Senior Project and Safeguards Support Of

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Senior Project and Safeguards Support Officer, Nong Kham Saen, WWF-Laos

Position title:  Senior Project and Safeguards Support Officer, Nong Kham Saen, WWF-Laos

Location:           Vientiane Capital

Background

The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) has had a presence in Laos since the late 1980s, when it contributed to some of the first biodiversity surveys that established Laos’ protected area system. The office in Laos was officially established in 2001. Today, our main office for WWF-Laos is in Vientiane Capital, with field offices in multiple provinces.

WWF-Laos works with government, civil society, the private sector and other partners to address the drivers of biodiversity loss and to move towards a greener nature-based future where the people of Laos can thrive and live in harmony with nature.

Our vision is “a vibrant and sustainable future for Laos, shaped by inclusive conservation that protects biodiversity, ensures equitable benefits, and nurtures harmony between people and the environment”. Conservation is WWF’s core work, and our programmes in Laos are implemented under four broad thematic areas: Forests, Wildlife, Freshwater and Circular Resilience. As outlined in WWF-Laos’ 2026-2030 strategic plan, we focus our conservation efforts in three main landscapes, eight priority sites and three cities.

Nong Kham Saen wetland – the last remaining natural wetland close to Vientiane Capital – is both a biodiversity hotspot and an area holding high cultural importance. In addition to its conservation criticality, due to its proximity to the capital, it presents an opportunity to serve as a “living classroom” – demonstrating how to balance development with biodiversity protection, cultural heritage preservation and sustainable community use for a wide range of stakeholders – government entities within Laos, the wider Mekong region and Southeast Asia, children and young people, community-based organisations and other international non-governmental organisations, development partners and donors. In this role, the Senior Project Officer for Nong Kham Saen is responsible for day-to-day delivery of activities and coordination related to the various WWF projects and programmes incorporating the wetland.

Being based in Vientiane, this role also assumes responsibility as the Environmental and Social Safeguards (ESS) focal point for a GEF-funded plastics programme and extends ESS support to the Environmental Governance Manager, working with ESS field support officers, to ensure that procedures for screening and mitigation are followed for all activities across our three priority landscapes

Major Functions:

As Senior Project Officer for Nong Kham Saen, this role leads day-to-day coordination and implementation of WWF activities at the Nong Kham Saen wetland, working across multiple projects that converge on this priority site. The role engages government counterparts, local communities, and technical partners to support inclusive, place-based conservation — and contributes to positioning Nong Kham Saen as a model for integrated urban wetland management in the Lao context.

The position also serves as the main focal point for ESS within a predominantly Vientiane-based team delivering a high-profile, multi-year GEF-funded plastics programme and for activities delivered within the Nong Kham Saen wetland. On matters to do with ESS, the role works with a group of ESS field support officers based in locations across Laos who, guided by the Environmental Governance Manager, assist WWF conservation colleagues delivering activities across the country to implement required screening and mitigation measures

Major Duties and Responsibilities:

Project Coordination and Implementation

• Support day-to-day implementation and coordination of project activities in line with approved workplans and donor requirements.
• Assist in preparing project progress reports, technical updates, meeting documentation, and implementation summaries.
• Support project budget tracking and expenditure monitoring in coordination with finance and programme teams.
• Coordinate logistical and administrative arrangements for meetings, consultations, workshops, missions, and field activities.
• Maintain project documentation and filing systems in accordance with WWF procedures and donor compliance requirements.
• Support implementation of WWF activities related to Nong Kham Saen, including coordination with local authorities, communities, and technical partners.

Stakeholder Engagement and Government Coordination

• Support consultations and engagement processes with local communities, civil society organizations, government agencies, and other stakeholders.
• Facilitate communication and coordination with relevant government counterparts in accordance with administrative protocols and regulatory requirements.
• Support inclusive participation approaches, ensuring attention to vulnerable and underrepresented groups in project activities.
• Maintain effective working relationships with provincial, district, and local authorities relevant to project implementation.

Monitoring, Learning and Reporting

• Support monitoring of project implementation progress, safeguards compliance, and community engagement outcomes.
• Contribute to lessons learned, case studies, and knowledge products related to inclusive conservation and urban wetland management.
• Assist in compiling data and information required for donor reporting and internal programme monitoring.

