Wildlife Health Technical Advisor At Wildlife Conservation Society

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Position: Wildlife Health Technical Advisor

Reports to: Deputy Country Director, WCS Lao PDR Primary with Technical

Dotted Line to Global and Regional Health Program

Location: Vientiane Capital, Lao PDR (with national, regional, and occasional

international travel)

Country Program/Sector: Global Conservation Program – Wildlife Health (One Health)

Position Type: Full-time, fixed-term (renewable subject to performance and funding)

Scope/Capacity: Country (with regional and global technical linkages)

Coordinates with: Wildlife Health Program Manager; Laos Health Program; Global and Regional Health Program teams; Department of Livestock and Fisheries; Department of Forestry; research institutions and laboratories; technical partners and donors; WCS global One Health network.

Organization Background

The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) is a US non-profit, tax-exempt, private organization established in 1895 that saves wildlife and wild places by understanding critical issues, crafting science-based solutions, and taking conservation actions that benefit nature and humanity. With more than a century of experience, long-term commitments in dozens of landscapes, presence in more than 60 nations, and experience helping to establish over 150 protected areas across the globe, WCS has amassed the biological knowledge, cultural understanding and partnerships to ensure that vibrant, wild places and wildlife thrive alongside local communities. Working with local communities and organizations, that knowledge is applied to address species, habitat and ecosystem management issues critical to improving the quality of life of poor rural people whose livelihoods depend on the direct utilization of natural resources.

WCS began working in Lao PDR in the 1980s, surveying wildlife and habitats around the country to assist the government in creating Lao PDR’s national protected area system. In the early 1990s, WCS documented wildlife and habitats in many of the newly created national protected areas and began supporting the government to train protected area managers, as well as raise awareness about illegal wildlife trade. In 1994, WCS officially established a country office in Lao PDR. Over almost three decades, WCS Lao PDR has successfully implemented more than 30 projects with the Government of Lao PDR, supported by more than 30 donors, and has increasingly moved away from a project approach into a more integrated, strategic, and holistic approach to conservation focused around core landscapes and cross-cutting thematic programs.

Our vision for the Lao PDR Program is that the unique ecosystems of Lao PDR thrive indefinitely and are valued by the people of Lao PDR, and the world, for their biodiversity, natural beauty, and the services they provide to humanity. A core strategy to fulfil that vision is to improve protection and management of wildlife and wild places by building the capacity and meaningful participation of government and local stakeholders, raising public awareness through conservation outreach and education, providing alternative livelihoods including nature-based tourism to guardian villages, influencing institutional, policy, legal and regulatory reforms relevant to protected areas and wildlife, developing the national wildlife health surveillance network, and combatting illegal wildlife trade.

The current portfolio consists of (i) four conservation landscapes: Nam Et-Phou Louey National Park (NEPL NP), Bolikhamxay Protected Areas Landscape, Khoun Xe-Nong Ma Naitonal Protected Area of Khammouan, and Xe Champhone Wetlands of Savannakhet; (ii) cross-cutting programs on Counter Wildlife Trafficking, One Health, Conservation Policy, and Private Sector Partnership.

WCS Health Program

The WCS Health Program (HP) is recognized as a global leader in health-conservation initiatives, implementing interdisciplinary, multi-sectoral programs around the world to prevent, detect, and respond to diverse health threats to wildlife, domestic animals, and people from a local to global scale. We work at the interface of wildlife, domestic animals, and human activity where the opportunity for infectious disease spillover, AMR, environmental pollution and other disruptions to ecosystems and health is greatest, and where proactive approaches can optimize benefits for all. The HP leads the WildHealthNet initiative, leveraging long-standing relationships with governments alongside innovative tools and technologies, including the WCS-developed Health and Wildlife Knowledge (HAWK) database, to operationalize wildlife surveillance networks for rapid detection, response, and mitigation of health threats to effect enduring progress at country, regional, and global levels for conservation, animal and global health.

The WCS Lao PDR Wildlife Health Program focuses on reducing risks at the wildlife–livestock–human interface through a One Health approach that supports biodiversity conservation, public health, and sustainable livelihoods. The program works closely with national counterparts—particularly the Department of Livestock and Fisheries and the Department of Forestry—to strengthen wildlife health surveillance, assess zoonotic spillover risks, and improve preparedness and response capacities.

Current and recent initiatives include the EU-financed Sustainable Wildlife Management (SWM) Programme, Lao-Oxford-Mahosot Hospital-Wellcome Trust Research Unit (LOMWRU) market surveys, the AFD-financed ASAMCO project, and the Pandemic Fund. Together, these initiatives form a growing and strategically important portfolio addressing wildlife health, food security and sustainable livelihoods, One Health risks posed by illegal wildlife trade, and pandemic prevention.

Job Purpose:

WCS Lao PDR seeks a dynamic and experienced Wildlife Health Technical Advisor, with a strong commitment to wildlife conservation and expertise at the interface of wildlife health, domestic animal health, and human health, to provide technical leadership, implementation support, strategic planning and fundraising assistance for the country program’s One Health portfolio.

