Conservation scientist jobs
How's your job search on our site?
Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as applications come in. They're ready to hire as soon as they find the right person. Don't miss your opportunity, apply now!
Philanthropy Manager
Location: ZSL London Zoo, Regents Park, London NW1 - Hybrid
Vacancy Type: Permanent
Salary: £40,000 per annum
Business Area: Enabling Functions and Professional Services
Purpose of the role
We are looking for a passionate and strategic Philanthropy Manager to help drive our mission to restore wildlife and create a world where wildlife thrives. This role is focused on raising vital funds from individuals to support ZSL’s global ambition. You will lead on engaging new and cultivating existing supporters, securing high-value and major gifts. As part of your stewardship and cultivation work, you will build deep, lasting relationships and grow a sustainable income stream that powers our global impact.
This is a hybrid role, with the expectation of spending two days a week in the office at a minimum, alongside attending occasional off-site meetings with donors and stakeholders. As with many major gift roles, there may be some evening or weekend work to support events, donor visits, or special experiences.
Key responsibilities:
Fundraising Strategy: Contribute to strategic planning to ensure a coordinated and donor-centric approach that maximises philanthropic support, in collaboration with the Head of Philanthropy.
Donor Cultivation and Stewardship: To manage and grow a personal portfolio of high-value and major donors, securing income from high-value and major gifts.
Prospect Research: Identifying and researching potential donors who align with the organisation's mission and goals, with support from the Prospect Researcher.
Proposal Writing and Donor Reporting: Craft compelling and personalised proposals and presentations to secure funding, and work closely with the wider fundraising and project delivery teams to produce high quality reports.
Event Management: Support the organisation and delivery of events to cultivate relationships with donors and prospects.
Financial accountability: Keep accurate records and handle accompanying gift administration and recognition.
About you
- Experienced fundraising and donor development professional within the charity or cultural sectors, with a proven track record of securing five- and six-figure gifts from individuals, trusts, foundations, and institutional partners.
- Confident in developing compelling proposals and presentations that engage and inspire individual philanthropists.
- Experience working with fundraising databases and donor management systems.
- A proven track record in working with senior volunteers in a fundraising context.
- Knowledge of fundraising best practices and ethical considerations.
- Strong communication, interpersonal and relationship management skills.
About us
We’re ZSL, an international conservation charity. Through our unrivalled animal experts in our two zoos (London Zoo and Whipsnade Zoo), the work of our pioneering scientists, our dedicated conservationists, our purpose is to inspire, inform and empower people to stop wild animals going extinct. Our vision is a world where wildlife thrives and we’re working every day to achieve this. From investigating the health threats facing animals, to helping people and wildlife live alongside each other, we are committed to bringing wildlife back from the brink of extinction.
What do we offer?
At ZSL, we are proud of our approach to employee benefits. Our benefits include:
- Our vision and purpose - you’ll work alongside colleagues who are passionate about science-led conservation, knowing that you will help us to inspire, inform and empower people to stop wildlife going extinct
- Pension scheme - we offer a generous pension scheme with up to 12% contributory pension
- Flexible working – talk to us about your flexible working requirements and we will do everything we can to make sure you work in a way that suits you
- Holidays – 25 days annual leave allowance, plus UK bank holidays
- Wellbeing – access to a blended programme of wellbeing initiatives, including confidential access to our 24/7 Employee Assistance Programme
- Life assurance – eligible employees will be enrolled in ZSL’s life assurance scheme from their first day
- Complimentary tickets – annual allocation of Whipsnade Zoo and London Zoo tickets, with a 30% discount in online and retail shops
- Cycle2Work - our cycle to work scheme enables you to lease a bicycle
- Season ticket loan - we offer an interest free loan for eligibly London-based employees to buy a season ticket for travel between home and work
- Family friendly policies – we offer enhanced maternity, paternity, and adoption packages
If you have any questions about this role, we’d love to hear from you! Please get in touch with our recruitment team
Closing Date: 6th April 2026
We may close this role early or extend the closing date due to the number of applications we receive, so we encourage you to apply as soon as possible.
