Programme Manager (SERCA Impact & Capacity)

The Zoological Society of London and the SMART-EarthRanger Conservation Alliance (SERCA) are seeking a Programme Manager to lead delivery of a major international programme focused on strengthening the management effectiveness of protected and conserved areas across Africa and beyond, through improved monitoring, reporting, and adaptive management using SERCA tools.

The Programme Manager (SERCA Impact & Capacity) will play a central role in improving how conservation area teams collect, analyse, report, and use monitoring data to inform decision-making, translating SERCA’s tools (SMART and EarthRanger) into improved conservation outcomes in protected and conserved areas. This will be achieved through strengthening field capacity, embedding adaptive management practices, and aligning monitoring systems with management effectiveness and reporting requirements. The role is responsible for overall programme leadership and coordinated delivery across multiple organisations, partners, and geographies, including oversight of training, technical guidance, and monitoring and reporting frameworks, and support for their effective implementation in real-world conservation contexts.

The position is hosted within ZSL’s Monitoring & Technology Programme on behalf of SERCA and sits within the Alliance’s Impact function, working closely with the Capacity function and other SERCA teams.

The position can be based at ZSL’s Head Office in Regent’s Park, London, or at ZSL’s registered offices in Kenya or Cameroon. Candidates must have the existing right to work in the country where they wish to be based. Salary will align with ZSL’s local pay scales for that location, with the London-based salary range being £47,912 – £50,574 per annum, depending on experience. This role includes international travel, expected to be up to approximately 45 days per year depending on programme requirements.

About SERCA

The SMART–EarthRanger Conservation Alliance (SERCA) is a global collaboration working to transform how the world’s protected and conserved areas are managed. Developed through a partnership of leading conservation organisations, including ZSL, Ai2, Frankfurt Zoological Society, North Carolina Zoo, Panthera, Re:wild, WCS, Wildlife Protection Solutions, and WWF, SERCA unites two of the world’s most widely used conservation area management platforms, proven field experience, and global training resources into a single, free suite of tools, processes, and support for those safeguarding wildlife, habitats, and the people who depend on them.

Key responsibilities:  

• Lead delivery and coordination of a major multi-partner conservation programme across multiple countries and organisations.
• Manage programme planning, budgets, reporting, partnerships, and coordination of staff, consultants, and partner contributions.
• Oversee development and delivery of training programmes, learning systems, and technical guidance focused on effective use of SERCA tools for conservation monitoring, reporting, and decision-making.
• Lead development of monitoring frameworks, adaptive management approaches, and management effectiveness and reporting workflows, and implementation standards that support improved management of protected and conserved areas.
• Support implementing sites and partners to strengthen monitoring workflows, data quality, reporting, and use of SERCA data in management processes.
• Contribute to the ongoing development of SERCA tools and approaches, and development of future programme phases and funding proposals.

• Significant experience managing complex, multi-partner conservation projects, particularly in protected and conserved areas.
• Proven experience designing and delivering training programmes in conservation or related fields and producing technical guidance or training materials.
• Significant experience supporting use of conservation area monitoring platforms, including SMART and/or EarthRanger.
• Experience applying protected and conserved area management effectiveness assessment approaches (e.g. METT, IMET, RAPPAM).
• Experience developing conservation monitoring frameworks, indicators, or evaluation systems, and supporting the application of monitoring data to inform management decision-making (adaptive management)

• Purpose driven work – join an organisation where every role contributes to creating a world where wildlife thrives.  
• 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 (increasing with milestone anniversaries). 
• Access to ZSL’s staff Equality Networks -Race & Culture, Team Pride, Disability, and Menopause, supporting an inclusive and welcoming workplace for those with lived experience. 
• 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.