Chester Zoo
Community Partnerships Manager
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Community Partnerships Manager
Location: Chester (on-site at Chester Zoo) Contract: 40 hours per week (Monday–Friday, occasional evenings/weekends) Duration: Fixed-term until 30th December 2028 Salary: £40,430 per annum Closes: Midnight, 19th July 2026
About Chester Zoo
We are Chester Zoo – more than just a premier wildlife visitor attraction with over 30,000 animals across 128 acres; we’re a major conservation charity addressing the global extinction crisis through species recovery, habitat restoration, and community-driven conservation.
As part of our mission to prevent extinction, we’re leading the Networks for Nature project—a £5m initiative spanning 60 square miles, from the River Dee to the River Mersey, collaborating with Cheshire West & Chester Council, The Land Trust, Cheshire Wildlife Trust, Canal & River Trust, and Sustrans.
Our goal? To empower communities, create diverse habitats, and make nature more accessible—ensuring wellbeing, inclusive engagement, and long-term ecological resilience.
The Role: Community Partnerships Manager
Key Responsibilities
Project Leadership & Delivery
- Lead the Networks for Nature project team, ensuring adherence to the activity and action plan across phases of delivery.
- Matrix manage the team (internal Chester Zoo colleagues, external partners, Project Administrator) to drive on-time, on-budget execution.
- Collaborate with project partners (including Cheshire Wildlife Trust, Sustrans, NLHF) to align conservation actions with shared goals and timelines.
- Ensure compliance with project governance, including reporting to the internal Chester Zoo Project Board and external Steering Group.
- Oversee a £5m budget, tracking expenditure against agreed funder allocations (including £4m NLHF grant), and seeking approvals for variances.
Stakeholder & Fundraising Management
- Supervise relationships with major funders (primarily National Lottery Heritage Fund, other trusts/foundations) to maintain grant compliance and award drawdowns.
- Secure stakeholder alignment through regular reporting (e.g., PowerPoint summaries for Project Board, detailed NLHF reports).
- Lobby internally/externally (forums/conferences) to advocate for Networks for Nature, fostering cross-sector buy-in.
- Conduct impact evaluations with Chester Zoo’s Science Department and contractors, compiling evidence and case studies.
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Safety, Risk & Compliance
- Uphold robust health, safety, and safeguarding protocols across all project activities (e.g., Construction Design Management, GDPR, copyright).
- Conduct risk assessments in collaboration with departmental specialists and the Health & Safety Advisor.
People & Operational Support
- Line-manage a Project Administrator, delegating administrative tasks to free up project oversight.
- Work closely with the Senior Community Participation & Engagement Manager to resolve challenges.
Requirements
Essential
- Deep alignment with the zoo’s mission, vision, and values, coupled with a passion for UK nature conservation and community-centred projects.
- Proven experience in planning, leading, and managing multi-year, multi-partner projects (£5m+ budgets preferred). Must demonstrate:
- Project management frameworks (e.g., Gantt charts, stakeholder matrices).
- Matrix management (oversight of both internal/external teams across regions).
- Collaboration with NGOs/similar partnerships.
- Partnership management expertise, including:
- Facilitating cross-organisational meetings and coordinating volunteer/community partners.
- Experience with underserved audiences, identifying barriers to engagement.
- Commercial acumen in budget tracking, procurement, and grant compliance (e.g., managing NLHF reporting cycles).
- Engaging communication skills for diverse audiences (written presentations, stakeholder updates, conference pitches).
- Technical proficiency in Microsoft Office (PowerPoint, Excel for budgeting/reporting).
- exceptional organisational skills—balancing multiple projects, tight deadlines, and quality control.
- Proven leadership in supervising teams (including volunteers) and motivating colleagues.
- Diplomacy and emotional intelligence: Adapting to high-pressure environments while maintaining positivity and maintaining relationships under challenge.
- Critical thinking: Resolving risks and collaborating innovatively.
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Desirable (But Not Essential)
- A full UK driving licence (essential for some site/community visits).
Additional Notes
- DBS check required as standard for this role.
- Diversity and inclusion are embedded in our goals; we welcome candidates from all backgrounds, especially those with community engagement or conservation experience in the North West.
Why Work at Chester Zoo?
A Mission-Driven Environment
- Join a 600+ team of conservationists, educators, scientists, and more united by our ambition for a better planet.
- Work in a dynamic, fast-paced setting where your contributions make real conservation impact.
An Unusual Workplace
- Why settle for an office when your walk to work could take you past red pandas or meerkats?
- Enjoy the unique balance of professional challenge and daily wildlife wonder—meerkat lunchtime shows anyone?
Rewarding Benefits Package
- Flexible working hours (core 40h/week, Mon–Fri, plus occasional evenings/weekends).
- Staff pass & discounted visitor tickets for family/friends.
- Generous leave (33 days + optional buy/sell scheme), plus enhanced sick pay.
- Perks loyalty program offering discounts on cinema, dining, retail, and gyms.
- Cycle to Work scheme, employee assistance programme, and healthcare.
- Pension contributions up to 9% (one of our most generous schemes).
Closing Date & Next Steps
Applications close midnight, 19th July 2026.
Would you like to prevent extinction—on a £5m scale, right here in Cheshire?
Apply today and be part of a team making nature accessible to all.
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