and to keep up to date with the latest developments in sustainable palm oil and sustainable procurement, including assisting with the development of new deforestation free commodities projects.  
• To organise and attend networking and promotional events relating to deforestation-free commodities.  
• To support marketing and PR teams with the preparation and dissemination of information, internally and externally, relating to the projects
• To organise regular internal meetings including all stakeholders within Chester Zoo to progress our sustainable procurement work 
• To work with the fundraising team to identify new SPO sponsorship opportunities and assist in the stewardship of existing SPO funders and partners

The successful candidate will have:

• Strong communication and interpersonal skills
• The ability to work as part of a team and inspire conservation action 
• A strong understanding of environmental sustainability 
• Experience of working on community action or advocacy projects 
• Exceptional time management and organisational skills with an attention to detail
• Be self-motivated and proactive
• IT literate 
• Be educated to degree level  (Desirable)
• At least 12 months experience in a project or relationship management role (Desirable)
• Experience of practical conservation work in the field, knowledge of the role of zoos in conservation, experience of researching information from scientific literature, copy editing & proof reading and database management experience would be advantageous.

The Package:

• You’ll be working 40 hours per week, The normal working week is Monday to Friday with hours between 08:00 and 17:00, with a one hour unpaid lunch break. Some flexibility regarding working days and hours will be required, to suit project requirements.
• The opportunity to work some days from home 
• Salary £29,021.21 per annum
• 33 days annual leave per year
• Staff pass so you can visit the zoo during your time off plus multiple complimentary tickets for your friends and family
• Access to healthcare plan
• Employer contributory pension scheme
• In addition we offer a range of amazing benefits which can be found at https://www.chesterzoo.org/work-with-us/staff-benefits/ 

Apply Here

Closing Date: 09/05/2023