Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Zoo Education Officer

🎯 Role Definition

The Zoo Education Officer is responsible for designing, delivering and evaluating formal and informal learning experiences that connect visitors, schools and community groups with wildlife conservation, animal welfare and biodiversity. This role combines curriculum planning, public speaking, animal interpretation, partnership development and administrative leadership to ensure high-quality, inclusive education programs that further the zoo’s conservation goals and audience development.

Primary keywords: Zoo Education Officer, conservation education, wildlife education, zoo education programs, school outreach, interpretive talks.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Education Assistant, Learning Officer or Community Engagement Assistant in zoological, museum or environmental settings
Primary or Secondary School Teacher with curriculum delivery experience in science or biology
Volunteer Education or Outreach Coordinator at wildlife trusts, nature reserves or aquaria

Advancement To:

Senior Education Officer / Head of Learning and Engagement
Conservation Education Manager or Community Partnerships Manager
Curator of Public Programmes or Head of Visitor Experience

Lateral Moves:

Visitor Experience Manager
Conservation Project Officer / Outreach Coordinator

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Design, develop and maintain a diverse calendar of formal and informal education programs (school workshops, curriculum-linked visits, family activities, holiday camps, community sessions and adult learning courses) that align with national curriculum standards and the zoo’s conservation priorities.
Plan, script and deliver compelling live animal demonstrations, keeper talks and interpretive tours that communicate animal biology, behaviour and conservation messages clearly and memorably to diverse audiences.
Lead and manage school bookings and classroom sessions, including liaison with teachers to tailor content and assessment, pre-visit materials, learning outcomes and post-visit follow-up resources to ensure measurable educational impact.
Create engaging, accessible learning resources (teacher packs, worksheets, activity guides, digital content, videos and interpretive signage) that translate complex conservation science into age-appropriate educational materials.
Develop and implement monitoring and evaluation frameworks (surveys, learning assessments, KPI tracking, impact reports) to measure learning outcomes, visitor satisfaction and behaviour-change objectives; use data to refine programming.
Recruit, train and supervise education volunteers, seasonal instructors and student placement staff; plan rotas, run training workshops and conduct performance feedback to maintain high delivery standards.
Manage budgets for education programs, including forecasting, tracking expenditure, procuring materials, and ensuring cost-effective delivery of courses, outreach and public events.
Build and maintain partnerships with schools, colleges, universities, conservation NGOs, community organisations and corporate sponsors to expand reach, secure funding and co-develop programmes.
Deliver outreach and off-site learning activities (school visits, community centre workshops, pop-up talks) that extend the zoo’s educational reach into under-served communities and target audiences.
Write grant applications, sponsorship proposals and partnership briefs to secure funding for new education initiatives, travelling exhibits and conservation education campaigns.
Ensure all learning activities comply with safeguarding, health & safety, animal welfare and site-specific risk assessments; maintain up-to-date permissions and incident reporting procedures.
Develop inclusive programmes and targeted access initiatives for SEN pupils, community groups with barriers to engagement, and multilingual audiences to broaden participation and representation.
Coordinate seasonal and special events (conservation weeks, fundraising education days, citizen science initiatives) that drive visitor engagement and align with marketing and visitor experience goals.
Support the creation and delivery of online and blended-learning offers (virtual workshops, webinars, e-learning modules) to increase accessibility and resilience of education provision.
Provide specialist conservation interpretation training for keepers, front of house and volunteers to ensure consistent messaging across all visitor touchpoints.
Maintain accurate records of bookings, attendances, evaluation results and resource inventories via CRM/booking systems and shared documentation to support reporting and continuous improvement.
Advise on and contribute to exhibit interpretation planning and signage to ensure educational coherence between live sessions and on-site displays.
Act as a public-facing ambassador for the zoo at community events, media opportunities and partner meetings, delivering presentations and representing the zoo’s education and conservation objectives.
Collaborate with marketing and digital teams to promote education programmes, school offers and community activities through web content, social media, newsletters and press materials.
Support animal care teams when education activities require direct animal contact, ensuring protocols are followed and learning interactions prioritise animal welfare.
Develop and deliver staff CPD sessions on pedagogy, curriculum links, visitor engagement techniques and interpreting scientific content for public audiences.

