Manager - Conservation Outreach & Citizen Science

The Manager - Conservation Outreach & Citizen Science at Emirates Nature-WWF in Abu Dhabi leads outreach, volunteer, and citizen science programs aligned with conservation priorities. Responsibilities include enhancing program effectiveness, engaging diverse audiences, overseeing logistics, and mentoring teams. The role requires collaboration with cross-functional teams and managing partner relationships to ensure high standards and operational efficiency. This is a full-time position located in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
Dubai / Abu Dhabi-
- Full time-
- December 8, 2025** TYPE OF CONTRACT**
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- Full time-
- LOCATION
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- Dubai / Abu Dhabi-
- UNIT
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- Conservation-
- DIRECT REPORTS TO
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- Head of Conservation Outreach & Citizen Science-
- DIRECT REPORTS
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- Associate Managers, Coordinators, Officers, Freelance Instructors, Consultants, Interns, Volunteers-
- CLOSING DATE
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- December 30, 2025-
- COMMENCEMENT DATE
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- December 2025- JOB SUMMARY- The Manager - Conservation Outreach & Citizen Science leads and advances EN-WWF’s outreach, volunteer, citizen science and community engagement programmes, ensuring they are strategically aligned with the organisation’s conservation priorities and deliver measurable impact.
- The role is responsible for elevating and strengthening existing programmes, improving their design, effectiveness, and reach. This includes developing inspirational, science-based and community-led initiatives, and adapting them for diverse audiences such as rural communities and youth. Programmes are expected to be tightly monitored, evidence-driven, and continuously refined to maximise conservation and behaviour-change outcomes.
- The Manager provides strong project and operational leadership across complex initiatives, overseeing logistics, event planning, stakeholder engagement, community management, and coordination with communications and marketing teams. A key expectation of the role is to improve operational efficiency, streamline delivery models, and leverage economies of scale across programmes while maintaining quality and impact.
- As a senior lead, the Manager leads and mentors multi-layered teams, including staff, interns, freelance instructors, consultants and volunteers, ensuring effective delivery, capacity building, and full compliance with organisational policies and procedures.
The role works closely with cross-functional teams (including Fundraising, Communications, Strategy & Growth and Programme Delivery) to enable integrated planning, smooth operations, and strategic alignment. The Manager may also hold responsibility for selected partner account management, ensuring strong relationships, clear deliverables, and high standards of stewardship.- BACKGROUND- Emirates Nature is a UAE environmental non-governmental charity, established in 2001 under the Honorary Founder and President H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan as a legacy of the late Sheikh Zayed’s vision for the United Arab Emirates. HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan is the Ruler’s representative in the Al Dhafra Region and Chairman of Environmental Agency - Abu Dhabi (EAD) Board of Directors.
- We operate with offices in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Fujairah and are governed by a local board of directors.
- Emirates Nature works in association with WWF, one of the world’s largest and most respected independent conservation organizations. Emirates Nature-WWF has been active in the UAE for two decades and is renowned for its commitment to biodiversity conservation, habitat protection, sustainable development, and community engagement. Some of our flagship projects include marine conservation initiatives to protect coral reefs and marine species, wildlife conservation programs focusing on endangered species such as Arabian oryx and sea turtles, habitat restoration projects in critical ecosystems, and sustainable development initiatives aimed at mitigating climate change impacts and promoting eco-friendly practices across various sectors.
- It is our organizational objective to ensure a high performing workforce within our offices with highly efficient, skilled members all of whom will be unilaterally focused on supporting and delivering conservation activities to our stakeholders within the UAE.- MAJOR DUTIES AND KEY RESPONSIBILITIES-
- Implement the vision for transformative community engagement for conservation impact and resilient communities.
- Manage the outreach project deliverables, calendar of events, manning, logistics, and budgets for the successful delivery of our strategies.
- Lead on the development of citizen science and volunteer workplans for the EN-WWF community (including youth and schools). Support with the development of detailed activity plans.
- Manage the capacity building process internally and externally, including citizen science, voluntourism, rural community engagement and soft skills. Ensure accurate data collection and adherence to protocol. Support with the compilation and analysis of citizen science and impact data.
- Participate in conservation portfolio activities to ensure immersion on projects and better understanding of project goals.
- Ensure that vendors and project teams are following strict Health and Safety standards and manage the risk and emergency response plans for these activities.
- Develop content and accompanying materials to support operations and the community in their journey.
- Contribute to impact reporting, storytelling and Monitorin