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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.
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:
Job Description
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
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.