Purpose of Role
The Veterinary Surgeon (VS) plays a pivotal role within the Veterinary and Behavioural Husbandry Services (VBHS) department. This position leads the Vietnamese Veterinary Internship (VVI) and ensures that all Animals Asia veterinarians working in our Vietnam bear sanctuaries and elephant projects maintain the organisation’s high standards of animal welfare. The primary goal of the role is to mentor and develop Vietnamese veterinarians to be capable of independently managing the day-to-day veterinary care across all Animals Asia projects in Vietnam. In addition to providing guidance and oversight, the VS will also apply their clinical expertise to support more complex cases as needed.
This role works in close collaboration with the managers of the Bach Ma Bear Rescue Centre (BMBRC), Vietnam Bear Rescue Centre (VBRC), and the elephant project within the Captive Wildlife program to ensure consistent, high standards of veterinary care are upheld across all sites. The Veterinary Surgeon also partners with the other VBHS Veterinary Surgeon to deliver veterinary expertise and support to our partner projects as needed.
Key Responsibilities
- Ensures the provision of an active and successful Vietnamese Veterinary Intern program, and proactively looks for opportunities to develop the professional skills and technical expertise of the Vietnamese veterinary team across all Animals Asia sanctuaries and the elephant project.
- Delivers technical oversight and support to the Vietnamese veterinary team, ensuring that all clinical decisions are grounded in sound veterinary principles, prioritise animal welfare, and are periodically reviewed for accuracy and appropriateness.
- Maintains strong relationships with specialist veterinarians to facilitate their involvement in complex cases and animal care programs when appropriate and feasible.
- Supports the other VBHS VS (collaborations and external training) to ensure all program needs are met with the resources available. This may include covering during times of absence from the department.
- Ensures that all veterinary activities are carried out with the highest regard to human and animal health and safety by ensuring protocols and policies are in place, are followed and reporting of observed health and safety incidents are reported in a timely manner following established protocols.
- Key advisor to the department heads of Animals Asia led projects to ensure that there is a rigorous biosecurity plan that considers animal to human, human to animal and animal to animal transfer of hazards and possible consequences. Develops and maintains the means to approve novel items that are used in direct contact with humans and animals.
- When requested, provides budgetary forecasting and advice for a range of administrative tasks including strategic planning and progress reporting to the VBHS director regarding veterinary needs, goals and outcomes.
- Ensures that international orders are fulfilled as required for Animals Asia’s projects, including for medications that aren’t available in Vietnam.
- Oversees bear and elephant clinical protocols to ensure they remain accurate, up to date, and aligned with evolving best practices in bear and elephant care. Responsibilities include reviewing and approving protocol updates submitted by the Vietnamese veterinary team and developing protocols for new veterinary techniques.
- As needed, acts as the key veterinary technical advisor to the Sanctuary Managers, Captive Wildlife Manager and Veterinary and Behavioural Husbandry Services Director, and implements actions as needed.
- Works closely with other Animals Asia Veterinary Surgeons across China and Vietnam to share knowledge, ideas and ensure the constant endeavor for excellence across all eterinary operations.
- Continues to keep their veterinary skills current, maintains CPD requirements, and keeps abreast of developments in the veterinary industry, applying those to Animals Asia programs were appropriate and feasible.
- Assists VBHS department in promoting its industry leadership through sharing veterinary technical expertise via presentations, seminars, outreach and demonstration to a range of audiences, both at the sanctuaries and offsite. Participate in on-call and out-of-hours care when required.
Requirements : Essential (E) / Desirable (D)
- Skills / Abilities
- Strong leadership skills. (E)
- Ability to teach students, interns, nursing staff and other veterinarians. (E)
- Good teamwork skills, able to communicate veterinary terminology to laymen at the sanctuary and throughout the organisation. (E)
- Strategic planning. (D)
- Budget preparation and oversight. (D)
- Knowledge
- Veterinary expertise, understanding and ability to treat a range of medical and surgical conditions that would be expected in a high volume general veterinary practice. An understanding of these in wildlife is not essential, as techniques used in domestic species are often directly transferable to wildlife. (E)
- Experience in developing SOPs, demonstrating the ability to contribute to the on-going review, development and implementation of changes. (E)
- Experience
- At least 3 years of experience working as a veterinary surgeon with at least some experience at a large mixed species veterinary practice, zoological facility, specialist referral centre, or similar working environment. (E)
- Ability to perform routine desexing surgeries of cats and dogs. (E)
- Demonstrable ability to develop veterinary skills in other veterinary surgeons beyond the level of graduation, especially in the field of soft tissue surgery. (E)
- Able and comfortable to lead emergency surgeries including of the acute abdomen (hepatic, gastric and intestinal surgeries) in one or more veterinary species. (E)
- Working experience in Asia, preferably Vietnam. (D)
- Experience with elephants, bears or other wildlife is advantageous. (D)
- Languages
- English. (E)
- Vietnamese. (D)
- Education / Qualification
- Veterinary degree registerable with the Hong Kong Veterinary Surgeons board. (E)
How to apply
Please send the PDF versions of your cover letter and CV (stating the applied position) to: [email protected] or by click the link: https://animalsasia.bamboohr.com/careers/101
Only shortlisted candidates will be notified for interviews.
To find out more : www.animalsasia.org
Animals Asia values candidates with different backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. We welcome applicants of every ethnicity, age, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, religion, national origin, socioeconomic status, disability, or veteran status. We are committed to building an organization that creates an inclusive environment for all.
