Job Announcement: AHEAD Regional Policy Advisor

Applications will be considered on a rolling basis and should be submitted no later than March 20th, 2016.

POSITION TITLE: AHEAD Regional Policy Advisor

DURATION OF POSITION: Full-time position; up to 3 years, contingent on performance. Extension beyond 3 years contingent upon availability of funding.

REPORTS TO: WCS Executive Director, Wildlife Health & Health Policy

POSITION OBJECTIVE: The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), a U.S.-based international organization, is pleased to announce a new position under the Planetary Health Alliance* umbrella, which WCS is helping to develop. We are seeking candidates for the position of AHEAD Regional Policy Advisor, to be based in a country contributing to the Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area of southern Africa.

The AHEAD Regional Policy Advisor will be responsible for coordinating regional AHEAD activities in transboundary landscapes of conservation interest to WCS, by working to address concerns that arise at the interface of wildlife health, livestock health, and human health & livelihoods, and by helping to create an enabling environment for cross-sectoral dialogue and problem-solving. The position is at the WCS Associate Director level. The successful applicant will be expected to work closely with, for example, SADC, the KAZA Secretariat, regional and international entities such as OIE, FAO et al. and other government and non-governmental partners involved in addressing animal health and conservation issues.

Animal & Human Health for the Environment And Development (AHEAD) was launched by WCS and partners at the 2003 IUCN World Parks Congress in Durban, South Africa. AHEAD conservation and development efforts focus on several themes of critical importance to the future of animal agriculture, human health, and wildlife health. These include zoonoses, competition over grazing and water resources, disease mitigation, local and global food security, and other potential sources of conflict related to land-use decision-making in the face of resource limitations.

*As per http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736%2815%2960901-1/fulltext, “Planetary health is the achievement of the highest attainable standard of health, wellbeing, and equity worldwide through judicious attention to the human systems – political, economic, and social – that shape the future of humanity and the Earth’s natural systems that define the safe environmental limits within which humanity can flourish. Put simply, planetary health is the health of human civilisation and the state of the natural systems on which it depends.”

PRINCIPAL RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Facilitate research and analysis of key constraints to transboundary conservation and development success at the wildlife/livestock/human interface across the Kavango Zambezi region, and develop potential solutions to obstacles with relevant stakeholders
2. Assemble and motivate multidisciplinary teams to develop innovative approaches to identified constraints
3. Work closely with SADC, the KAZA Secretariat, regional and international entities such as OIE, FAO et al. and other government and non-governmental partners involved in regional animal health issues
4. Work to encourage key stakeholders to engage with relevant policy processes likely to lead to positive wildlife conservation, health and livelihood outcomes in transboundary landscapes
5. Design and oversee consultancies to address key information gaps
6. Convene a wide array of multisectoral stakeholders in productive fora
7. Interact with donors and contribute to fundraising
8. Participate in public speaking and other forms of outreach, disseminating relevant information to stakeholders and interested parties
9. Extensive regional travel required
10. Other duties as assigned

REQUIREMENTS AND QUALIFICATIONS

1. Minimum of 10 years of relevant field and policy experience at the wildlife/livestock/human interface
2. Veterinary, ecology or other relevant graduate degree and/or Masters or PhD in resource economics highly desirable
3. Experience working at the science-policy interface in national and regional contexts
4. Strong research and analytical skills; ability to develop solutions involving various stakeholders
5. Understanding of policies and economics related to regional and international trade in livestock-derived products
6. Understanding of the relationships between animal health, human health and livelihoods, and environmental stewardship
7. Evidence of self-motivation and creativity
8. Ability to work well in multi-cultural situations, in the field and in office settings, and to assemble and motivate multidisciplinary teams
9. Excellent networking and facilitation capabilities; bio-diplomacy skills; experience in convening a wide array of stakeholders in productive fora even when issues involved are potentially contentious
10, Sound knowledge of key animal health issues, as well as local/national/regional political and socioeconomic dimensions of actual and perceived conflicts at the livestock/wildlife interface
11. Sound knowledge of wildlife conservation principles and experience with local/national/regional political and socioeconomic dimensions of conservation as a land-use option
12. Fluency in written and spoken English: excellent written and oral communications skills
13. Familiarity with languages and cultures of the Kavango Zambezi region desirable

APPLICATION PROCESS

Interested candidates who meet the above qualifications should apply by sending (email applications only) an application letter and CV together with the names and contact information of three references to Steve Osofsky, DVM, WCS Executive Director of Wildlife Health & Health Policy (sosofsky@wcs.org).

Salary and benefits will be commensurate with qualifications and experience. WCS is an equal opportunity employer.

Only short-listed candidates will be contacted for interviews. WCS is not responsible for internet-related submission failures.

For more information on the Wildlife Conservation Society and the AHEAD Program, please visit http://www.wcs-ahead.org and http://www.wcs.org.

Applications are requested no later than March 20th, 2016.

AHEAD recognizes the importance of animal and human health to both conservation and development interests. Around the world, domestic and wild animals are coming into ever-more-intimate contact, and without adequate scientific knowledge and planning, the consequences can be detrimental on one or both sides of the proverbial fence. But armed with the tools that the health sciences provide, conservation and development objectives have a much greater chance of being realized - particularly at the critical wildlife/livestock interface, where conservation and agricultural interests meet head-on. AHEAD conservation and development efforts focus on several themes of critical importance to the future of animal agriculture, human health, and wildlife health (including zoonoses, competition over grazing and water resources, disease mitigation, local and global food security, and other potential sources of conflict related to land-use decision-making in the face of resource limitations). Historically, neither governments, nongovernmental organizations, the aid community, nor academia have holistically addressed the landscape-level nexus represented by the triangle of wildlife health, domestic animal health, and human health and livelihoods as underpinned by environmental stewardship.

Please share this job announcement with potentially interested colleagues.

With sincere thanks,

Steve