What are the responsibilities and job description for the Conservation Engagement & Learning Manager position at Palm Beach Zoo & Conservation Society?
About Palm Beach Zoo & Conservation Society
We are committed to saving wildlife in wild places. Our mission is to help create connections between our guests and animals to inspire awe and action on behalf of wildlife. Every employee at Palm Beach Zoo contributes to our wildlife-saving mission. We work with local conservation partners in Florida as well as assist with international programs in Africa and Central America. Palm Beach Zoo is also proud to have our own coral conservation dive team. Our programs extend well beyond our lush, 23-acre property. We believe that anyone can be a wildlife hero. Whoever you are, wherever you are from, you are welcome here.
This position will be instrumental in co-creating the Conservation Engagement and Learning Department’s new vision with the Director of Conservation Engagement and Learning for the Zoo and our greater community. This position will manage a team that will collaborate cross departmentally to tell the Zoo’s story of saving wildlife and wild places and evaluating the Zoo’s journey in mission effectiveness. This hands-on position will be a practitioner as well as manage staff and programs.
Essential Position Functions
- Assists in developing the annual work plan for the CE&L department including goals, objectives, action plans, timelines, evaluations, resource requirements, and budgets.
- Co-create with the Director of CE&L a program an evaluation plan for school-based and guest engagement activities in our outdoor Zoo-wide classroom that are centered on wildlife-saving actions.
- Hire, train, manage and retain future engagement staff.
- Co-create, manage and evaluate a new Wildlife Saving Zoo Teen Volunteer program focused on habitat interpretation and saving wildlife and wild places.
- Co-create, manage and evaluate the Zoo’s Summer Camp program.
- Co-create, implement, and evaluate conservation engagement programs for Zoo guests and special wildlife saving campaigns and events that inspire action (i.e., Earth Day – Saving the Planet Weekend, animal enrichment events, Go Wild! Summer Guest Engagement Program, Florida Wildlife Corridor Day, Save the Florida Panther Day, Wildlife Saving Gardens Week, Plastics Free July, Nature Play, etc.).
- Support staff professional development conservation programs such as camera trapping, bio-blitz, guided walks, and other community-based science projects.
- Develop and incorporate conservation action messaging and activities in all programs.
- Strive to provide dynamic storytelling training and experiences that are inspiring, engaging, energetic and connect staff and guests to our wildlife mission.
- Develops, schedules, confirms, promotes, and presents educational programs, both on & off site using biofacts and occasionally live animals.
- Cataloging and tracking mission evaluations.
- Train data collectors including volunteers, youth, and staff to support evaluation plans.
- Ability to multi-task in a rapidly changing work environment effectively balancing and prioritizing multiple projects with competing deadlines.
