CAREERS AT CHESTER ZOO

External Affairs Advisor

Job reference:001692

Salary:£30750 per annum

Closing date:16/06/2026

Department:External Affairs

Location:Chester

Employment type:Permanent

Hours Per Week:40

Job Description

Full time, permanent contract with an option for some working from home.

We are Chester Zoo

We’re not just an amazing, award-winning visitor attraction that’s home to 30,000 incredible animals inside 128 acres of stunning gardens. We’re not just the UK’s most popular zoo. We’re a major wildlife charity that’s committed to the recovery of endangered species, globally. And, as the world faces an extinction crisis, we’re making a hugely significant contribution to conservation at a time when it’s needed most. We are Chester Zoo and we prevent extinction.

The Role – External Affairs Advisor

We now have an exciting new role for an outstanding External Affairs Advisor. Reporting to the Public Affairs Manager, as part of our External Affairs Department, you’ll be responsible for delivering high quality political, civil society and business engagement (with an emphasis on local and regional engagement) and providing informed political and media insight. The role will contribute to Chester Zoo’s external influencing activity by supporting senior leaders and ensuring effective coordination between public affairs, policy and media relations functions..

We’re looking for someone who can:

• Lead stakeholder engagement across local and regional geographies.
• Provide political and media intelligence to senior internal stakeholders.
• Represent Chester Zoo at external engagements and events.
• Support the delivery of public affairs campaigns, events, stakeholder visits and influencing programmes.
• Work in partnership with PR & Media Relations to ensure coherent and coordinated external communications.

What makes Chester Zoo a great place to work?

Well, where do we start? Here goes…

We’re a huge team of conservationists, scientists, educators, animal welfare experts, marketeers, visitor experience professionals, environmental policy influencers; the list goes on. Each and every one of us is on a mission to make Chester Zoo the best in the world, and our planet a better place.

As the UK’s biggest and best zoo, we have ambitious goals, exciting plans, and there’s always lots going on here. We’re an inclusive and diverse organisation, made up of over 600 permanent and 500 temporary team members, and we know how important it is to invest in our colleagues to help boost their career development. We have ambitious goals, and we want you to be with us for the long term on our exciting journey.

Our working environment could not be more different from a typical office – where else can you see critically endangered orangutans from your office window, or stroll among rare giraffes and tigers on your lunch break?

The Package

• Permanent contract
• Working 40 hours per week
• £30,750 per annum
• Option for some home working
• 33 days annual leave plus the option to buy or sell up to 5 days
• Staff pass so you can visit the zoo during your time off, plus multiple complimentary tickets for your friends and family
• Cycle to work scheme
• Healthcare plan and employee assistance programme
• Discounted gym membership
• Discounts on cinema tickets, restaurants, high street shops and more via Perks
• Pension scheme with generous employer contributions up to 9%

Our Requirements – External Affairs Advisor

• Demonstrable experience in public affairs, external relations or stakeholder engagement.
• Proven understanding of UK politics, including legislative and parliamentary processes and regional and devolved governance.
• Strong communication and analytical skills.
• Politically and media savvy, with good news sense and awareness of current policy debates and their wider political context.
• Ability to summarise complex information.
• Strong relationship building skills.
• Strong organisational and multitasking abilities.

Although not essential, the following would be desirable:

• Experience working with PR and media relations teams.
• Knowledge of conservation, environmental policy and/or the visitor economy.

Shortlisting of applications and interviews for the role will take place while the advert is live; candidates are therefore encouraged to submit applications as soon as possible.