Job description

This full-time position provides veterinary care for animals at LWC - Malawi’s only wildlife rescue and rehabilitation centre - and during rescues and field operations. Additionally, the Senior Veterinarian provides strategic mentorship and leadership to support capacity building of staff, strengthen veterinary and animal welfare standards and to support operational decision-making. The role has particular responsibility for delivering structured training, and professional development support to the Assistant Veterinarian, and provides teaching and supervision for national and international veterinary externs and volunteers.

This post will be expected to provide constructive professional guidance, contribute to strategic discussions and support evidence-based decision-making within their area of expertise to senior managers.

Essential duties & responsibilities

Delivery and Oversight of Veterinary Care

1. Deliver and oversee a high standard of veterinary care for incoming and resident animals at LWC
2. Work closely with the senior animal-care team to ensure that clinical decisions are integrated within broader animal-care, welfare and rehabilitation plans and that all records are accurate and up to date
3. Provide clinical leadership and mentorship to veterinary and relevant key animal care staff, supporting consistent, evidence-based approaches to animal health and welfare across all locations

Veterinary Clinical Management and Leadership

1. Manage the veterinary clinic, ensuring that it is clean, safe, well-organised and appropriately equipped to deliver high-quality veterinary care
2. Manage veterinary medicines, consumables and equipment compliance, including timely stocktakes, ordering and monitoring of medicines/supplies
3. Ensure that clinical equipment, including anaesthesia and other critical equipment, is appropriately maintained, audited and serviced for use
4. Review clinic systems and identify improvements to support the efficient and effective delivery of veterinary and animal welfare services

Field Veterinary Support, Rescue and Teaching

1. Provide senior veterinary support for off-site wildlife rescues, field interventions and emergency veterinary care, including working in challenging field conditions where required
2. Support the planning and implementation of veterinary procedures, including darting and anaesthesia
3. Provide teaching, supervision and mentorship to veterinary students, externs, volunteers and relevant staff, including developing course programmes and teaching materials, and delivering theoretical and practical training in basic field veterinary skills (both on and off site)

Veterinary Research and Technical Collaboration

1. Work collaboratively with other managers to support the design, development and implementation of veterinary research and applied conservation projects
2. Provide technical veterinary input into research proposals, study design, fieldwork, data collection and reporting, including ongoing research
3. Prepare expert veterinary reports for wildlife crime court cases and provide testimony in court where necessary
4. Represent LWC’s veterinary team in internal and external forums

Education and experience

Essential

• Degree of Doctor of Veterinary Medicine. A Masters is an added advantage.
• Minimum five years recent clinical experience with primary case responsibilities and surgery
• Certified training in darting wild animals for anaesthesia and recent (within the last two years) experience in darting multiple species
• Recent (within the last two years) experience in teaching/mentoring vet students, recent graduates and wider mentoring & coaching experience of animal care clinical teams
• Experience working with wildlife (field based/in a zoological setting), particularly primates and carnivores; experience with pangolins is a distinct advantage
• Clean driving licence; and able to drive a manual vehicle, 4x4 experience a plus
• Excellent English speaking and writing skills
• Ability to deliver a high standard of veterinary care under often basic conditions
• Experience of living and working in low income, resource poor environments, particularly within Africa
• Physically fit and able to adapt to basic and/or resource poor environments

Desirable

• Managing grants and research projects
• Working in diverse teams and managing volunteers/staff from diverse backgrounds

• Deliver and oversee a high standard of veterinary care for incoming and resident animals at LWC
• Work closely with the senior animal-care team to ensure that clinical decisions are integrated within broader animal-care, welfare and rehabilitation plans and that all records are accurate and up to date
• Provide clinical leadership and mentorship to veterinary and relevant key animal care staff, supporting consistent, evidence-based approaches to animal health and welfare across all locations
• Manage the veterinary clinic, ensuring that it is clean, safe, well-organised and appropriately equipped to deliver high-quality veterinary care
• Manage veterinary medicines, consumables and equipment compliance, including timely stocktakes, ordering and monitoring of medicines/supplies
• Ensure that clinical equipment, including anaesthesia and other critical equipment, is appropriately maintained, audited and serviced for use
• Review clinic systems and identify improvements to support the efficient and effective delivery of veterinary and animal welfare services
• Provide senior veterinary support for off-site wildlife rescues, field interventions and emergency veterinary care, including working in challenging field conditions where required
• Support the planning and implementation of veterinary procedures, including darting and anaesthesia
• Provide teaching, supervision and mentorship to veterinary students, externs, volunteers and relevant staff, including developing course programmes and teaching materials, and delivering theoretical and practical training in basic field veterinary skills (both on and off site)
• Work collaboratively with other managers to support the design, development and implementation of veterinary research and applied conservation projects
• Provide technical veterinary input into research proposals, study design, fieldwork, data collection and reporting, including ongoing research
• Prepare expert veterinary reports for wildlife crime court cases and provide testimony in court where necessary
• Represent LWC’s veterinary team in internal and external forums

• Darting wild animals for anaesthesia
• Teaching/mentoring vet students
• Mentoring & coaching animal care clinical teams
• Working with wildlife (field based/in a zoological setting)
• Driving a manual vehicle, 4x4 experience
• Excellent English speaking and writing skills
• Ability to deliver a high standard of veterinary care under often basic conditions
• Experience of living and working in low income, resource poor environments, particularly within Africa
• Physically fit and able to adapt to basic and/or resource poor environments
• Managing grants and research projects (Desirable)
• Working in diverse teams and managing volunteers/staff from diverse backgrounds (Desirable)

• Degree of Doctor of Veterinary Medicine. A Masters is an added advantage.
• Minimum five years recent clinical experience with primary case responsibilities and surgery
• Certified training in darting wild animals for anaesthesia and recent (within the last two years) experience in darting multiple species
• Recent (within the last two years) experience in teaching/mentoring vet students, recent graduates and wider mentoring & coaching experience of animal care clinical teams
• Experience working with wildlife (field based/in a zoological setting), particularly primates and carnivores; experience with pangolins is a distinct advantage
• Clean driving licence; and able to drive a manual vehicle, 4x4 experience a plus