Elephant Livelihood Initiative Environment (ELIE) is a registered local non-government organization, or not-for-profit, based in Mondulkiri, Cambodia. ELIE was founded in 2006 and started by providing free veterinarian care for captive elephants throughout Mondulkiri province. In 2007, The Elephant Valley Project (EVP) was launched as an elephant sanctuary developed to create a home for injured, old or overworked elephants and is now ELIE’s centerpiece for elephant welfare, education and conservation.

ELIE is unique in terms of its primary source of funding now comes from income from local and international visitors who come to EVP. Since 2006 the NGO has evolved and grown, with the development of EVP as a popular tourist attraction, providing our main financing mechanism funding all of ELIE’s elephant care and welfare, community development and forest protection programs.

As a result of this the ecotourism program is therefore one of our most important programs and we are now seeking to employ a new Ecotourism, Volunteer and Site Coordinator, to help oversee the site, visitor and volunteer activities.

The Role

EVP is a constantly evolving site and we need many hands to keep the sanctuary going for the elephants. We have short term visitors, longer stay volunteers, groups, interns and more. As Volunteer & Site Coordinator, you will be the heart of daily life at the sanctuary. You’ll coordinate volunteers, welcome guests, lead educational elephant experiences, work alongside local staff on practical projects, and help ensure everyone has a safe and memorable stay.

No two days are the same. One day you will be guiding visitors through the forest to observe elephants, the next helping volunteers build a bridge, plant elephant food, restore native forest, or simply be sharing interesting stories over dinner.

You will organise the daily guest and volunteer schedules, manage volunteers work tasks and be the onsite contact point for the visitors and volunteers. Basically organising who is who, where they are going and what they are doing to develop this amazing project.

This role is ideal for someone seeking experience in ecotourism, conservation, outdoor education or starting to work with wildlife. 

Responsibilities

• Develop and plan weekly tasks with the Project Manager and local staff, then manage volunteer work schedules, working on projects with the them during the day, together with local staff
• Take visitors and volunteers to view the elephants in the forests of EVP, providing an interpretive educational tours. 
• Be the onsite contact person for visitors, engage visitors during meals and night time activities helping if they are sick or have problems
• Onsite living and night on-call duties, weekends in town
• Regular site checks and report to Project manager 
• Developing quarterly reports 
• Other duties as required

Experience

Essential

• Experience managing groups of people
• Strong communication skills, as our visitors are all ages and come from all over the world
• Interest in sustainable development and conservation
• Desire to learn new language and ability to work with local non-English speaking staff
• Current first aid certificate (preferably field First aid/rescue situations)
• Current driving License 
• You will need to be a bubbly, outgoing and resourceful person who is ready to get their hands dirty

Preferable

• Background in outdoor education/farm management/ permaculture or other conservation experience
• A basic understanding of tool usage and simple maintenance tasks
• Basic knowledge of conservation and a keen interest in wildlife essential
• We envisage this position to be for someone that has a strong interest in ecotourism, community development and conservation, who wants a start in an organization working overseas in this field.

The Details

The work will be based at the EVP, 12km from the town of Sen Monorom, We work a 5.5 day week from Sunday to Friday, but rotate regular long weekends off. This position is also required to stay onsite with the volunteers, with weekends in town. The site is located on the edge of a large protected area, within a forest, disconnected from the outside world, surrounded by wildlife. A love of nature, serenity, and a slower lifestyle is quite important to be happy in this unique role! You will need to find your own accommodation in town for the weekends. The Project Manager will also help cover some nights on rotation. Meals and accommodation will be provided when working onsite.

You will receive a local salary of $500 per month. We understand that in international terms this is not a huge wage, but is enough to support your living expenses here in Mondulkiri. We need someone who has a big heart, is flexible, loves elephants and wants to make a difference. 

An initial commitment of 18 months is required or longer for the right person.

Applications due ASAP.

We are looking for someone to start Mid July – Early August 2026

Send an email to Cynthia, EVP Project Manager, with an expression of interest, your resume/cv, and anything else you think we will find interesting 🙂

Email: EVPCambodia.PM@gmail.com