Program Officer (WCS Viet Nam)

Position: Program Officer
Reports to: Policy and Law Enforcement Support (PLES) Team Leader
Supervisor to: N/A
Location: Ha Noi, Viet Nam
Country Program: WCS Viet Nam Program
Team/Division: Policy and Law Enforcement Support
Position Type: Full time
Internal liaison: WCS Viet Nam’s staff
Expected travel: Approximately 30% and as required within the country and region if/when needed

Organization Background

Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) is a global US-based non-profit organization with almost 130 years of experience in conserving wildlife, landscapes, and natural resources. WCS’s mission is to save wildlife and wild places worldwide through science, conservation action, education, and inspiring people to value nature. With long-term commitments in dozens of landscapes and seascapes, presence in over 60 countries and experience in addressing all forms of nature crimes across the globe, WCS brings unparalleled capacity for addressing nature crime on the front lines.

WCS Viet Nam Program Overview

WCS has been working in Viet Nam since 2006, focusing on enhancing the commitment, capacity and actions of the government of Viet Nam to tackle the trafficking of wildlife, supporting national partners through developing and implementing highly focused, evidence-based strategies informed by an in-depth understanding of the dynamics of trafficking and the people involved to reduce the profits of crime and strengthen the risk of capture and sanctions. WCS Viet Nam have generated a wide range of reliable data on a number of related issues on illegal wildlife trade, trained and briefed about 5,400 law enforcement and judicial officers, policy makers, journalists, researchers and managers nation-wide and distributed a number of technical handbooks and guides. It has assisted central agencies to review and propose necessary changes to national legislation, criminal intelligence analysis systems, inter-agency cooperation. WCS Viet Nam has also facilitated Government to Government dialogue through multilateral and bi-lateral collaboration efforts, between Viet Nam and Asian, African and Latin American countries, to detect and response to transnational illegal wildlife trade networks. Its wildlife health expertise has been leveraged to address unregulated wildlife trade and mitigation of pandemic threats, through collaborative research, training, and policy development. In the past decade, WCS Viet Nam has also expanded to work with other conservation organizations and public laboratory towards finding and protecting Rafetus Swinhoei in the wild.

Job Summary

Under the supervision of the PLES Team Leader, the Program Officer will:
Conduct related legal analysis and review for policy and legal reform, and law enforcement assistance regarding wildlife protection;
Conduct case review to identify legal loopholes, gaps of knowledge or challenges in the application of wildlife protection regulations and handling relevant wildlife-related violations by wildlife management authorities, law enforcement agencies and judiciary in order to provide law enforcement and judicial agencies with adequate support;
Build networks and maintain strong relationships with governmental and non-governmental partners, and other national think-tanks to build collective actions in tackling effectively wildlife trafficking in Viet Nam.

This Job Description is progressive in nature and shall be reviewed and amended from time to time to meet WCS Viet Nam program needs.

Responsibilities

A. Policy and legal review

1. Conducts and provides inputs to the institutional, policy, and legislative reviews and analysis to identify challenges and provide recommendations to improve legal framework on wildlife protection and management, and law enforcement effectiveness;

2. Monitors the national legal development to identify opportunities for WCS Viet Nam to influence relevant legislative and policy development, and supports the implementation of policy influencing process;

3. Provides technical inputs to training materials, briefs, publications, and other communication product to ensure legal accuracy and consistency with the current legal framework on wildlife protection and management;

4. Manages WCS Viet Nam’s Law Database by updating new legislations, synthesizing and providing legal guidance and recommendations from different sources;

5. Provides technical inputs on legal matters arise during WCS operation in Viet Nam; and contributes to the development of WCS Viet Nam policies and strategies.

B. Case management and review

6. Conducts the entry and updates of a wildlife crime case database including court verdicts;

7. Selects and reviews the application of wildlife protection regulations, and criminal proceedings conducted by law enforcement and judicial agencies in handling wildlife cases to identify legal gaps and loopholes or challenges that they encounter during the investigation, prosecution and conviction of wildlife crime;

8. Provides legal inputs on certain wildlife-related violation cases to maximize the effectiveness of law enforcement activities.

C. International Cooperation

Coordinates, implements or supports the implementation of activities aimed at promoting international cooperation between Viet Nam and other countries in countering transnational organized wildlife crime including conducting institutional and legal researches and/or analysis; organizing events/meetings such as joint-agency field missions, bilateral and trilateral meetings, Viet Nam - African range states dialogue etc...

D. Networking and Partnership

Builds and maintains partnerships with key government agencies at the national and local levels in Viet Nam, research/academic institutions, development partners, international organizations, CSOs, NGOs, and influential individuals;
Contributes to the management of partner databases.

E. Grant development and implementation

Contributes to the execution of grant activities related to policy and law enforcement support and international cooperation;
Contributes to the management of the team budget and M&E indicators of relevant activities;
Provides policy and legal insights to the proposal development; and supports on other fundraising activities, as requested;

F. Others

Supervises and liaises with consultants as appropriate;
Acts as WCS Viet Nam’s representative at meetings and workshops as required;
Performs other tasks as assigned by the direct supervisor.

Minimum Requirements

Bachelor or Master Degree in Laws, Police, Procuracy, Judiciary or related field;
Minimum of three years’ working experience related to legislative development and law enforcement in the government, legal/criminological training institutions, or policy advocacy/influencing campaigns in NGOs or international organizations;
Knowledge of Viet Nam’s political, legislation, and law enforcement systems;
Familiar with the legislative development process and criminal proceedings in Viet Nam;
Ability to handle multitasks, prioritize, attention to detail and self-management efficiently;
Proficient in written and verbal communication skills in Vietnamese and English;
Computer skills mandatory, proficient in Microsoft Office Applications;
Concerned for wildlife conservation & environmental issues, have skills and experience in synthesizing information, analyzing data and developing reports are assets.

Application Process

Interested candidates, who meet the above qualifications should apply via link https://forms.gle/S8hkxJ154jMkpNLk8 latest by 23:59 of September 15, 2024.

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.

Tags: WCS