Conservation Field Assistant - Phang Nga, Thailand

About the role

The goal of the position is to support and assist the passionate GVI Phang Nga staff team in running our diverse and impactful Coastal Conservation Programme, ensuring that our participants have a once in a lifetime experience.

We have a unique and exciting role for the right candidate to support the Conservation Programme Coordinator in the day-to-day running of the programme, developing leadership, volunteer management and hands-on conservation field work skills. The role enables the candidate to develop both professionally and personally in a supportive and inspirational environment.

GVI Phang Nga is an exciting and impactful dual programme hub where our Community and Conservation Programmes work hand-in-hand to create positive, long-lasting impact for our local community and local environment.

This is an entry level position, designed to give a budding conservationist the experience, knowledge and hands on skills they need to kick-start their career in conservation and volunteer management. For the right candidate this could be developed into long term, paid, opportunities within GVI, possibly globally,  depending on performance and vacancies available at the time.

About you

You are a passionate, driven and enthusiastic individual who’s excitement and dedication to conservation work radiates from them in everything that they do.

You have a real desire to create a long-lasting impact, not only in the field, but with our local community and with our international participants. 50% of our programme's impact is in the field, but 50% is the impact we have on our participants - this is very important to us!

You are happy to step outside of your comfort zone and to move away from the traditional 9-5; this role is a lifestyle and not just a normal job! You must be resilient and adaptable, staying calm in sometimes challenging situations.

You must want to have fun in everything you do, our work is important and demanding, but we never forget to smile and have fun while we are working together to make the world a better place.

You are willing to learn, always ready to absorb new information and skills, consolidate this knowledge and in turn pass these skills on to new participants.

What you will do

• Assist the Conservation Programme Coordinator in the daily running of the project

• Work hands on in the field in a diverse range on conservation projects

• Manage large groups of participants, ensuring they are happy, healthy, safe and above all having fun during their experience with GVI

• Lead surveys once fully trained in field by GVI staff

• Support the Conservation Programme Coordinator with the ‘behind the scenes’ elements of planning, operating and developing a successful conservation programme

• Lead by example - setting high expectations and being a good role model for participants

• Work ‘out-of-hours’ to socialise and entertain participants when  not on project - ensuring participants have 24 hour support during their journey with GVI

• Provide in field training to new participants

• Support the other GVI team members to ensure the successful running of the hub as a whole

• Welcome all newly arriving participants and ensure they feel a part of the GVI Family from Day 1

• Enforce GVI rules and protocols at all times

What you will need

Required

• Passion for volunteer management and conservation
• People-centric mindset - comfortable with being ‘on’ 24/7
• Experience managing groups/participants/students (we will provide all project specific training in-country)
• Fluent in English reading & writing with good ICT & social media skills
• Enjoys spending time with participants, with a warm, confident, engaging and nurturing personality
• Able to communicate well with people from different cultures and backgrounds, manage large groups, and speak publicly with confidence

Please note that it is GVI Policy that all staff members are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

Advantageous

• Bachelor Degree in Biology, Zoology, Ecology, Conservation Biology or related field
• Emergency First Response certified/trained
• Previous GVI experience
• Previous field work experience, specifically in the following fields:
  • Sea Turtle Conservation
  • Beach Profiling and Microplastic Surveys
  • Biodiversity Surveys -  Bird ID, Butterfly ID, Camera Trapping
  • Snorkelling Surveys - Coral ID, Fish ID
  • Mangrove Surveys
• Previous experience in science communication and public awareness/outreach/teaching/education
• Experience handling large sets of data, be competent using excel and analysing data sets
• Understanding of local culture
• Experience living abroad and in tropical climates
• Comfortable with communal living
• Competent swimmer or certified scuba diver
• Good level of fitness - must be able to work in physical jobs out in the field for long periods of time

What we offer

Package includes:

• Accommodation
• Food
• Visa costs (if applicable)
• Emergency medical and travel insurance

In addition, GVI has the following perks:

• Training fund
• Social allowance
• Leadership development
• In-house counselling support
• Growth opportunities across our 17 locations!

About us

GVI is an international multi-award-winning social enterprise on a mission to build a global network of people united by their passion to make a difference. We run programs in 13 countries worldwide aligned to the objectives of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

GVI is a platform for personal growth, and our staff have the ability to develop themselves across teams, departments, and even locations! We value passion, authenticity, entrepreneurship and innovation and treat all of our stakeholders with respect and compassion above everything else.

You can find out more about the types of work we do, and who we are as an organization here.

To apply