VETERINARY CLINICAL INSTRUCTOR

The Lilongwe Wildlife Trust (LWT) was established in 2008 when their first project, The Lilongwe Wildlife Centre (LWC), opened as Malawi’s first wildlife rescue, rehabilitation, and education centre. Since then LWT has expanded their programs to include an extensive national environmental education program, a strong force in investigating and combating wildlife crime, and an expansion of their wildlife research program.

Job description

The Veterinary Clinical Instructor will be a Senior Staff position, responsible for the following:

  1. Lilongwe Wildlife Centre Veterinarian: Provide excellent veterinary care for all of the animals at the LWC.
  2. Senior Staff Member: Provide leadership as a senior staff team member on the LWC animal care team.
  3. Clinical Instructor and Mentor: Provide training and mentorship for a new graduate staff veterinarian and veterinary externs

As a senior position at the LWC, it is expected that the person filling this position be available to cover nights and weekends as required. This position works closely with other LWC senior staff including the Rehabilitation and Captive Care Manager (RCCM), Sanctuary Manager, volunteer manager and the Assistant Rehabilitation Manager. This position reports directly to the Head of Rescue and Welfare.

Key responsibilities

  1. As the Lilongwe Wildlife Centre Veterinarian, you will be responsible for all the basic veterinary care of the animals at the LWC. This includes giving treatment in case of injuries or illness, but also performing preventive health checks on our residents and quarantine animals. Specific duties include, but are not limited to, the following:
    • Running the veterinary clinic to the highest standards possible
    • Supervising the Veterinary Nurse
    • Maintaining animal records
    • Following and, when necessary, improving established protocols
    • Working closely with the RCCM to support integrations, behavioral observations, enrichment, and research
    • Working closely with the Volunteer Manager to ensure that volunteers are properly trained, monitored, and supported in all Veterinary activities
    • Working closely with the RCCM on rescue/confiscation cases
    • Working closely with the Head of Rescue and Welfare to improve sampling and diagnostic capabilities and the welfare of sanctuary residents
  2. As a Senior Staff Member, you will work cohesively with all members of the animal care team. Specific duties include, but are not limited to, the following:
    • Assisting in Orphan Care and Animal Care as necessary. This includes assisting with oversight of daily activities including reviewing/creating diets, assisting with acclimating incoming orphans, training of volunteers, and general animal husbandry
    • Sharing on-call duties with other senior staff members to ensure that animal intakes, case assessments, and other routine and emergency occurrences are covered by a senior staff member.
    • Work as a cohesive team with other senior staff members to provide maximum animal care, including developing treatment plans, scheduling exams, and covering weekends, on-call, and vacation times,
    • Assisting with management and training of LWC staff as the position requires
  3. The Veterinary Clinical Instructor aspect of this job is a critical element as you will be expected to provide training and supervision for veterinary students and, as of October 2019, a new graduate veterinarian. This new graduate veterinarian will need to be fully trained to be responsible for all clinical duties, but only after a suitable period of orientation and training (2-3 years). Specific duties include, but are not limited to, the following:
    • Design and implement a training and mentoring program for the incoming graduate veterinarian that will include all aspects of LWC veterinary responsibilities, including senior staff and mentorship duties
    • Facilitate labs and practicals for vet students, focusing on practical skills and techniques appropriate for wildlife species
    • Provide clinical instruction for in-country and international veterinary students rotating through the Lilongwe Wildlife Centre

Requirements, Qualification and Experience

  • egree of Doctor of Veterinary Medicine or equivalent
  • Minimum 5 years clinical practice with primary case responsibility
  • Experience working with wildlife, in a zoological setting, or with exotic pets
  • Confident and outgoing
  • Able to work as part of a team to deliver medical care
  • Mature, organized, and maintain a professional demeanour even under stress
  • Good communication skills, both oral and written
  • Excellent command of English, oral and written
  • Experience managing staff
  • Good time-management skills and the ability to prioritize tasks
  • The ability to manage a procedure, including all attending personnel, independently
  • Enjoy teaching and interacting with students and can involve them in your daily tasks with patience
  • You like living on-site and work unsociable hours whenever your job requires
  • Practical and creative and like the challenge of working in a developing country with sometimes limited resources
  • Experience to do the basic veterinary procedures on our resident animals
  • Excellent critical thinking skills
  • You (preferably) have previous experience working in Africa

This position is an opportunity for an experienced professional to build capacity in Malawi by training veterinary students and mentoring new graduate wildlife veterinarians. In such, please only apply if you have the background necessary to serve as a mentor and possess the desire to teach and provide one-on-one mentorship.

Terms of Position

This is a two year term, with the possibility to extend for an additional two years. We provide on-site accommodation, one flight home each year, 4 weeks annual leave, and local insurance. Salary to commiserate with experience and will reflect a local veterinary salary rate.

To apply, please submit your CV and cover letter with the contact details of two references and your earliest availability as a single PDF document to applications@lilongwewildlife.org. Please state clearly in the subject line of your email which position you are applying for.

Application deadline: Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.