The selection process will involve two stages:
First interview – held virtually via video call.
Second interview – held in person and will include a skills-based assessment.
We anonymise applications until interview stage to ensure a fair hiring process. It’s important to highlight your unique skills, experience, and knowledge. Over reliance on AI-generated content may miss key criteria outlined in the job description and reduce the effectiveness of your application.
Interested?
If you would like to apply and find out more about this position, please click the apply button to be directed to our website.
This role is subject to standard pre-employment checks, including confirmation of your right to work in the UK. Visa sponsorship is not available for this position.
ZSL recognises that conservation is one of the least diverse sectors, and we actively encourage applications from candidates who identify as part of underrepresented communities. We are committed to building a supportive and inclusive workplace where everyone can thrive and celebrate the value of having a team of employees with diverse skills, experiences, and heritage.
No agencies please.
Registered Charity 
101 - 500
Thank you!
Job title: Head of Principal Gifts
Employer: Imperial College London
Salary: £69,365 to £79,257 per annum
Location: White City, London W12 (Hybrid)
About the role:
Are you a fundraiser looking for a new challenge at the highest levels of philanthropy? Are you looking to transition into the field of principal gifts?
Here at Imperial College, we are recruiting a Head of Principal Gifts to join our brilliant and growing team. This is a new position, part of an expansion of our Advancement Division.
What you will be doing:
As Head of Principal Gifts, you will play a transformative role in securing the philanthropic investments that drive groundbreaking discoveries, life-changing innovations and sustainable solutions. Your work will directly impact fields critical to shaping the future – from climate resilience and AI to global health and business innovation. You will have the opportunity to work with amazing colleagues driven to tackle some of the most difficult problems facing society.
At Imperial, philanthropy has the power to change lives. In this role, you'll be at the heart of that - cultivating relationships with high-net-worth individuals and like-minded stakeholders, and helping drive our most ambitious fundraising and alumni engagement campaign to date.
Working closely with the Director of Development: Principal Gifts and Global, you'll lead on gifts that are genuinely complex and career-defining in scale.
What we are looking for:
We're looking for someone entrepreneurial and ambitious: a natural relationship-builder who thrives in complexity, navigates ambiguity with confidence, and knows how to bring the right people together at the right moment. If that sounds like you, we'd love to hear from you.
What we can offer you:
- The opportunity to continue your career at a world-leading institution and be part of our mission to use science for humanity.
- Benefit from a sector-leading salary and remuneration package (including 39 days’ annual leave and generous pension schemes).
- Access to a range of workplace benefits including a flexible working policy from day one, generous family leave packages, on-site leisure facilities and cycle-to-work scheme.
- Interest-free season ticket loan schemes for travel.
- Be part of a diverse, inclusive and collaborative work culture with various staff networks and resources to support your personal and professional wellbeing.
About Imperial
Welcome to Imperial, a global top ten university where scientific imagination leads to world-changing impact.
Join us and be part of something bigger. From global health to climate change, AI to business leadership, we navigate some of the world’s toughest challenges. Whatever your role, your contribution will have a lasting impact.
As a member of our vibrant community of 22,000 students and 8,000 staff, you’ll collaborate with passionate minds across nine London campuses and a global network.
This is your chance to help shape the future. We hope you’ll join us at Imperial.
Our culture
We work towards equality of opportunity, eliminating discrimination and creating an inclusive working environment. We encourage applications from all backgrounds, communities and industries, and are committed to employing a team that has diverse skills, experiences and abilities. You can read more about our commitment on our webpages.
Our values are at the heart of everything we do and everyone in our community is expected to demonstrate respect, collaboration, excellence, integrity and innovation.
