• Fixed term (6 months)
• Sydney based

About ZAA and the Centre for Species Survival Australasia

The Zoo and Aquarium Association Australasia (ZAA) is the peak body for accredited zoos and aquariums across Australia and New Zealand, working collectively to deliver world-class animal care, conservation impact and public engagement with wildlife.

ZAA hosts the IUCN Species Survival Commission Centre for Species Survival Australasia (CSS Australasia), part of a global network of Centres established to strengthen how species conservation is assessed, planned and acted upon.

CSS Australasia exists to connect local conservation programs, government policy systems, zoo and aquarium expertise, and global IUCN scientific knowledge so that species conservation effort is coordinated, evidence-driven and capable of supporting practical recovery outcomes.

About the role

ZAA is recruiting a Species Survival Officer to support national preparedness for emergency response actions for priority threatened species in the context of High Pathogenicity Avian Influenza (HPAI).

This role will assess and document the capacity of Australian zoos and aquariums to support emergency extraction, short-term holding, release or translocation, closed management and active metapopulation management for priority threatened species. The position will produce a time-stamped inventory of sector infrastructure, expertise, resources, constraints and readiness, and translate this information into practical decision-support outputs for the Australian Government Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, state and territory authorities, and relevant partners.

This is a coordination, analysis and decision-support role. It does not approve extraction, vaccination, movement, release, translocation or long-term ex situ management. Instead, it will help decision makers understand what capacity exists, what constraints need to be addressed, and what actions may be feasible under different emergency response scenarios.

The role is best suited to someone with strong project coordination, stakeholder engagement, analytical and written communication skills. Experience in species conservation, emergency wildlife response, zoo and aquarium operations, biosecurity, veterinary systems, recovery planning or government conservation programs would be valuable.

Key responsibilities

You will:

• Establish and manage project governance, workplans, milestones, risks and reporting requirements
• Work with ZAA, DCCEEW, jurisdictions and relevant partners to confirm priority species and project scope
• Design and implement a practical inventory of zoo and aquarium sector capacity
• Collect and validate information on infrastructure, containment, quarantine, biosecurity, veterinary capacity, diagnostics, staffing, equipment, transport, species expertise and regulatory readiness
• Differentiate between capacity that is immediately available, capacity that could be mobilised with support, and capacity that would require additional funding, approval, infrastructure or staffing
• Coordinate structured expert input, interviews, workshops or targeted elicitation to assess feasibility for priority species
• Assess emergency action scenarios, including extraction, short-term holding, vaccination planning where relevant, release or translocation, conservation insurance through closed management, and active metapopulation management
• Maintain strong working relationships with ZAA-accredited institutions, government partners, regulatory bodies and technical experts
• Identify where First Nations engagement, leadership or advice may be relevant to species, sites, land, waters, cultural values or co-management arrangements
• Prepare clear, evidence-based reports, summaries, action plan templates and decision-support outputs
• Support grant administration, reporting, acquittal documentation and final project records

About you

You bring:

• Demonstrated experience in species conservation, recovery planning, emergency preparedness, zoo and aquarium operations, biosecurity, veterinary systems or complex program coordination
• Strong governance, facilitation and stakeholder management skills
• The ability to manage sensitive operational, facility and biosecurity information appropriately
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to turn complex information into clear decision-support products
• Advanced organisational and project management capability
• Confidence working across multiple institutions, jurisdictions and expert groups
• A practical mindset focused on evidence, feasibility, constraints and implementation pathways
• Sound judgement, attention to detail and comfort working independently

Experience with threatened species recovery, emergency wildlife response, HPAI preparedness, ex situ conservation, biosecurity planning, government reporting, structured decision-making or IUCN approaches is desirable.