Environmental and Social Safeguards

• Follow WWF’s Environmental and Social Safeguards Framework to manage environmental and social risks related to activities delivered in the Nong Kaem Saen wetland area. This includes grievance handling, stakeholder engagement, and documentation processes related to safeguards implementation;
• Serve as the Safeguards focal point for a GEF-funded plastics programme (approx. 20% of time)
• Work with the Environmental Governance Manager and ESS field support officers to support conservation colleagues delivering place-based activities to follow the procedures for screening and mitigation detailed in WWF-Laos’ Environmental and Social Mitigation Framework (ESMF);
• Provide ESS orientations for new staff/visitors/consultants/suppliers/partners at project sites or in field offices, when necessary.

Required Qualifications 

• Bachelor’s degree in environmental management, natural resource management, environmental governance, social sciences, development studies, public administration, or related field. Alternatively, demonstrated ability to perform the job requirements, typically acquired through at least 5 years of practical experience, would be considered.

Required Experience, Skills and Competencies

• Minimum 3–5 years of relevant professional experience in project coordination, safeguards implementation, community engagement, or environmental governance.
• Experience working with NGOs, international development organizations, or donor-funded projects preferred.
• Experience engaging with government agencies and local communities in Laos is highly desirable.
• Familiarity with environmental and social safeguards systems, inclusive conservation, or social risk management frameworks preferred.
• Experience supporting urban environmental or wetland-related initiatives is an advantage.
• Strong organizational and project coordination skills.
• Good understanding of environmental and social safeguards principles and stakeholder engagement processes.
• Ability to work effectively with communities, government agencies, and multidisciplinary teams.
• Strong interpersonal, facilitation, and communication skills.
• Good analytical, reporting, and documentation skills.
• Ability to manage multiple tasks and work independently under supervision.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications.
• Excellent written and spoken English and Lao.
• Proven ability to work effectively in a multicultural environment and to build trust with diverse partners.
• Proven ability to work with a high degree of autonomy, taking initiative while adhering to organisational policies and regulations.
• Commitment to ongoing professional learning and development.

Working relationships:

• Internal – Interacts on a regular basis with members of the Conservation Division, Senior Programmes Manager for Biodiversity, Senior Programmes Manager for Eco-Restoration, Conservation Director, Country Director, Technical Advisors, all WWF-Laos staff and across the wider WWF network.
• External – Interacts with all relevant stakeholders at community, district, and provincial levels across the priority landscape. Engage with central government partners, academic and research institutions, international NGOs and donors on an ad-hoc and ongoing basis.

WWF’s Values and Behaviors:

• Adhere to WWF’s values: Courage, Respect, Collaboration and Integrity.
• Demonstrates WWF core value in action of working:

• We demonstrate courage through our actions, we work for change where it’s needed, and we inspire people and institutions to tackle the greatest threats to nature and the future of the planet, which is our home.
• We live the principles we call on others to meet. We act with integrity, accountability and transparency, and we rely on facts and science to guide us and to ensure that we learn and evolve.
• We honour the voices and knowledge of people and communities that we serve, and we work to secure their rights to a sustainable future.
• We deliver impact at the scale of the challenges we face through the power of collective action and innovation.

WWF-Laos can offer you:

Contract duration: 1 year initial with possible extension with industry leading benefit and salary package and ample opportunity for professional development. For more information on our work in Laos, please visit: http://www.wwf.org.la.

How to Apply:

Please find more information and complete the application form by clicking this link:

https://jobs.dayforcehcm.com/en-GB/wwfint/EXTERNAL/jobs/1653

Note: Please indicate your gross salary expectation (including tax) in cover letter and/or CV

Deadline for applications: 27 July 2026. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

WWF does not charge or accept a fee at any stage of the recruitment process.

WWF provides equal employment opportunities and affirmative action for all qualified individuals regardless of race, colour, gender, national origin, disability, inclusive, or veteran status and promotes affirmative action to assure equal employment opportunities. Please indicate if you require accommodation for the application or interview process to jobs.laos@wwf.org.la