Secondary Functions

Assist with general visitor services during peak periods, helping with enquiries and signposting education offers to increase uptake.
Contribute to content development for the zoo’s website and learning portals, ensuring SEO-friendly copy for education pages and programme listings.
Support cross-departmental projects such as conservation campaigns, exhibitions and fundraising initiatives by lending education expertise to content and delivery.
Maintain and order educational materials, props and teaching specimens; manage resource storage and inventory control.
Attend internal meetings (safeguarding, animal welfare, visitor experience) to ensure education activities align with operational priorities and compliance requirements.
Provide administrative support for evaluations, grant reporting and statutory returns related to educational programming.
Shadow and back up animal care staff for emergency cover related to keeper talks and demonstrations when required.
Participate in professional networks, conferences and training to stay current with best practice in informal learning and conservation education.
Mentor trainees and volunteer coordinators, assisting with development plans and career progression advice.
Undertake ad-hoc conservation research tasks, contribute to citizen science projects and help collate observational data relevant to education messaging.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Curriculum design and lesson planning — ability to map workshops and experiences to national curriculum outcomes and measurable learning objectives.
Public speaking and live interpretation — confident, engaging presenter for diverse audiences, including children, teachers and adult learners.
Animal handling protocols and basic husbandry knowledge — understanding of welfare considerations when using animals in education sessions (where permitted).
Health, Safety & Risk Assessment — competency in writing and executing activity-specific risk assessments and adhering to site safety standards.
Safeguarding and child protection — up-to-date DBS (or local equivalent), knowledge of safeguarding policy and experience delivering sessions with vulnerable groups.
Learning evaluation and impact assessment — designing surveys, pre/post assessments and KPI reporting to demonstrate learning outcomes and behaviour change.
Volunteer and team management — recruitment, training, rota planning and performance feedback for education staff and volunteers.
Grant writing and fundraising — experience preparing funding proposals, budgets and partnership briefs for education initiatives.
CRM and booking systems — proficiency with booking platforms, attendee databases and Microsoft Office/Google Workspace for reporting and scheduling.
Digital content creation — basic skills in creating online lesson materials, educational videos, webinar platforms and social media content.
Project management — planning, budgeting, stakeholder coordination and delivering programmes on time and on budget.
Accessibility and inclusive practice — designing resources and delivery methods for SEN learners and under-represented communities.
Data literacy — ability to analyse attendance, feedback and evaluation data to inform programme improvements.

Soft Skills

Excellent verbal and written communication — clear, compelling storyteller able to translate complex science into audience-appropriate language.
Passion for conservation and wildlife — authentic advocate for biodiversity whose enthusiasm motivates learners and stakeholders.
Empathy and adaptability — patient educator able to adjust delivery to varied learning needs and settings.
Strong organisational skills and attention to detail — managing simultaneous bookings, resources and compliance documents.
Creative thinking and problem solving — designing engaging, memorable activities and overcoming logistical constraints.
Teamwork and collaboration — working cross-functionally with keepers, marketing, fundraising and operations teams.
Cultural sensitivity and inclusivity — developing content that respects diverse backgrounds and learning styles.
Resilience and flexibility — comfortable with weekend and school holiday work and changing operational demands.
Stakeholder management — building relationships with teachers, funders, community leaders and partner organisations.
Presentation and facilitation — leading workshops, training sessions and public events with confidence and presence.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor's degree (or equivalent) in Education, Biology, Zoology, Conservation, Environmental Science, Museum Studies or a related discipline.
OR relevant demonstrable experience in informal education, teaching or community engagement within zoological or environmental organisations.

Preferred Education:

Postgraduate qualification in Education, Environmental Education, Conservation, or a teaching qualification (PGCE or equivalent).
Additional certifications in safeguarding, first aid, or animal handling.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Education / Pedagogy
Zoology / Animal Behaviour
Conservation Biology / Environmental Science
Museum Studies / Interpretation
Community Engagement / Communication

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 2–5 years of professional experience in education, outreach or public programming — preferably within a zoo, aquarium, museum or environmental organisation.

Preferred: 3–7 years with demonstrable experience delivering school programmes, managing volunteers, producing curriculum-linked resources, and leading public engagement initiatives.