Further Information
This is one of two exceptional opportunities to join our dynamic team. As we continue to expand our international presence, we are recruiting for the following role:
- Head of Global Development, Asia
Each of these roles offers a unique opportunity to shape our strategic direction and build impactful partnerships.
Closing date: Midnight on Thursday 16 April 2026.
Interested?
Please familiarise yourself with the attached Candidate Pack.
To apply, please submit a CV and covering letter.
Imperial is partnering with Erin Hall-Westfall and Joanna Logan of Constellate Global Talent on this search.
No agencies please.
Please familiarise yourself with the attached Candidate Pack.
To apply, please submit a CV and covering letter by midnight on Thursday 16th April 2026
Thank you!
Job title: Head of Global Development, Asia
Employer: Imperial College London
Salary: £69,365 to £79,257 per annum
Location: White City, London W12 (Hybrid)
About the role:
Here at Imperial College, we are recruiting a Head of Global Development, Asia to join our brilliant team. Reporting to and working closely with the Director of Development: Principal Gifts and Global, this is a new position which will help deliver our first university-wide fundraising and alumni engagement campaign.
What you will be doing:
As Head of Global Development, Asia, you will lead our development efforts across Asia, helping to shape and deliver the College’s philanthropic strategy in the region. The role will be central to cultivating major philanthropic relationships, supporting regional engagement for Imperial’s President and senior representatives, and contributing to the wider success of our global campaign.
What we are looking for:
This position is an opportunity for either an experienced fundraiser or an individual with business or relationship development experience in the region. The role will require diplomacy, strategic insight, and the ability to operate effectively within a complex global institution. Experience working across Asia would be advantageous.
This is a unique opportunity to shape and lead our engagement with high-net-worth individuals and stakeholders across Asia – one of the most exciting regions for philanthropic fundraising - connecting them to Imperial’s world-leading research and innovation ecosystem. We hope to hear from you!
What we can offer you:
- The opportunity to continue your career at a world-leading institution and be part of our mission to use science for humanity.
- Benefit from a sector-leading salary and remuneration package (including 39 days’ annual leave and generous pension schemes).
- Access to a range of workplace benefits including a flexible working policy from day one, generous family leave packages, on-site leisure facilities and cycle-to-work scheme.
- Interest-free season ticket loan schemes for travel.
- Be part of a diverse, inclusive and collaborative work culture with various staff networks and resources to support your personal and professional wellbeing.
About Imperial
Welcome to Imperial, a global top ten university where scientific imagination leads to world-changing impact.
Join us and be part of something bigger. From global health to climate change, AI to business leadership, we navigate some of the world’s toughest challenges. Whatever your role, your contribution will have a lasting impact.
As a member of our vibrant community of 22,000 students and 8,000 staff, you’ll collaborate with passionate minds across nine London campuses and a global network.
This is your chance to help shape the future. We hope you’ll join us at Imperial.
Our culture
We work towards equality of opportunity, eliminating discrimination and creating an inclusive working environment. We encourage applications from all backgrounds, communities and industries, and are committed to employing a team that has diverse skills, experiences and abilities. You can read more about our commitment on our webpages.
Our values are at the heart of everything we do and everyone in our community is expected to demonstrate respect, collaboration, excellence, integrity and innovation.
Further Information
This is one of two exceptional opportunities to join our dynamic team. As we continue to expand our international presence, we are recruiting for the following role:
- Head of Principal Gifts
Each of these roles offers a unique opportunity to shape our strategic direction and build impactful partnerships.
Closing date: Midnight on Thursday 16 April 2026.
Interested?
Please familiarise yourself with the attached Candidate Pack.
To apply, please submit a CV and covering letter.
Imperial is partnering with Erin Hall-Westfall and Joanna Logan of Constellate Global Talent on this search.
No agencies please.
Please familiarise yourself with the attached Candidate Pack.
To apply, please submit a CV and covering letter by midnight on Wednesday 19 November 2025.