Reports to: WCS Philippines Country Director
Location: Metro Manila/Cebu City/Siquijor Province
Position Type: Full-Time
Expected travel: As required within the country and region, or other locations within Asia if/when needed, and to donor/technical meetings as needed

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 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 4.2 million hectares of landscapes, including the Leuser Ecosystem and Endau Rompin landscape, and over 2 million hectares of the region’s most important coastal ecosystems, including coral reefs, mangroves, seagrasses and tidal wetlands including in North Sulawesi, North Maluku, Aceh, West Nusa Tenggara, and Sarawak.

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, with regards to marine conservation, illegal wildlife trade, rights and communities, forests and climate change, and health). 

WCS’s initial project-based focus is on marine conservation through the MPAs and small-scale fisheries of the Bohol Sea.  WCS will focus implementation on Siquijor province, adopting an integrated (land-sea) approach to conservation. The work will be implemented through a partnership with local organisation Community Conservation and Education Foundation (CCEF), and delivered in close coordination with government agencies.

Position Summary:

The primary function of this position is to develop and lead new terrestrial conservation initiatives within WCS’s conservation program in the Philippines, in line with the WCS 2030 and WCS SEAA strategies.  

The WCS Terrestrial Program Manager will be responsible for developing and implementing a range of new initiatives related to terrestrial conservation and integrated management of natural resources, including, including technical aspects of monitoring and evaluation.  The Terrestrial Program Manager will be responsible for managing projects and teams working on ‘ridge-to-reef’ and small island management, integrated management of terrestrial and coastal protected and conserved areas, developing/delivering conservation approaches for important landscapes, ecosystems, communities and endangered, threatened and protected (ETP) species, climate change adaptation, and engaging local communities and stakeholders in the co-management of conservation areas and natural resources.

The main objectives of the position are:

  1. Identify, develop and deliver existing (and new) terrestrial and integrated conservation initiatives within the strategic and geographic scope of WCS’s Philippines program (including the Bohol Sea ecosystem, and Siquijor province).
  2. Engage with Siquijor province’s Environmental Code, a broad-reaching decree that establishes management arrangements for MPAs, fisheries and ecotourism on the island. Provide technical guidance to the provincial government to initiate integrated ‘ridge-to-reef’ planning.  
  3. Identify and deliver key scientific and technical inputs related to terrestrial and integrated conservation within the strategic and geographic scope of WCS’s Philippines program.
  4. Develop capacity-building activities and strategic partnerships, collaborations and relationships with relevant agencies, community-based organisations and other bodies that can support WCS’s conservation work in the Philippines.


Position Responsibilities:

  • Lead in organizing comprehensive work plans, managing staff, securing and maintaining field equipment, and supporting budget preparations to ensure field work is conducted to a high standard and safely/securely.
  • Lead WCS’s engagement with Siquijor’s provincial government to mainstream environmental management across line departments to initiate integrated ‘ridge-to-reef’ planning.
  • Oversee WCS engagement with the province’s Environmental Code, a broad-reaching decree that establishes management arrangements for MPAs, fisheries and ecotourism on the island. 
  • Assist with the delivery of scientific and technical inputs in WCS’s conservation program in the Bohol Sea region and Siquijor province, including ‘Ridge-to-Reef’ integrated management initiatives, improving management effectiveness of terrestrial and coastal protected areas, climate change adaptation, sustainable use of natural resources, and conservation of priority species.
  • Identify and gather ecological and socioeconomic data relevant to WCS’s terrestrial conservation programs and projects and ensure high-quality analysis and data visualization.
  • Assist in the scoping and development of new science-based integrated conservation opportunities in the Philippines, including providing advice on site and partner selection, and contributing to the development of new research agendas and programs.
  • Contribute to ecological monitoring and reporting, including protected area management effectiveness, ecological health, species and ecosystems, as needed.
  • Facilitate community discussions or trainings related to the program.
  • Coordinate the local activities of WCS Regional and Global experts and consultants.
  • Manage monitoring protocols, data and information systems, and data analysis.
  • With Regional and Global colleagues, contribute to the development of new project design and proposals.
  • Ensure compliance with donor requirements, including budget planning and expenditure monitoring and reporting during and after project implementation. 
  • Provide scheduled reporting to government and community partners and write activity reports for project monitoring and documentation
  • Work with local NGOs, community stakeholders, and government agencies to identify capacity gaps and facilitate discussions or trainings, when necessary.
  • Develop national and local collaborations, networks or partnerships on marine protection and conservation management
  • Ensure development and implementation of WCS Philippines stakeholder engagement and data sharing protocols 
  • Develop reports, blogs, articles and peer reviewed publications to ensure the work of WCS Philippines is accessible to a wide audience
  • Engage the public through information dissemination via appropriate channels.


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