Project Manager – Zoological Design & Build

Location: Abu Dhabi, UAE (Head Office), with regular international travel | Full-time.

WZC is growing. We are bringing on new international projects, from aviaries and immersive animal exhibits to full zoological parks and safari masterplans, covering design, construction and operations.

As Project Manager, you will join our head office team and help us deliver several projects at once. You will coordinate design teams, contractors, suppliers and clients to make sure each project is delivered on time, on budget and to WZC's zoological standards.

1. Project Delivery:

• Manage zoological projects from concept and design through construction, fit-out and handover.
• Build and maintain project schedules, budgets, risk registers and delivery plans.
• Coordinate architects, engineers, landscape designers, contractors and specialist suppliers.
• Track progress on site and in design, and solve problems before they cause delays.
• Manage scope, variations and change control, and protect WZC's contracted scope.

2. Client & Stakeholder Management:

• Act as a day-to-day point of contact for clients and partners.
• Prepare clear progress reports, meeting minutes and presentations.
• Lead project meetings, design reviews and site coordination meetings.

3. Commercial & Documentation:

• Support procurement, tenders, quotations and subcontractor management.
• Track invoices, payment milestones and project cash flow with the Finance team.
• Keep project records, drawings, submissions and approvals organised in WZC's document control systems (SharePoint / Asana).

4. Team Collaboration:

• Work closely with WZC's zoological, design, operations and finance teams.
• Make sure animal welfare, keeper workflow and operational needs are built into every design.
• Support the wider team across several projects as needed.

• Minimum 5–7 years' project management experience in design, construction or design-and-build projects.
• Experience with zoos, aquariums, theme parks, landscape, leisure or hospitality projects is a strong advantage.
• Degree in Project Management, Architecture, Engineering, Construction Management or a related field.
• PMP, PRINCE2 or similar certification is an advantage.
• Strong skills in scheduling, budgeting and contract administration.
• Confident with MS Project / Primavera, Microsoft 365 and project management tools.
• Excellent written and spoken English. Arabic is an advantage.
• Willing to travel internationally.

• Organised, proactive and comfortable managing several projects at once.
• A strong communicator who builds trust with clients and contractors.
• Commercially aware and detail-focused.
• Interested in wildlife, conservation and creating exceptional animal environments.