Senior Project Officer

Organization Background

The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) is a US non-profit, tax-exempt, private organization established in 1895 that saves wildlife and wild places by understanding critical issues, crafting science based solutions, and taking conservation actions that benefit nature and humanity. With more than a century of experience, long-term commitments in dozens of landscapes, presence in more than 60 nations, and experience helping to establish over 150 protected areas across the globe, WCS has amassed the biological knowledge, cultural understanding, and partnerships to ensure that vibrant, wild places and wildlife thrive alongside local communities. Working with local communities and organizations, that knowledge is applied to address species, habitat, and ecosystem management issues critical to improving the quality of life of vulnerable communities whose livelihoods depend on the direct utilization of natural resources.

Program Background

WCS's office for the Southeast Asian Archipelago (SEAA) region is based in Singapore and is responsible for WCS conservation programs in Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines. The SEAA region contains the third largest expanse of tropical rainforests and the majority of the Coral Triangle, the global center of marine biodiversity. The region includes over 25,000 islands and comprises the world's second, third, and sixth-largest islands (New Guinea, Borneo and Sumatra). Our current efforts focus on protecting Nature's Strongholds, including the Leuser Ecosystem and Endau Rompin landscape and some of the region's most important coastal ecosystems, including coral reefs, mangroves, seagrasses, and tidal wetlands, including in the Bohol Sea (Philippines), North Sulawesi, North Maluku, Aceh, West Nusa Tenggara (Indonesia), and Sarawak (Malaysia).

Within the SEAA region, WCS has operated for many years in Indonesia and Malaysia. In the Philippines, WCS has recently opened a branch office and, leveraging its historical project-based legacy, is now, together with local partners, designing a conservation program that will complement the many ongoing terrestrial and marine efforts in the Philippines. We are initiating efforts to build a small and impactful team, develop government, civil society, and NGO partnerships, and build out the knowledge base to inform WCS's broader conservation strategy and approach in the Philippines (for example, marine conservation, illegal wildlife trade, rights and communities, forests and climate change, and health).

WCS's initial program focus is on marine conservation and management of the Bohol Sea, adopting an integrated (land-sea) and ecosystems-based approach to conservation. The work will be implemented in partnership with the local community, peoples' organizations, and other NGOs/academe and delivered in close coordination with government agencies.

Job Purpose

The Senior Project Officer will provide overall coordination and administrative support to ensure the smooth implementation of WCS Philippines' projects in the Sulu Sulawesi Seascape. This role ensures project activities are delivered on time, within budget, and in compliance with donor and WCS requirements. The position bridges programmatic and operational functions—overseeing project administration, monitoring, reporting, and coordination with partners, communities, and stakeholders.

Major Responsibilities:

1. Project Coordination and Administration

• Coordinate day-to-day project operations in Tawi-Tawi and the Bohol Sea, ensuring alignment with work plans and budgets.
• Provide administrative oversight, including procurement, contracts, timesheets and financial documentation, in coordination with the Operations Unit.
• Track deliverables, timelines, and progress across project sites and maintain updated project documentation.
• Support organization of meetings, workshops, training, and consultations.

2. Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL)

• • Assist the Sulu Seascape Lead and Program team in collating field reports and inputs for monitoring and evaluation frameworks.
• Document lessons learned and support adaptive management in project implementation.

3. Stakeholder Engagement and Coordination

• Support the field teams on engagement with local government units, partner organizations, and community stakeholders to ensure smooth project coordination.
• Support community engagement activities, ensuring that socio-economic and conservation priorities are integrated into project planning.
• Assist technical staff in aligning community-level work with project objectives.

4. Reporting and Compliance

• Prepare and submit project progress and financial reports as required by WCS and donors including audits and donor compliance.
• Ensure compliance with WCS and donor requirements in finance, procurement, and safeguarding.

5. Others/Ad Hoc

• Support cross-project initiatives, events, and country program activities as assigned.
• Perform other duties as may be assigned by the line manager.

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in social science, environmental management, development studies, or related field (Master's degree an advantage).
• At least 3 years of relevant experience in project coordination, administration, or NGO program support.
• Strong understanding of project cycles, donor compliance, and MEL processes.
• Experience in coordinating with government, NGOs, and community partners.
• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Strong communication skills in English and Filipino; ability to speak local languages in Tawi-Tawi (Tausug, Sama) an advantage.
• Willingness to travel to project sites, including remote areas.
• Start-up and service-oriented mindset, willing to support a dynamic team and a variety of tasks to ensure program growth and sustainability.
• Flexibility to work overlapping hours with teams located in different time zones.
• Alignment to WCS Core Values of respect, accountability and transparency, innovation, diversity and inclusion, collaboration, and integrity.

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 engaging in a diverse workforce. We are committed to cultivating an inclusive work environment and look for future team members who share the same values. The organization provides equal employment opportunities for all qualified candidates. The organization does not discriminate for employment based on gender, race/ethnicity, religion, color, national origin, sex, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, citizenship status, caste, genetic information or any other covered status or characteristic protected by laws and regulations/and similar categories.

It is everyone's responsibility to ensure that we do not tolerate discrimination or harassment based upon a person's membership in one of these protected categories in areas such as recruitment, selection, job assignment, supervision, training, promotions, job grading, transfers, termination, compensation, benefits, educational opportunities, WCS sponsored recreational activities and facilities.

The organization complies with the spirit and intent of relevant local laws and WCS's employment policies.

Job Type: Full-time

Experience:

• project coordination, administration, or NGO program support: 3 years (Required)

Work Location: In person