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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Zoo Research Officer

💰 $ - $

ResearchZoologyConservationAnimal Welfare

🎯 Role Definition

The Zoo Research Officer designs, leads and coordinates applied research projects within a zoo or wildlife park setting to inform husbandry, conservation and welfare practices. Working across animal care, veterinary and education teams, the role delivers robust experimental design, rigorous data collection (behavioural, physiological and ecological), statistical analysis and clear reporting for internal decision-making and peer-reviewed publication. The position also manages permits, research budgets and stakeholder relationships, and contributes to institutional strategic research priorities and public-facing science communication.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Animal Husbandry Assistant or Keeper with research exposure
  • Graduate Research Assistant / PhD candidate in zoology, ecology or animal behaviour
  • Field Ecologist or Conservation Technician

Advancement To:

  • Senior Research Officer / Head of Research
  • Curator of Science, Research & Conservation
  • Conservation Program Manager or Scientific Director

Lateral Moves:

  • Veterinary Research Coordinator
  • Behavioural Science Specialist
  • Conservation Partnerships Officer

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Lead the design and delivery of applied research projects that evaluate animal behaviour, welfare and husbandry interventions, including defining hypotheses, selecting appropriate controls, and ensuring reproducible methodology aligned with institutional priorities.
  • Plan, conduct and supervise systematic behavioural observations and welfare assessments for multiple species, using validated protocols (e.g., ethograms, focal sampling, scan sampling) and ensuring inter-observer reliability across keeper teams.
  • Collect, manage and curate high-quality datasets from diverse sources (direct observation, video, telemetry, biologgers, hormonal assays, veterinary records), implementing standardized metadata and secure storage to support analysis and future reuse.
  • Conduct statistical analysis and modelling of research data using R, Python, or other statistical packages to generate actionable insights, including time-series analyses, mixed-effects models and non-parametric tests as required by the dataset.
  • Prepare research proposals, budgets and ethics submissions (institutional animal ethics committees), and secure necessary collection, export and research permits from local, national and international authorities.
  • Coordinate and supervise fieldwork and collaborative studies with external partners (universities, conservation NGOs, government agencies), including travel planning, health and safety risk assessments and logistics for remote field sites.
  • Manage and maintain research equipment and laboratory resources (camera traps, audio recorders, GPS/GIS units, telemetry receivers, microscopes), ensuring calibration, inventory control and proactive procurement planning.
  • Design, implement and evaluate enrichment and husbandry experiments to improve captive animal welfare, producing evidence-based recommendations and training materials for animal care staff and volunteers.
  • Lead or contribute to physiological sampling programs (e.g., faecal hormone monitoring, non-invasive sampling, blood collection coordination) in partnership with veterinary staff, ensuring animal welfare and sample integrity.
  • Write, edit and submit scientific manuscripts, technical reports and conference presentations that disseminate research findings internally for operational change and externally to the scientific community and public audiences.
  • Translate research outcomes into practical husbandry guidelines, husbandry manuals, and staff training sessions to embed evidence-based practice across animal collection teams.
  • Develop and maintain collaborative research partnerships, memoranda of understanding and data-sharing agreements with academic institutions, conservation organizations and government agencies.
  • Provide scientific input into species management and breeding programs, using demographic and genetic data to inform mate selection, pairing recommendations and population viability assessments.
  • Supervise, mentor and coordinate students, interns and volunteers engaged in research activities, providing training in observational techniques, data entry, animal welfare protocols and biosecurity procedures.
  • Prepare and manage research project budgets, track expenditures, procure necessary supplies and report on financial performance to line management and funders.
  • Support grant writing and fundraising activities by preparing scientific rationale, objectives, methodology and impact statements to secure external research funding.
  • Ensure full compliance with workplace health and safety, animal welfare legislation and institutional biosecurity policies during all research activities, including the development of standard operating procedures and risk mitigation plans.
  • Implement and maintain quality assurance processes for data collection and analysis, including data validation checks, version control and reproducible analysis pipelines to enhance transparency and credibility.
  • Develop and deliver public-facing science communication materials (blog posts, signage, talks, social media content) that accurately explain research aims and conservation impact to diverse audiences.
  • Monitor and evaluate project outcomes against KPIs and strategic objectives, preparing concise progress reports, impact summaries and recommendations for senior management and stakeholders.
  • Facilitate interdisciplinary workshops and seminars to share research findings with animal care staff, curatorial teams and educators, encouraging integration of scientific evidence into daily practice.
  • Oversee captive animal welfare monitoring programs and incident investigations, compiling evidence-based recommendations and corrective action plans where welfare concerns are identified.
  • Participate in accreditation audits and external peer reviews by preparing documentation, providing evidence of research governance and demonstrating impact on husbandry and conservation outcomes.
  • Lead data synthesis and meta-analysis projects across institutional datasets or multi-institutional studies to generate broader insights for species management and conservation planning.

