Health Team Leader

Vacancy Announcement

Position:                     Health Team Leader
Reports to:                 Country Director with “dotted line” for technical support to WCS Viet Nam Veterinary
                                   Technical Advisor and WCS Health Program Associate Director - Asia
Supervisor to:            Health Team Program Officer(s)
Location:                    Ha Noi, Viet Nam
Country Program:      WCS Viet Nam
Team/Division:          Health Team
Position Type:            Full time
Internal liaison:         WCS Viet Nam’s Managers, Team Leaders and Health Team’s Technical Advisor
Expected travel:         Approximately 30%, or as required within the region if/when needed

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 countries, 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.

WCS Viet Nam Program Overview

WCS has been working in Viet Nam since 2006, focusing on strengthening the commitment, capacity and actions of the government of Vietnam to combat wildlife trafficking. Through support and cooperation to executive and judiciary sectors, including Ministry of Public Security, Supreme People’s Court, Supreme People’s Procuracy, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, and the National Assembly, it has provided and shared intelligence on criminal wildlife networks which help generate well-informed decisions in enforcement operations. WCS Viet Nam have generated a wide range of reliable data on a number of related issues on illegal wildlife trade, trained and briefed about 4,000 law enforcement officers, policy makers, journalists, researchers and managers nation-wide and distributed a number of technical handbooks and guides. It has assisted central agencies to review and propose necessary changes to national legislation, criminal intelligence analysis systems, inter-agency cooperation. WCS has also facilitated Government to Government dialogue through multilateral and bi-lateral collaboration efforts, between Viet Nam and Asian, African and Latin American countries, to detect and response to illegal wildlife trade networks. Its wildlife health expertise has been leveraged to address unregulated wildlife trade and mitigation of pandemic threats, through collaborative research, training, and policy development. Recently, WCS Viet Nam has also expanded to species conservation, with focus on finding and protecting Rafetus Swinhoei in the wild.

Job Summary

The Health Team Leader (HTL) will contribute to WCS’s work in Viet Nam by providing technical expertise and leading the implementation of wildlife health and One Health related projects/grants.

• The HTL will manage health activities in Viet Nam in coordination with the Country Program Director, WCS Health Program Associate Director – Asia, and the Technical Advisor working to build the required skills, capacities and relationships needed to address priority wildlife health needs, build capacity for wildlife disease surveillance, and implement One Health research focused on wildlife supply chain and trafficking as a pathway for infectious disease emergence;
• The HTL will contribute to the technical work of the Health Team including design and delivery of training to support wildlife disease surveillance, implementation of disease surveillance and research at the human, wildlife and livestock interface, and facilitating One Health policy development;
• The HTL will build and maintain effective relationships with relevant government agencies, the donor community, research and academic institutions, and individuals in the wildlife conservation and One Health community in Viet Nam.

Responsibilities

A. Grant/Project Development and Implementation

• Oversees the Health Team’s work plans and budget from inception to execution and reporting;
• Leads the implementation and monitoring of the Health Team’s activities in Viet Nam;
• Oversees the Health Team’s supply and equipment purchasing and inventory, including reagents, diagnostic kits and consumable supply needs of partner laboratories for project activities;
• Oversees the work of the sub-grants, if any, including field-based surveillance activity;
• Provides veterinary and health technical inputs into other WCS’s teams products e.g. grant reports, IEC materials, training materials, policy briefs, and vice versa;
• Provides inputs into and assure quality of relevant reports and Health Team’s updates;
• Provides inputs in grant proposal development including technical and financial ones;

B. Data Management and Analysis

• Oversees the implementation of the WCS’s Wildlife Disease Surveillance Database in Viet Nam including field data collection, data entry, and data management associated with active and passive disease surveillance activities and other One Health research;
• Facilitates training to project partners on the database use, management, and data analysis;
• Contributes to writing manuscripts and publications;
• Oversees and maintains the database on Health Team partners, training events, and project reports.

C. Networking and Partnership

• Establishes and maintains good working relationships with relevant sub-grants, in-country partners, Vietnamese government agencies, laboratories, and research/academic institutions.
• Develops national strategy documents and standard operating procedures for wildlife health surveillance in consultation with in-country partners and Vietnamese government agencies, hire consultants as appropriate, facilitates meetings among in-country partners

D. Management and Supervision

• Contributes to the development of WCS Viet Nam policies and strategies;
• Supervises and assigns tasks to team members, consultants and provides coaching, as appropriate;
• Inducts properly and timely to new staff on WCS’s health work and standards.

E. Others

• Represents the WCS Health Team in meetings and events;
• Performs other tasks as assigned by the direct supervisor.

Minimum Requirements

• Master degree in a related field of biodiversity conservation, veterinary medicine, public health or natural resources management;
• Minimum 5-7 years of relevant work experience in a similar position;
• Field surveys and experience on animal handling, biological sample collection, data recording and sample management are required;
• Experience with non-profit sector (NGO, International organizations) and with Vietnamese government agencies is an added advantage;
• Ability to handle multitask, prioritize, attention to details and management efficiently;
• Ability to lead, supervise and coach a team;
• Strategic thinker with excellent interpersonal and negotiation skills;
• Proficient in written and verbal communication skills in English Language;
• Computer skills mandatory, proficient in Microsoft Office Applications;
• Demonstrate skills in database management and record keeping;
• Concern for wildlife conservation & environmental issues is an asset.

Application Process

Interested candidates, who meet the above qualifications should apply via link https://forms.gle/w1fjpdV6MW4t45m3A latest by 23:59 of 14 August 2021.

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 supporting 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 age, color, disability, gender identify, national origin, race, religion, sexual orientation, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by laws and regulations.