Species & Habitat Manager

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TERMS OF REFERENCE (TOR)

Job Title: Species and Habitat Manager
Department / Team: Species & Habitat Program (SHP)
Direct Supervisor: Executive Director, WildAct
Key Internal Relationships:

Manager of Community, Education & Awareness Team (CARE)
Manager of Media & Communications – Fundraising Team (MCF)
Finance & Operations Team

1. Context & Background

WildAct is a non-profit organization dedicated to biodiversity conservation in Vietnam, with a core focus on empowering local communities—particularly women—to lead and engage in effective conservation efforts.

One of WildAct’s primary project sites is Chu Yang Sin National Park (NP) and its surrounding buffer zones in Dak Lak Province. This area harbors rich biodiversity and cultural heritage, serving as home to over 20 ethnic minority communities, each with distinct languages, cultural identities, and traditions.

However, similar to many other protected regions, the biodiversity of Chu Yang Sin NP faces critical threats from hunting, snaring, illegal wildlife trade, and unsustainable development pressures. WildAct addresses these challenges through core strategic interventions:

Establishing Community Conservation Teams (CCT) to increase forest patrol frequency and coverage;
Conducting professional capacity-building training programs for forest rangers and CCT members at Chu Yang Sin NP;
Enhancing welfare, safety, and operational support for rangers and frontline conservation forces;
Fostering inter-agency collaboration and partnership to ensure rigorous and effective law enforcement.

WildAct is seeking a seasoned and highly experienced Species & Habitat Manager with strong practical conservation expertise, proven team management capabilities, strategic planning skills, and the ability to build robust partnerships with corporate partners, government agencies, and local communities to lead and manage these critical project components.

2. Main Objectives of the Position

The Species and Habitat Manager is responsible for leading and coordinating species and habitat conservation activities in Chu Yang Sin National Park and its buffer zone. The position ensures that all interventions are designed based on solid scientific evidence, effectively executed in the field, and deliver long-term conservation impact.

This role plays a pivotal, strategic part in:

Formulating and executing conservation plans for key priority species and habitats to reduce poaching, snaring, and habitat degradation pressures.
Strengthening professional capacity for forest rangers and Community Conservation Teams (CCT), ensuring patrols and law enforcement operations are evidence-based and data-driven.
Developing monitoring, data collection, and analytical systems to support adaptive management strategies.
Fostering multi-agency collaboration among forest rangers, environmental police, commune/provincial police, local communities, corporate entities, and government agencies to boost law enforcement efficacy and biodiversity protection.
Ensuring conservation initiatives integrate meaningful local community participation—especially empowering women—in line with WildAct’s strategic mission.

The ultimate vision of this position is to reinforce the ecosystem sustainability of Chu Yang Sin, improve forest protection outcomes, and directly contribute to the survival of endangered species across the Southern Annamites landscape.

3. Key Roles & Responsibilities

3.1. Conservation Planning & Implementation

Develop and update annual, quarterly, and monthly conservation plans for key species and priority habitats in Chu Yang Sin NP and buffer zones, applying adaptive management methods informed by field data.
Liaise, coordinate, and formulate detailed work plans with key project partners—specifically National Park management, Provincial Forest Protection Department (FPD), district FPDs, environmental police, and provincial/district/commune People’s Committees—to support Chu Yang Sin NP in conducting effective patrols, investigations, and combating wildlife crime.
Design, coordinate, and supervise activities aimed at reducing hunting, snaring, and habitat degradation in direct collaboration with the technical divisions of Chu Yang Sin NP.
Prepare quarterly operational budget forecasts; monitor, verify, and update monthly financial cash flows in coordination with the Finance and Operations team.
Identify operational gaps and vulnerabilities, proactively proposing actionable solutions to optimize the efficacy of field conservation activities managed by the SHP team.
Ensure overall project progress, quality, and strict compliance with donor agreements and organizational standards.
Uphold and enforce organizational policies regarding safety, Prevention of Sexual Exploitation, Abuse, and Harassment (PSEAH), and support for vulnerable groups.

3.2. Technical Management & Data Oversight

Establish and supervise systems for collecting, managing, and analyzing ecological and threat data (utilizing SMART, camera traps, GIS, R software, etc.).
Perform monthly data quality audits, data cleaning, and validation to support evidence-based management decisions.
Draft operational guidelines, working agreements, and technical project documentations for local partners and stakeholders.
Develop and update performance appraisal systems, standard operating procedures (SOPs), and coordination workflows for the CCT to ensure high-quality field outputs.
Review and approve technical deliverables prepared by Project Officers prior to submission to the Project Director.
Collaborate with the HR department in recruiting, onboarding, and liaising with technical advisors and specialized consultants.
Co-author technical reports, donor progress reports, and specialized scientific/programmatic documents.
Contribute creative strategic ideas, lead proposal writing for funding opportunities, and present compelling proposals to expand WildAct’s operational presence in the region.

3.3. Capacity Building & Inter-agency Collaboration

Design training frameworks, organize workshops, and directly deliver professional development sessions for forest rangers and CCT members.
Provide direct technical support for field teams during patrols, monitoring, and law enforcement duties, including spending time on-site at least monthly to assist National Park management with SMART data processing and analysis.
Maintain and nurture strong working relationships with National Park Management Boards, Forest Protection Departments, local authorities, and strategic stakeholders.
Promote inter-agency operational synergies to elevate biodiversity protection and law enforcement outcomes.

4. Job Requirements

4.1. Qualifications & Experience

Bachelor’s degree or higher in Forestry, Biodiversity Conservation, Zoology, Environmental Science, or related fields. A Master’s degree or higher is a distinct advantage.
Minimum of 5 years of professional experience in project/program management within conservation NGOs/CSOs or relevant sectors.
Mandatory expertise and hands-on proficiency in operating SMART (Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool) and GIS mapping software.
Demonstrated capability in statistical data processing using R or SPSS.
Proven professional report writing skills required; a track record in scientific journal/report writing is a strong plus.
Demonstrated track record of successfully drafting and securing grant proposals is highly desirable.
Proven experience in community engagement, particularly working alongside ethnic minority groups, is a significant advantage.

4.2. Core Competencies & Skills

Ability to work independently, proactively, and collaboratively with diverse stakeholders.
Strong situational assessment, high stress tolerance, and quick responsiveness to tight deadlines.
Excellent interpersonal, communication, and relationship-building skills; confident presentation style tailored to diverse audiences.
Proven networking capabilities and strong partner engagement skills.
Fluency in English (listening, speaking, reading, writing) is a strong advantage.

Work Location: Preference given to candidates willing to relocate/work directly in Dak Lak Province. Flexible arrangements considered case-by-case.

Key Benefits:

Net Salary: Negotiate
Full insurance contributions (Social, Health, Unemployment) & Personal Income Tax (PIT) covered based on 100% full gross salary.
13th-month salary bonus (Tet bonus).
18–20 days annual leave + 1 additional day off for Birthday.
Female employees: 1 day Work From Home (WFH) per month.
38 hours per week (Friday finish at 15:30 upon workload completion).
Continuous professional development and capacity-building opportunities.
24/7 life and accident insurance

Application Deadline: Applications will be accepted until a suitable candidate is identified.

Notification of results: Within 20 days after the interview.

How to apply: Please submit your application by completing the Google Form HERE or via the official job posting (in Vietnamese) on our website HERE.

If you have any questions or require further assistance, please contact us at [email protected]