Schools Learning Officer

**Purpose of the role**:
As a Learning Officer at Whipsnade Zoo, you will be delivering interactive and engaging workshops to our school visitors, playing a key role in supporting ZSL’s purpose to inspire, inform and empower people to stop wild animals from going extinct. This role sits within the conservation education team who work with young people to support ZSL’s purpose by delivering national curriculum education and career pathway programmes as well as forming partnerships with local education and training providers. The Learning Officer's role predominantly will be the delivery of our school programme, there may be opportunities to support the development and delivery of other engagement projects.

This post is based at Whipsnade Zoo with learning spaces both inside and outdoors.

**Key responsibilities**:

- Delivering educational workshops to school groups and ensuring visitors have a positive learning experience during their trip to the Zoo.
- Support Senior Learning Officers by developing activities and resources for a range of education audiences.
- Assist in the administration and organisation of school visits including responding to school enquiries, making school bookings, welcoming schools into the zoo, to ensure it is a smooth and positive experience
- Maintaining educational spaces and resources - updating/repairing/replacing resources

**About You**:

- Experience delivering learning programmes in either a formal or informal environment is essential
- Experience working with young people of a variety of ages and abilities is essential
- Experience working in zoos, other informal learning environments or outdoors would be desirable
- Knowledge of current environmental issues and sustainable actions that can be promoted to mitigate environmental impacts is essential
- Confident to proactively engage with a variety of audiences effectively by ascertaining their needs and adapting delivery is essential
- Strong facilitation and outstanding written and verbal communication ability is essential
- Experience with using IT programmes to communicate and engage with audiences.

An Enhanced DBS check is required as part of the role.

**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