Regional Coordinator, Counter Wildlife Trafficking (CWT)

The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) is a US non-profit, tax-exempt, private organization established in 1895 and based in New York, 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 and manage over 300 protected areas across the globe, WCS has amassed the knowledge, cultural understanding and partnerships to ensure that vibrant, wild places and wildlife thrive alongside local communities. 

WCS’s approach to Counter Wildlife Trafficking (CWT) embodies our long-term institutional commitment to priority species and landscapes critical for biodiversity. We bring strong government relationships and a wealth of experience striving to stop wildlife trafficking in source, transit, and consumer countries around the world and work with our partners in government, civil society and the corporate sector to address this challenge. WCS aims to reduce poaching pressure on populations of priority species through enabling more effective enforcement and criminal justice responses targeting high-priority wildlife criminals operating along major supply chains. We achieve this by collating, analysing and communicating intelligence, and leveraging our role as a trusted partner of host governments where we are working, and of international and intergovernmental organizations, to prioritize intelligence-led law enforcement. We also work to raise the priority of wildlife crime with governments and treaties and change behaviour of wildlife consumers, piloting innovative new behavioural economic approaches in Africa and Asia. 

Position Objective

To provide leadership, representation, technical support and coordination of WCS’s CWT activities across the WCS Greater Mekong Regional Program (Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam) in line with WCS’s global 2030 thematic strategy on CWT. 

Principle Responsibilities 

• Facilitate coordination and collaboration on CWT issues between relevant WCS country programs to increase the impact of our CWT initiatives in the Greater Mekong and along the wider wildlife trafficking supply chain.
• Identify priorities for CWT efforts at regional and/or country level and lead the strategic approach, development and implementation to address those priorities through working closely with the Regional Director, Executive Director- CWT, relevant Country Directors and CWT field staff.
• Enhance WCS regional capacity to address CWT through i) identification of technical support and staffing needs at regional and national levels, and support to recruitment as appropriate; ii) provision of appropriate training and capacity building opportunities and iii) management of technical support for implementation of activities.
• Work with CWT staff at national, regional or global levels on fund-raising efforts in collaboration with Global Resources and Program Development. Including identifying and enhancing support from existing and new sources, coordinating the development of proposals and reports, and building and maintaining relationships with donors.
• Design and implement strategies to leverage relevant global policy fora (e.g. CITES, UNTOC, UNCAC) to support national and regional CWT goals in coordination with Executive Director- CWT and Vice President - International Policy.
• Improve regional engagement on CWT with government and inter-governmental partners (e.g. ASEAN, INTERPOL, UNODC, WCO, and various USG agencies), through representation at relevant regional events and meetings in coordination with Regional Director, Country Directors, Executive Director - CWT and Vice President - International Policy.
• Support roll-out of CWT technology in coordination with Information Technology, Conservation Technology and Executive Director - CWT, to ensure software and systems to support our CWT work (e.g. i2, CMTS) remain efficient, secure, and well utilized by trained staff.
• Develop and coordinate programmatic communications with external partners, donors and the wider public, regarding research, results and accomplishments through external communication channels (e.g. peer-review publications, social media, popular articles/blogs), and representation in relevant meetings and conferences.
• Coordinate with relevant global staff including WCS Director of Risk and Insurance, Regional Director, Country Directors, and Executive Director - CWT to ensure that all staff working on CWT issues are aware of the risks, and manage them effectively through their daily work. 

Minimum Requirements

• Minimum of five years relevant work experience involving counter-wildlife trafficking or related field.
• Advanced qualifications (masters degree or equivalent) in a relevant field, eg biodiversity conservation, law enforcement or crime science.
• Fluency, spoken and written, in English and one regional language.
• Previous work experience in the Greater Mekong region.
• Experience working with in a technical support or management position in the non-government/non-profit sector.
• Strong interpersonal skills; proven ability to work well with others in cross-cultural teams. 

Interested candidates, who meet the above qualifications, should apply by sending an application letter and CV together with the names and contact information of three references at the soonest possible time to:

https://sjobs.brassring.com/TGnewUI/Search/Home/Home?partnerid=25965&siteid=5168#jobDetails=620381_5168

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

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