Secondary Functions

  • Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis.
  • Contribute to the organization's data strategy and roadmap.
  • Collaborate with business units to translate data needs into engineering requirements.
  • Participate in sprint planning and agile ceremonies within the data engineering team.
  • Assist education and outreach teams by providing scientific content for school programs and citizen science initiatives.
  • Provide backup support for animal care duties during peak periods or staff shortages, following established husbandry protocols.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Proficient in behavioural observation techniques and ethogram development for a range of taxa (mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians).
  • Strong statistical analysis skills using R, Python (pandas, scipy), SPSS or similar, including mixed models, GLMs and time-series analysis.
  • Experience with data management best practices, relational databases (SQL), version control (Git) and reproducible research workflows.
  • Competence with GPS/GIS tools (QGIS, ArcGIS), spatial analysis and mapping to support species distribution and field study design.
  • Familiarity with biologging and telemetry technologies (VHF, GPS collars, accelerometers) and associated data processing.
  • Laboratory skills for non-invasive physiological assays (faecal hormone extraction, ELISA, sample storage protocols) and collaboration with diagnostic labs.
  • Practical experience with camera trapping, bioacoustics recording and automated data extraction workflows (sound analysis software).
  • Proven ability to prepare and submit ethics and permit applications, and to maintain compliance with regulatory frameworks for animal research.
  • Grant writing and research proposal development experience, including budget preparation and reporting to funders.
  • Proficiency in Microsoft Office suite and scientific writing tools; comfortable preparing manuscripts, technical reports and presentations.
  • Basic veterinary liaison skills to coordinate sampling, post-mortem examinations and clinical data collection where required.
  • Experience developing and delivering training materials and workshops for animal care and research staff.

Soft Skills

  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills for scientific writing and cross-disciplinary stakeholder engagement.
  • Strong project management and organisational skills, with a track record of delivering projects on time and within budget.
  • Attention to detail and high standards for data quality, documentation and reproducibility.
  • Collaborative mindset and ability to build productive relationships with keepers, vets, academics and external partners.
  • Problem-solving and critical thinking to design studies that balance scientific rigour with animal welfare considerations.
  • Leadership and mentoring abilities to guide students, interns and junior staff through field and laboratory work.
  • Flexibility and adaptability to work irregular hours, field trips and respond to emergent animal welfare issues.
  • Ethical judgment and integrity in handling sensitive biological data and live animal research.
  • Public engagement skills to communicate complex science to non-specialist audiences in an accessible way.
  • Cultural sensitivity and ability to work in diverse teams and with Indigenous and local communities where relevant.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:
Bachelor's degree in Zoology, Animal Behaviour, Ecology, Wildlife Biology or related field.

Preferred Education:
Master's degree or PhD in Behavioural Ecology, Conservation Science, Veterinary Science (research track), or a closely related discipline.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Zoology
  • Animal Behaviour / Ethology
  • Ecology and Conservation Biology
  • Veterinary Science (research)
  • Wildlife Management
  • Data Science / Biostatistics (applied to ecology)

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 2–7 years of applied research experience in zoo, field or laboratory settings (entry to mid-level); senior roles 7+ years with leadership and publication record.

Preferred: Demonstrated track record of designing and delivering applied research projects, peer-reviewed publications or technical reports, experience securing external funding, and familiarity with husbandry practices and veterinary collaboration in a zoological setting.

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