This is an exciting opportunity to lead ZSL’s team of Veterinary Officers and Resident Vets in delivering world-class clinical care and welfare across our iconic animal collections at both conservation zoos. Acting as Deputy to the Head of Wildlife Health Services, you’ll provide strategic and operational leadership that shapes the future of veterinary excellence at ZSL.

You’ll play a pivotal role in driving collaboration, innovation, and best practice across both sites, ensuring our animals receive the highest standards of care while supporting ZSL’s wider mission to restore wildlife and inspire a world where wildlife thrives. Beyond the zoos, your expertise will help influence species recovery, support global conservation programmes, and contribute to academic teaching and knowledge sharing across the organisation and the wider conservation community.

As part of our collaborative veterinary team, this role takes part in the clinical rota, including occasional weekend on-call duties (around one weekend per month). You’ll have the opportunity to work regularly across both ZSL London Zoo and ZSL Whipsnade Zoo.

Key responsibilities:
 

• Clinical Leadership: Oversee and contribute to the delivery of the clinical programme, ensuring the highest standards of veterinary care and animal welfare across ZSL’s collections.
• Team Management and Development: Lead and manage the team of Veterinary Officers and Residents, providing day-to-day supervision, mentorship, and performance support.
• Collaboration and Strategic Alignment: Collaborate closely with curatorial, animal management, and other teams across ZSL to support animal health and welfare and deliver on ZSL’s strategic objectives.
• Training and Capacity Building: Contribute to the training and mentoring of students, residents, and professionals (including tracking students, MSc, and ECZM ZHM residents) to build global capacity in wildlife health.
• Conservation and Research Support: Support and contribute to broader ZSL initiatives, such as disease risk analysis, species recovery, field projects, and externally funded programmes.
   

 

• A qualified veterinary professional with active membership of the RCVS (Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons), which is essential for this role.
• Proven experience in veterinary care of zoo and wild animals across a range of species.
• In depth knowledge of relevant legislation related to zoo licensing, animal health, health and safety, firearms and veterinary medicine.
• A natural collaborator and communicator, who can professionally and positively influence and engage across a range of internal and external stakeholders.
• Clear, demonstrable commitment to and understanding of wildlife conservation and animal welfare.
• A full clean UK driving license is required due to regular travel across sites.
  
   

This role is subject to standard pre-employment checks, including the candidate's right to work in the UK. A DBS check is also required for this position.

We strongly encourage applications from all backgrounds and celebrate the value of having a team of employees with diverse skills, experiences, and heritage. We are committed to ensuring our teams can bring their authentic selves to work without fear of discrimination. ZSL has active equality networks for our staff with lived experience and those who provide active allyship in Race and Culture, Team Pride, Disability Network, and Menopause Network, complemented by our strategic EDI Steering Group.

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.