Disaster veterinary officer

Role

The Disaster Veterinary Officer (DVO) manages all aspects of the WSPA veterinary disaster management (DM) operations in South America, excluding Brazil. The DVO is to:
- Manage the delivery of all WSPA disaster field veterinary operations in the South American Region including response and risk reduction.
- Represent WSPA with the regional and national veterinary associations, federal, provincial and municipal government veterinary officers and veterinary faculties on all WSPA disaster management programme activities. Likewise with national and local disaster preparedness institution, humanitarian agencies, pertinent government agencies, etc.

Position in organisation
- Line manager is WSPA Regional Director South America (RD SA)
- Functionally managed by Head of Disaster Management
- Link with Disaster Risk Reduction Manager and Programmes Officer (Internatonal)

Scope of job

General
- Monitor disasters, provide recommendations for interventions, coordinate responses to disasters and monitor the effectiveness of the work.
- Develop and manage an effective programme of risk reduction work in the region under the guidance of both the regional director and the risk reduction manager.

Disaster Reduction
- Conduct scoping assessments for future risk reduction work including research on countries disaster risk profiles, emergency management structures and key role players.
- Create a regional network for the reduction strategy which may include government RR agencies, humanitarian agencies, MS, Vet schools, Civil Defence, amongst others.
- Develop reduction programmes in vulnerable countries on a priority basis and according to agreed methodology.
- Provide training in risk reduction related capacities such as community based risk reduction, and contingency planning for animals.
- Coordinate the development of regional training materials.
- Evaluate all risk reduction interventions and catalogue feedback lessons learned in the form of case studies.

Disaster Response
- Advice and lead on emergency veterinary responses in the region (if required, support WSPA disaster response operations worldwide). 
- Evaluate all WSPA-funded emergency disaster interventions in the region and; catalogue and feedback lessons learned in form of case studies as appropriate.

Qualifications and experience

Essential
- Qualified veterinary professional.
- Experience of working with animals in difficult circumstances; preferably disasters or emergency response field operations.
- Project management and general management experience
- Experience of working in a dynamic and constantly changing work environment.
- Experience of delivering training programmes
- Excellent presentation skills
- Strong Spanish and English skills. 
- Able to swim at least 200 metres desirable
- Experience in the humanitarian field or risk reduction or veterinary epidemiology or public health or post graduate teaching.
- Comfortable and competent in working with government senior veterinary and NGO‘s