The Technical Advisor works under the overall leadership of the Deputy Country Director and provides technical guidance and quality assurance to the Wildlife Health Program Manager and national team on wildlife health, disease surveillance and response, and integration of One Health approaches into diverse conservation programs.

The position will ensure technical excellence, methodological rigor, promotion of best practices for improved wildlife health management and One Health threat risk reduction and associated capacity building to meet identified program needs and alignment with WCS global One Health standards. Day-to-day program leadership, management, and donor compliance remain the responsibility of the Program Manager.

This position offers a real-world One Health opportunity, combining field-based technical advisory support, institutional capacity strengthening, and program development aligned with WCS’s national conservation priorities in Lao PDR.

Major Responsibilities:

1. Technical Leadership & Program Implementation

  • Provide technical guidance and quality assurance to the Program Manager and national staff on One Health, wildlife health, and risk-based disease surveillance programs.
  • Lead the strategic transition from wildlife disease surveillance toward integrated One Health interface management, including risk identification, mitigation, and prevention at key human–wildlife–livestock/domestic animal interfaces (e.g., markets, supply chains, protected area boundaries).
  • Support the design, review, and refinement of wildlife disease surveillance systems, market surveys, and risk assessment methodologies under projects such as EU/SWM, LOMWRU, ASAMCO, and the Pandemic Fund.
  • Review, write and endorse technical protocols, investigation procedures, analytical frameworks, and monitoring tools related to wildlife, health surveillance and response, including morbidity and mortality events.
  • Advise on the integration of One Health approaches into landscape conservation, counter-wildlife trafficking, and conservation policy initiatives.
  • Strengthen linkages with national, regional and international laboratories, reference institutions, partners and technical networks to strengthen diagnostic quality, research and implementation standards.
  • Provide technical leadership to support wildlife disease outbreak investigation and response as needed
  • Provide technical guidance to in-situ/ex-situ conservation interventions and collaborations involving WCS priority species (e.g. Siamese Crocodile)

2. Capacity Building & Technical Partnerships

  • Work in close coordination with the Program Manager to strengthen national One Health coordination mechanisms and technical collaboration with line ministries and partners.
  • Design and deliver advanced technical training, mentoring, and coaching for national staff and government counterparts.
  • Support development and piloting of innovative surveillance and reporting approaches, including ranger-based, community-based, market-based, and digital systems, aligned with national priorities.
  • Foster strategic partnerships with research institutions, academia, and technical agencies to support applied research and evidence-based decision-making.

3. Fundraising & Proposal Development

  • Provide technical leadership for proposal development, concept notes, and donor reporting in close collaboration with the Program Manager, Deputy Country Director, and Program Development teams.
  • Lead preparation of technical narratives, theories of change, log-frames, and technical budgets for priority funding opportunities, including a shift toward preventive, interface-focused One Health programming.
  • Support donor engagement through technical briefings, meetings, and presentations related to One Health programming.

4. Coordination, Reporting & Representation

  • Lead technical drafting and quality assurance for reports, publications, and knowledge products produced under the Wildlife Health Program.
  • Represent WCS Lao PDR in technical working groups, scientific forums, and conferences related to One Health and wildlife health, as delegated by Deputy Country Director and the Program Manager.
  • Contribute to documentation of lessons learned, best practices, and innovation across the Wildlife Health Program and support knowledge exchange within WCS globally.

Minimum Requirements and Job Skills:

  • Advanced degree (Master’s or PhD) in veterinary medicine, public health, epidemiology, disease ecology, or a closely related field.
  • Demonstrated experience in One Health, wildlife health, zoonotic disease surveillance or disease ecology, preferably in low- and middle-income country contexts.
  • Strong understanding of disease surveillance systems (including wildlife), outbreak investigation, and risk analysis tools, with applied field experience at wildlife-human interfaces.
  • Proven experience contributing to technical proposal development and donor reporting for international funding mechanisms.
  • Strong analytical, writing, and communication skills.
  • Ability to work effectively in complex, multicultural environments and mentor national staff in a capacity-building manner.
  • Full professional proficiency in English required; additional language skills are an asset.

WCS is an equal opportunity employer, and the organization complies with all employment and labor laws and regulations that prohibit discrimination in hiring and ensures that candidates from all backgrounds are fairly and consistently considered during the recruitment process. We are dedicated to hiring and engaging a diverse workforce. We are committed to cultivating an inclusive work environment and look for future team members who share that same value. The organization provides equal employment opportunities for all qualified candidates. The organization does not discriminate for employment based on gender, race/ethnicity, religion, color, national origin, sex, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, citizenship status, caste, genetic information or any other covered status or characteristic protected by laws and regulations/and similar categories.

It is everyone’s responsibility to ensure that we do not tolerate discrimination or harassment based upon a person’s membership in one of these protected categories in areas such as recruitment, selection, job assignment, supervision, training, promotions, job grading, transfers, termination, compensation, benefits, educational opportunities, WCS sponsored recreational activities and facilities.

The organization complies with the spirit and intent of relevant local laws and WCS’s employment policies.

How to apply

How to apply:
Interested candidates, who meet the above qualifications, should apply by sending an motivation letter and CV through the application tab by 22:00 UTC+7 June 21, 2026

Please note that only short-listed candidates will be contacted for interview.