Job Posting – Ecotourism Project Manager

COME AND JOIN THE EVP FAMILY!

ELIE’s main aim is to care for the captive elephant population in Cambodia and support the communities that work with them. We run a number of projects such as forest conservation, a land titling project, veterinary care and research projects, community health care and school support scheme all based around the goal to support the elephants, their owners and the forest that they need to live. The Elephant Valley Project (EVP) was launched as an elephant sanctuary developed to create a home for injured and old elephants and is now ELIE’s centerpiece for elephant conservation. ELIE is unique in terms of its primary source of funding now comes from income from donations made by the 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 a sustainable financing mechanism for funding all ELIE programs.

As a result of this the ecotourism program is therefore our most important and we are now seeking to employ a new, dynamic and experienced, Project Manager to run the Elephant Valley Project.

The Role

This is a very exciting role and is an opportunity to be part of an innovative organization that is constantly growing. In order to ensure the smooth operation of the ecotourism project and elephant sanctuary this position works very closely with the Director, Deputy Director and Head Guide. You will be in charge of managing a large team at the site including site & volunteer coordinator and our team of local guides, cooks, cleaners, maintenance staff and of course the elephant mahouts/caretakers.

  • Manage the ecotourism visitor and volunteer program – together with the local guides, you will take visitors and volunteers to view the elephants in the forests of EVP, providing an interpretive educational tours. As part of the volunteer program you will also help to undertake research projects and weekly health checks with the elephants, reporting back to the management team.
  • Monitoring the care programs for the elephants onsite, reporting back to the management team.
  • Manage and support 40+ local and international staff
  • Manage weekly finances, including income and expenses
  • General operations management – transport, kitchen budgets, EVP building and work materials
  • Sales, helping to check booking emails, grant writing, social media, fundraising
  • Developing quarterly reports and other things like donor reports.

Experience

Essential

  • At least 3-4 year’s project management experience on an ecotourism/ecolodge/voluntourism/outdoor education project or something similar
  • Passion for ecotourism and the benefits that can be shared to local communities
  • Interpretive guiding, outdoor/environmental education, eco-tourism, or groups management background beneficial for this position
  • Experience managing budgets and controlling weekly operations expenses
  • You will need to be a bubbly, outgoing and resourceful person who is ready to deal with managing a project in a remote location, sometimes with limited resources
  • Willingness to learn the local language, and the ability to manage cross culturally as well as international staff.
  • Current first aid certificate
  • Driving License

Preferable

  • Knowledge of conservation
  • Love of elephants 😀 You don’t need to have any real experience with elephants, as this will be all learnt on the job, however a keen interest in wildlife is essential

The Details

The position will be based primarily at the EVP and the community, driving out each day with guests and the work vehicles. We work a 6-day week from Sunday to Friday, but rotate regular long weekends off. You mainly be living in Sen Monorom, and will need to find housing in town, but lunch will be provided when working onsite and food/accommodation when occasionally required to stay onsite overnight with guests.

We can offer a local manager salary, $650-700 USD per month. We understand that in international terms this is not a huge wage, but is enough to support yourself here in Mondulkiri.

We need someone who is flexible, loves elephants and wants to make a difference. We need someone to come and join the team and help us get back to where we were.  In our current situation, with guests just starting to return, we cannot offer much in the way of salaries at the moment as we are still far behind in wages and bills, and we are asking for your help. Covid has impacted the whole world, but in particular the tourism industry. Prior to the pandemic our primary source of income was ecotourism, with which we funded the care of our  elephants, employed 60 people, supported the community and conservation programs. Help us build back better.

An initial commitment of 18 months is required; however, we would prefer a 2 year+ commitment.

We are looking for someone to start Mid to End Dec 2024

To Apply

If you are interested, or know someone who is, please email Jemma a cover letter and your resume to:

ELIECambodia.Manager@gmail.com

Applications due ASAP