Position: Technical Advisor to the WCS Health Program, Republic of the Congo
Location: Brazzaville, with frequent travel to field sites
Reports to: Program Coordinator
Position type: 1-year fixed-term contract, renewable
Organizational Context:
The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) is a US non-profit organization founded in 1895. Its mission is to preserve wildlife and wilderness by understanding critical problems, developing scientific solutions and taking conservation actions that benefit nature and humanity. With more than a century of experience, long-term commitments in dozens of landscapes, a presence in more than 60 countries, and experience in the creation of more than 150 protected areas around the world, WCS has accumulated the biological knowledge, cultural understanding and partnerships needed to ensure that wild places and animal species 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 rural people whose livelihoods depend on the direct use of natural resources. The WCS Health Program is central to delivering on our mission to save wildlife and wild places around the globe. Wildlife, livestock, and human diseases will likely have a significant impact on the future development of sustainable land uses, protected areas, transboundary natural resource management, other biodiversity conservation approaches, and livelihood opportunities in many of the landscapes and seascapes where we work. Our work at the interface of wildlife, domestic animal, and human health has demonstrated that a One Health approach can build new constituencies for conservation and strengthen existing ones, while mitigating a key threat to conservation. WCS Congo Program Overview Over the past 30 years, WCS Congo has been the government’s principle conservation partner, assisting the Ministry of Forest Economy (MEF) in managing wildlife and its habitat in several of the country’s national parks, reserves, and protected area buffer zones. Within these sites WCS is developing and implementing actions for effective wildlife protection; community based natural resource management; ecological monitoring; scientific research; and environmental education. The program is the largest in WCS’s global portfolio and reports to the Regional Program for Central Africa and Gulf of Guinea. WCS Congo’s current portfolio of programs includes the management of the Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park (NNNP) through a Public-Private Partnership with the Government of Congo, wildlife management in the substantial buffer zones of the Park, co-management of Lac Tele Community Reserve, a national program to support reform of marine conservation and resource management, and a substantial policy support program to the central government in Brazzaville. For over 15 years, the Wildlife Health Programme (WHP) implemented by WCS Congo in partnership with the National Laboratory of the Congolese Ministry of Health, has been working to monitor wildlife mortality and minimize the risks of disease transmission to communities. This OneHealth project raises awareness among communities in northern Congo and has set up an early warning system for unexplained wildlife deaths that covers more than 30,000 km2. The WHP is responsible for the care and release of African Grey parrots, as well as any other seized animal brought to the rehabilitation center of the Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park. Also, this program covers an expanding disease surveillance and diagnostics program of research on bats conducted in collaboration with NIH and other stakeholders, as the trade and consumption of bats is becoming more common in urban areas.
Position Summary:
We are looking for a motivated, dynamic Technical Advisor with a strong interest in international wildlife conservation, and a particular interest in issues at the nexus of wildlife health, domestic animal health, and human health to provide overall programmatic support to the WCS Congo Wildlife Health Program and our broader One Health strategic vision. The successful candidate will be highly organized, with wildlife health experience, excellent communication skills, and a strong interest in field-conservation and capacity building. This is a full-time position. The WHP Technical Advisor will support the WCS Congo WHP Lead and a small national team of staff.
He/She will report to the WCS Congo Program and will collaborate closely with our Global WHP team of specialists based in New York and around the world. He/She will be based in Brazzaville, but significant travel to our field office in Ouesso and to our field sites throughout the country is expected.
Main tasks:
The WHP Technical Advisor will have the following responsibilities:
Qualification Requirements
Interested candidates, who meet the above qualifications, skills and experience, should send their application through this link by July 8, 2022.
WCS is an equal opportunity employer 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.
Tagged as: Congo, Wildlife Conservation Society
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