Cameroon: Wildlife Veterinary Officer

We are looking for aWildlife Veterinary Officerwho will be responsible for ensuring that Gorilla & Employee Health monitoring is implemented, following the highest standards, in line with the WWF Cameroon Conservation Strategy.. The incumbent will guide and implement a 3-4 years project on health monitoring in wild gorillas and other wildlife as well as for an employee health program in Campo Ma’an, Cameroon.

In partnership with local, national and regional health institutes and local civil society actors as well as in collaboration with the Robert Koch Institute, the project aims to improve human and animal health in potential outbreak hotspots in Cameroon. To aid in the rapid detection of zoonotic pathogen spread which can function as an early warning system for disease outbreaks, this project will provide on-site human medical and wildlife veterinary health monitoring at the WWF partnered ecotourism site in Campo Ma’an and strengthen the capacity of local actors. The program will monitor the health of (a) those who work directly and indirectly in ecotourism and conservation, and (b) habituated and unhabituated wildlife in the protected areas. This ‘One Health’ approach will contribute to improve human health and welfare, and diminish the disease transmission risks between humans and wildlife. Such a human-wildlife interconnected approach is necessary, not only to protect the lives of humans and animals, but also the integrity of ecosystems, which is imperative for sustaining the livelihoods of local communities.

The project will be carried out in the context of the WWF long-term program in Campo Ma’an under the supervision of the Program Executant WWF Cameroon, with support of the Robert Koch-Institute in Berlin and of WWF Germany. A combination with a PhD study is possible.

Location:

WWF office in Campo (South Cameroon)

Duration: 02 years (renewable)

Main responsibilities:

· Developing and maintaining a health database

· Coordinating the Employee Health Program

· Coordinating sensitization activities

· Run Field Lab (including PCR analysis)

· Train potential field colleagues involved in health program activities

· Collect non-invasive samples of habituated (gorillas and mangabeys) and unhabituated animals and vectors such as flies in protected areas and forest concessions

· Conduct carcass monitoring, including necropsies

· Disease outbreak responses

· Emergency interventions with habituated animals

· Institutional capacity strengthening of local and national actors

· Contribute to develop a long term health program for Campo

What you need:

Required Qualifications

· Minimum of master’s degree in one or more of the following domains: Wildlife Biology, Veterinary Medicine, Eco-tourism, or any related specialization;

· Minimum of 02 years professional experience in one or more of the following domains: (1) monitoring of wildlife-human health related programs, (2) rural, community and organizational development, environment.

Required Skills and Competencies

· Good physical condition regarding field work;

· Ability to work independently;

· Management skills;

· Laboratory skills, including running PCRs is of advantage, but can be trained;

· Good understanding of tools and approaches for wildlife health monitoring ;

· Familiarity with socio-economic research and sensitization tools ;

· General knowledge of wildlife-human health relationship in Cameroon is an asset;

· Computer literate, knowledge of data analysis and GIS software;

· Fluency in English and French language is required.

· Accountable, Persevering & Delivering Results;

· Willingness and ability to work in a remote area with low supervision.

· Adhere to WWF’s values: Knowledgeable, Optimistic, Determined and Engaging.

Applications including a cover letter stating experience and interests, detailed curriculum vitae, and the names and e-mail addresses of two referees should be send electronically to recruit-cam@wwfcam.org cc Ilka.Herbinger@wwf.de and enku@wwfcam.org.

Deadline for applications: 30^th July 2017

WWF is an equal opportunity employer and committed to having a diverse workforce.