Wildlife Practice Area Lead At World Wide Fund For Nature

JOB DESCRIPTION

Position title: Wildlife Practice Area Lead- WWF-Laos

Reports to: Conservation Director, WWF-Laos

Supervises: Wildlife programme team members and relevant consultants

Grade (Career level): Manager 2 (M2)

Division: NA

Department: Conservation

Location: Savannakhet or Vientiane, Lao PDR

Date: September 2022

  1. Mission of the Department

World Wide Fund for Nature – WWF has had a presence in Laos since the late 1980s, when it contributed to some of the first biodiversity surveys that established Laos’ protected area system. The office in Laos was officially established in 2001. Today, our main office for WWF-Laos is in Vientiane Capital, with field offices in Savannakhet, Champassak, Salavan, and Xekong provinces.

WWF-Laos works with government, civil society, and the private sector partners to address the drivers of biodiversity loss and to move towards a greener nature-based future where the people of Laos can thrive and live in harmony with nature.

Our vision for Laos is that ‘the unique biodiversity, cultural diversity, and ecosystems are maintained or enhanced and contribute to the sustainable development and wellbeing of Laos, the Greater Mekong region, and the planet as a whole.’ Conservation is WWF’s core work, and our programme in Laos is implemented under three broads ‘Practice Areas’, which include Forests, Wildlife, and Freshwater. Under the five-year strategic plan (2021-2025), WWF-Laos focuses on three landscapes, four priority sites, and two groups of priority species. Find out more from WWF-Laos’ Five-Year Strategic Plan, 2021-2025

WWF-Laos’ vision for Laos is that the human footprint stays within the country’s capacity to maintain the full spectrum of biological diversity and ecosystems, and the key services they provide, to enhance Lao people’s livelihood resilience and contribute to the sustainable conservation of the overall ecological integrity of the Greater Mekong Region.

  1. Major Functions

The Wildlife Practice Area Lead- (Wildlife Lead) is responsible for the technical oversight, leadership, strategic and programme development and management of Wildlife Practice related activities across WWF-Laos priority sites and landscapes. This includes developing and implementing biological and threat monitoring across our priority sites, developing species recovery plans for priority species (e.g.: Primates, Tigers, Elephants and Saola) and developing research strategies for WWF-Laos to measure performance and aid in decision making. They will also contribute to developing funding proposals to build the Wildlife practice and WWF-Laos programme and guide work under Protected and Conserved Areas and Human Wildlife Conflict Management themes.

  1. Duties and Responsibilities
  • Lead the development and implementation of WWF-Laos’ Wildlife programme, including strategy, work plans, partnerships, and fundraising
  • Identify conservation priorities for site/landscape-scale interventions to conserve WWF-Laos priority species and ensure robust biological monitoring is in place (e.g.: WWF Global priority species and Regional and Nationally significant species, including felids)
  • Develop an Applied Conservation Research and Biological Monitoring Program for WWF-Laos
  • Build Capacity of WWF-Laos and partners in applied conservation research to better inform our program direction
  • Lead development and coordination of Biological and threat monitoring work across WWF sites and ensure data is well stored and accessible and is reported in an accessible manner to decision makers
  • In coordination with the Wildlife Practice WWF Network- Provide technical advice on human wildlife conflict management and protected area management
  • Support the development of scientific publications resulting from WWF-Lao and partner’s work
  • Integrate Wildlife Practice related work across WWF-Laos conservation programme and thematic areas
  • Develop Wildlife research collaborations with national and international institutions to support wildlife practice goals
  • Represent WWF-Laos at strategic and technical levels in all relevant fora
  • Develop and maintain a network of contacts, and actively seek to build strategic alliances and partnerships with other international organizations, academic institutions, civil society organizations (CSOs), donors and other potential partners in order to promote and implement WWF-Laos’ Wildlife programme strategies
  • Support capacity building of Laos nationals in the fields of wildlife monitoring and research, human wildlife conflict management, protected area management.
  • Act as WWF-Laos’ focal point within WWF’s global Wildlife practice and focal point for WWF-Laos’ tiger recovery program
  • Work with the Communications and Advocacy team to develop strategic Wildlife programme communications and advocacy, media activity, campaigns and related events

Ensure timely submission of annual programme reports and technical progress reports (TPRs) to WWF International and relevant donors

  1. Profile

Requirements

Qualifications

  • Master’s degree or PhD in wildlife management, ecology, environmental or conservation management, or in a related relevant field
  • Qualification in programme and project management

Knowledge

  • Thorough understanding of wildlife and protected area management, socio-economic, conservation and development issues in Laos
  • Knowledge of the policy/institutional context related to Wildlife and protected area management in Laos
  • Excellent understanding of development partnerships, fundraising, donor strategies, functions, governmental and international relations
  • Demonstrated knowledge of wildlife monitoring and applied conservation research techniques
  • Knowledge of environmental and social safeguards
  • Existing links to research institutions and funders advantageous

Experience

  • At least 7 years of practical experience in leading and managing Wildlife management and Wildlife-related conservation initiatives, at least 3 years of which should be in Laos/Southeast Asia/Asia
  • Proven experience of managing Wildlife related projects and programmes funded by a diversity of sources including governments and aid agencies, private sector donors
  • Experience of working and negotiating with and reporting to donors at all levels, and preferably also working with key regional and international institutions e.g. World Bank, Asian Development Bank, Association of Southeast Asian Nations, USAID, DEFRA
  • Demonstrated experience in field work with local partner organizations, applying environmental and social safeguards
  • Experience in developing and implementing biodiversity monitoring and research

Required Skills and Competencies

  • Strategic thinking and decision making
  • Strong people management skills including planning, motivating and coaching team members, building capacity and supporting professional development
  • Strong communication skills
  • Delivering quality outcomes and very good financial management skills
  • Networking
  • Excellent written and spoken English, knowledge of Lao language is an advantage
  1. Working Relationships:

Internal

  • WWF-Laos: WWF Country Management Team, landscape teams, other Practice leads
  • WWF network: WWF’s global Wildlife practice, WWF’s regional Wildlife team, other WWF offices

External

  • Interact with donors, partner organizations, external consultants, government agencies, companies, multilateral aid agencies and non-governmental organizations
  1. WWF’s Values & Behaviours:
  • Adhere to WWF’s values: Courage, Respect, Collaboration and Integrity.
  • Demonstrates WWF core value in action of working:
    • We demonstrate courage through our actions, we work for change where it’s needed, and we inspire people and institutions to tackle the greatest threats to nature and the future of the planet, which is our home.
    • We live the principles we call on others to meet. We act with intergrity, accountability and transparency, and we rely on facts and science to guide us and to ensure that we learn and evolve.
    • We honour the voices and knowledge of people and communities that we serve, and we work to secure their rights to a sustainable future.
    • We deliver impact at the scale of the challenges we face through the power of collective action and innovation.

This job description covers the main tasks and conveys the spirit of the sort of tasks that are anticipated proactively from staff. Other tasks may be assigned as necessary according to organizational needs.

How to apply

How to apply:

If you have the skills and experience and are interested in this position, please email your cover letter and CV in English to jobs.laos@wwf.org.la citing in the subject line the position that you applied for, WWF-Laos’.

Deadline for applications: 7th October 2022

Thank you for interested to be part of our panda family. Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. If you have not been contacted within six weeks of the closing date, please consider your application unsuccessful for this role.

WWF does not charge or accept a fee at any stage of the recruitment process.

We are an equal opportunity employer and committed to having a diverse workforce.

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