Expedition staff for Ecuadorian Amazon region

25/06/2010

Filled

Long-term contract (min 1 year) signed after suitable, paid trial period.

The expedition is located on the upper Napo River in the Orellana province of the Ecuadorian Amazon about 9 hours from the capital Quito. The expedition focuses on rainforest conservation and community development and is run in partnership with Ecuador’s Yachana Foundation (www.funedesin.org) which is located 20 mins further up and across the Napo River from the expedition base.

August 2010

Terrestrial Conservation

Paid Work

We are looking for a new staff member who can join the team in the field and assist with the management of volunteers on a biodiversity and community expedition in the Ecuadorian Amazon. The main responsibility of this position is to provide assistance in continuous volunteer management with a sound basis in GVI’s Health and Safety regulations. Another main responsibility is to assist with the planning and execution of the biological projects supporting the local partner and community projects including teaching English language.

$100 USD per week

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GVI owns and operates more than 150 volunteer programs in over 40 countries worldwide. We are one of the world’s largest independent volunteer program providers and have worked for over 10 years to supply quality volunteer programs across the globe. Every year over 3000 volunteers join programs from 1 week to over 1 year. Our programs are regularly featured in the world’s press and scientific and humanitarian publications for their great achievements in the field. Through its international network of over 175 personnel in over 40 countries GVI continues to support many of the most critical conservation and humanitarian projects around the globe. GVI is incredibly proud of its culture. We believe in what we do and are totally committed to providing the very best programs and volunteer experiences. Although we work hard we have a tremendous amount of fun. Come and meet us to see why so many people want to work with GVI at home or abroad.

• Volunteer management
• Maintaining high Health and Safety standards
• Leadership, training and programme development in tropical research and community projects to untrained expedition members.
• Assisting in planning and execution of a comprehensive biodiversity study (including some plants), in support of a local nature reserve and its management plan.
• Providing leadership and logistical support to the expedition and science program managers in the day-to-day execution of the program including teaching tropical science and field survey techniques to local high school students in Spanish.

• Good people management skills
• International volunteer experience
• BSc or MSc in one of the following fields: botany, medicinal plants, wildlife biology, zoology, tropical ecology, entomology, herpetology, conservation, forestry, or other relevant scientific discipline
• Current First Aid qualification
• Ability to work as part of a team and with minimal supervision
• Ability to provide leadership for youth and adults
• Ability to accept basic communal living with very long hours in hot & humid/wet conditions during 10-week phases
• Intermediate or advanced fluency in Spanish

• Demonstrated field study experience (tropical rainforest experience is preferred)
• Working knowledge of medicinal plant identification
• Working knowledge of one or several animal groups
• Rainforest field guide or naturalist experience
• Experience mist-netting and handling birds and/or bats
• Amphibian or small mammal trapping and handling experience
• Teacher qualification in the fields of biological sciences, conservation, environmental education or community development
• TEFL/TESOL qualification
• Emergency First Aid (EFR) Instructor qualification
• Proficiency in SPSS and GIS ArcView packages

For full details of the Amazon expedition please see GVI's volunteer recruitment website www.gvi.co.uk

Long term contract is subject to a successful 6-week paid trial period in country. Personal medical insurance, including air evacuation and repatriation, is required.

• Food, accommodation, $100 USD/week. Salary increase after 6 months.