Species Survival Officer

Dublin Zoo
Dublin - Ireland

Closing date for applications is: 7th Feb 2026

Contact:
Michele Orr (human resources) Sector:
Conservation Type:
Paid Contract type:
Full-time Salary: DOE

Dublin Zoo is a registered charity which aims to save wildlife and inspire a passion for nature, creating a place where our visitors can become active conservationists, helping us achieve our vision of a world where people live in harmony with nature. Founded in 1831, Dublin Zoo is part of a global network of conservation organisations committed to protecting species and their habitats.

In line with the “Dublin Zoo 200” 10-year strategic plan, Dublin Zoo will become a conservation organisation of global impact within a decade. Providing the headquarters for our parent charity, the Zoological Society of Ireland, our ambition is for Dublin Zoo to transform into a leading hub for wildlife conservation of national and global significance. Dublin Zoo already supports more than 20 field conservation projects run by partner organisations in as many countries on three continents.

In Ireland, Dublin Zoo provides support to partner organisations that work to protect a range of native species and their habitats. In addition, Dublin Zoo helps build global capacity for integrated conservation planning through our support of the IUCN Conservation Planning Specialist Group (CPSG) and commitment to the One Plan Approach, as outlined in Dublin Zoo’s Conservation Master Plan ).

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is the world’s oldest and largest global environmental organisation, with more than 1,400 government and conservation NGO members worldwide. The Species Survival Commission (SSC) is a global network of more than 11,000 volunteer experts who contribute data and expertise to helping the world understand and prioritise species conservation needs. These experts work for many different conservation organisations, such as universities, field conservation NGOs, governments, zoos, aquariums, or botanic gardens.

These experts are organised into more than 205 Groups, focused on taxonomic, geographic or disciplinary priorities for species conservation, and are supported by the SSC Chair’s office staff and a partner-based network of Centres for Species Survival staff teams. The overall aim of these SSC Groups is to advance the understanding and long-term conservation of the species in their remit and their environments worldwide, and the recovery or restoration of populations and ecosystems where feasible.

To achieve this, the groups work across three main pillars:
Assessment, Planning, and Action.

The Centre for Species Survival:
Ireland was created in 2023 as a partnership between Dublin Zoo and the IUCN SSC, and is headquartered in Society House at Dublin Zoo. The Centre works in close partnership with the SSC's volunteer expert groups to conduct extinction risk assessments, facilitate multi-stakeholder conservation planning, mobilise priority action, and build capacity to save species. Centres act as catalysers; working with the SSC and other partners, across NGOs, government agencies, academia, and others.

Centres work to understand the key networks, stakeholders, and conservation efforts; to identify priority gaps in assessments, planning, and action needed to save species and ensure that efforts are connected effectively and have access to the necessary tools, capacity building and resources required to maximise impact.

Summary Of The Role

Working closely with the team at Dublin Zoo, the IUCN Species Survival Commission, relevant government and NGO stakeholders and the wider conservation community, the post holder will play a key role in implementing the IUCN Assess-Plan-Act-Network-Communicate model to assess extinction risk, identify conservation needs, help plan effective and coordinated measures, mobilise conservation action, communicate conservation successes and network with governmental and NGO partners.

This position will support assessments to help inform species conservation prioritisation for Ireland (eg, IUCN Red List Assessments, Key Biodiversity Area identification, National Assessments,…