Conservation Manager (Impact & Learning)

Conservation Manager (Impact & Learning) - Maternity Cover
Ref: CM/26
Location: Flexible remote with regular presence at our office in Horsham, West Sussex, for team meetings
Salary: Up to £37,000 dependent on experience
Hours: Full time: 35 hours per week
Contract: This is a maternity cover role for c.13 months

Are you a passionate conservationist with experience of monitoring, evaluation and learning?

About Us

Born Free works tirelessly to ensure that all wild animals, whether living in captivity or the wild, are treated with compassion and respect and can live according to their needs. As a leading wildlife and conservation charity, we oppose the exploitation of wild animals in captivity and campaign to keep them where they belong – in the wild.

We promote Compassionate Conservation to enhance the survival of wildlife, especially threatened species in the wild, and to protect natural habitats while respecting the needs and safeguarding the welfare of individual animals. We seek to positively impact animals in the wild and protect their ecosystems in perpetuity for their own intrinsic value and for the critical roles they play within the natural world.

About this Opportunity

Reporting to the Head of Conservation, the Conservation Manager will work closely with the wider Conservation team both in the UK and internationally and will line manage the UK-based Conservation Officer. The successful candidate will have international field experience in conservation management, monitoring and evaluation, with a postgraduate degree in conservation biology, zoology or a relevant subject.

Responsibilities will include organisational impact reporting, measuring impact of programmes and looking for opportunities to evolve the conservation portfolio, data management, analysis and learning, and assisting the Fundraising team with reporting for donors.

This fantastic opportunity would best suit a reliable and enthusiastic individual with experience of monitoring, evaluation and learning. The individual will have an in-depth and up-to-date understanding of global conservation issues, including a good understanding of the current and emerging threats to wildlife worldwide and a familiarity with ecological and social science tools to address conservation problems. The individual will ideally have a relevant postgraduate degree, who has international field experience, experience in designing and carrying out programme evaluations, and proven skills in written and verbal communication. The role sits in the global conservation team but will take a lead role in impact generation and learning across our full Born Free portfolio.

The successful candidate should ideally demonstrate the following attributes:

Qualifications: Postgraduate degree in conservation biology, zoology or a relevant subject essential

Essential Experience:

• International field experience, managing and evaluating field programmes.
• Experience in monitoring, evaluation and learning, impact measurement, conservation science, programme management or a related field.
• Experience collecting, managing and analysing quantitative and qualitative data.
• Experience preparing programme, impact or donor reports.
• Experience working with databases, spreadsheets and data management systems.
• Experience supporting multiple projects and stakeholders simultaneously.

Essential Knowledge and Skills:

• An in-depth understanding of conservation issues for highly threatened species and habitats in Africa and Asia and the solutions used to address them.
• Strong quantitative and qualitative analytical and problem-solving skills, familiarity with data analysis tools such as Excel and R package, proficiency with databases and spreadsheets and ability to create dashboards, graphs and data visualisations and skills in analysing biological/social science and spatial data (GIS).
• Ability to interpret complex information and present it clearly for different audiences.
• Knowledge of monitoring and evaluation methodologies and indicators and in designing and conducting programmes evaluations.
• Ability to work collaboratively with technical and non-technical colleagues.
• Excellent verbal communication skills including an ability to speak confidently and cogently to a variety of audiences and to communicate Born Free’s interlinked animal welfare and wildlife conservation priorities, positions and policies to collaborators and partners.

This is a fantastic opportunity to make a difference for wild animals at a much-loved international charity.

Our excellent benefits package includes opportunities for continuous professional learning, a generous annual leave entitlement, working from home with regular team meetings and the availability of office space in Horsham, West Sussex to help you maintain a healthy work-life balance, wellbeing support, and a competitive pension. Applicants must have the legal right to work in the UK at the time of application and throughout their employment.

Closing Date: Midnight on Wednesday 4th November 2026

Virtual interviews will be held on 9th-10th November 2026.

If you do not receive an invitation for an interview by the 11th November, then you have unfortunately not been shortlisted.

Early application is encouraged as we will review applications throughout the advertising period and reserve the right to close the advert at any time.

Interested?

If you would like to find out more, please click the apply button. You will be directed to our website to complete your application for this position.

Born Free is an Equal Opportunities employer and positively encourages applications from suitably qualified and eligible candidates, regardless of age, sex, race, disability, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, religion or belief, marital/civil partnership status, or pregnancy and maternity. We welcome requests for flexible working.

You must have the right to work in the UK. Born Free politely requests no contact from recruitment agencies or media sales. We do not accept speculative CVs from recruitment agencies nor accept the fees associated with them.