Policy Coordinator

Job Title: Policy Coordinator
Reports To: Program Manager
Department/Group: Policy research, influencing & communications
Duty Station: Ha Noi

Background: The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) is a non-profit, tax-exempt, private organization that saves wildlife and wild places worldwide through science, conservation action, education, and inspiring people to value nature. WCS has been working to conserve wildlife in Vietnam since 2005, and is established as a well-respected organization in the country, providing support to a range of government agencies. WCS work in Vietnam is focused on building national capacity and commitment towards effective wildlife law enforcement and combatting wildlife trafficking. Our Policy research, influencing & communications team develops influencing strategies to transform political will into political action utilizing related issues such as national security, rule of law, livelihood instability, and public health as “levers” for change in policies and practices associated with poaching, trafficking and consumption of protected wildlife. For example, in Vietnam, WCS leads the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Emerging Pandemic Threat Program’s (EPT) PREDICT project, which is focused on understanding and addressing drivers of infectious disease emergence. In Vietnam WCS/PREDICT focuses on wildlife trafficking and characterizing the behavioural and biological risk of infectious disease emergence at this important wildlife/human/domestic animal interface. An essential component of the PREDICT project is translating the data generated on disease risk into policy and actions needed to reduce wildlife trafficking in the region and prevent the devastating and destabilizing effects of a disease pandemic.

Scope of work:

• The Policy Coordinator (PC) will lead the Policy research, influencing & communications team in WCS that aims to build the required political commitment and policy framework for effective control of wildlife trafficking in Viet Nam.
• As part of the USAID PREDICT project, the PC will work in collaboration with Vietnamese government and USAID EPT partners to coordinate research and promote policies and practices that reduce the risk of virus evolution, spillover, amplification, and spread from the wildlife trade.
• The PC will build effective relationships with relevant government agencies, research/academic institutions and individuals and provide technical inputs to the planning, design, implementation and monitoring of all WCS activities in the policy and communications area.

Main responsibilities: The Policy Coordinator will lead the Policy research, influencing & communications unit and carry out the following:

• Identify, map and build policy-influencing strategies with key institutional stakeholders at provincial and national levels relating to the trafficking and consumption of wildlife
• Support governmental and nongovernmental partners to identify key policy, legislative and enforcement gaps that relate to current state of trafficking and consumption of wildlife and wildlife products.
• Carry out analyses of cross-sectoral economic, social and institutional impacts of the wildlife trade in Vietnam.
• Work with the PREDICT consortium, government, research/academic and EPT partners to identify potential targets for mitigation of spillover of viruses from animals to humans in Vietnam.
• Work with the PREDICT consortium, government, research/academic and EPT partners to identify potential intervention strategies in Vietnam to mitigate or prevent viral pathogen spillover at identified high-risk interfaces (focus on wildlife trafficking).
• Pilot gap analyses, cost-benefit analyses, and scenario testing to gather data on barriers to implementation of identified intervention strategies.
• Engage research, academic and government partners in Vietnam to collect baseline data to evaluate risk mitigation interventions and develop actionable surveillance risk mitigation strategies.
• Oversee all work planning, budgeting, project tracking and performance reporting for the policy research, influencing & communications team.
• Provide backstopping, coordination, and risk management for the policy research, influencing & communications unit.

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities:

This position is for a Vietnamese national with at least 5 years of policy development experience and an advanced university degree in one of the following: economics, law, biodiversity conservation, public health policy, agricultural policy, biosecurity, or political science. Excellent English and Vietnamese language skills are required. In addition, candidates with the following competencies are preferred:

• Verified track record working with government, donors, and other partners on policy research, development and implementation in Vietnam;
• Sound knowledge of existing provincial and national laws and policies related to wildlife trade and bio-security;
• Demonstrated awareness of Vietnamese governmental and civil society institutional priorities and capacities;
• An understanding of major regional and international trade and biosecurity-related agreements and relevant multilateral institutions including WHO, FAO, OIE, WTO, ASEAN and the World Bank;
• Significant convening and public speaking experience.

Schedule and Compensation

Salary grades are commensurate with experience and education. Benefits include private health insurance for staff and dependant(s), a 13 th month salary and 20 annual-leave days.

How to apply

A cover letter, CV with photo, contact details for references to:

Ms. Nguyen Thi Thu My – Finance and HR Officer
Wildlife Conservation Society, Room 1302, Thanh Cong Tower, 57 Lang Ha street, Ha Noi
Email: [email protected]

Deadline for applications: 31 st December 2015

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.