Do you have experience and a passion for working in construction projects? Work with rescued wildlife in the Bolivian Amazon.
Comunidad Inti Wara Yassi (CIWY) is looking for a Construction Coordinator to join our team as soon as possible. The candidate must be highly motivated, with demonstrated experience in managing felines, plus be willing and able to live in a remote area of Bolivia.
Introduction
Comunidad Inti Wara Yassi (CIWY) is a Bolivian NGO, made up of a team of committed Bolivian professionals, Bolivian and international volunteers. Founded in 1992, CIWY was the pioneer of the environmental movement in Bolivia and is recognised nationally and internationally for founding centres dedicated to the rescue and rehabilitation of wildlife. CIWY currently manages three Wildlife Sanctuaries: Machia (Cochabamba),Ambue Ari (Santa Cruz) and Jacj Cuisi (Rurrenabaque, north of La Paz). Each Sanctuary offers refuge to wild animals rescued from trafficking, offering them a better quality of life.
Overview
The Construction Coordinator is required to oversee all construction and maintenance projects and work with the Administrator and volunteers in order to get jobs done. You will need to come up with creative ways to complete projects with limited resources.
Description
• Take measures to ensure the safety of yourself, the volunteers, staff and visitors to the sanctuary.
• Manage the daily routines and change them according to the conditions of that day.
• Assure the safety of the volunteers and help them with any problems they might have.
• Organise the calendar of activities and provision for days off.
• Ensure that volunteers comply with park rules and report any breaches to the Administrator immediately.
• Attend sanctuary meetings as directed by the Administrator or the Sanctuary President and maintain a good level of communication with them.
• Monitor the conduct and performance of all volunteers in the area and report to the Administrator or Volunteer Coordinator for any cause for concern or performance related issues.
• Complete and hand in reports at the end of every month to update us on the progress of your projects and the plans for the next month.
• Have a full understanding of the emergency procedure in case of accidents, animal attacks or escapes.
• You might have to help with the day to day caring of the animals that are currently at the Centre should volunteer numbers become low.
• Manage new construction projects, people, planning and buying supplies and materials.
• While we strive to build new enclosures each year to improve the lives of the animals we provide a home to, most of the year will consist of maintenance on existing enclosures.
Conditions
CIWY’s three Centres are located in remote areas of Bolivia and the standard of facilities varies. You will be living alongside a community of Bolivian and international staff and volunteers, all of whom work exceptionally hard on a day-to-day basis. You must be patient, adaptable and prepared to deal with difficult and often physically demanding conditions.
Work hours
Work will include cleaning cages and areas, feeding the animals, construction and volunteer training. The days start at around 7am until 6pm every day. You will have 1 day off every week. Two weeks of vacation is given per year.
Accommodation
You will be housed at one of our Sanctuaries. Ambue Ari’s accommodation is basic. The centre has limited electricity to power the office, fridges and electronics charging stations only. There is limited mobile phone signal at specific points in the sanctuary, however only with the provider Entel. A well/borehole provides drinking water and the water for the showers is not heated. The toilets are ecological and do not use plumbing. Volunteers sleep in shared dorm rooms with bunk beds. Rooms and bathrooms are shared.
Jacj Cuisi’s accommodation is basic. There is no electricity and volunteers currently sleep in one large dorm with bunk beds. There are two ecological toilets with attached showers. A nearby creek is used primarily for relaxing and bathing. Please try to bring biodegradable soaps with you as much of this water directly enters the water system. There is limited mobile phone signal at specific points in the sanctuary, however only with the provider Entel.
Se les proporcionan a los voluntarios sábanas y mosquiteros (cuando estén disponibles), pero recomendamos que traigas una bolsa para dormir o una manta en la época seca cuando a veces hace frío en las noches.
Financial agreement
This position is for a minimum of 1 year. CIWY will provide you with all your meals and accommodation. Unfortunately we are only able to afford to pay you a small salary of 1000 bolivianos monthly. CIWY asks that any future publications that should arise from your work here include a reference to the organisation.
Monitoring and evaluation
You will be required to document your work here (written/visual/film as appropriate) for use on CIWY’s website, social media, in reports and presentations. Your feedback is important and you will participate in regular discussions to evaluate the work carried out, assessing how well it meets the objectives of all involved; trouble-shooting and contributing to improving the process and outcomes. You will complete interim updates and a financial report.
Experience & skills required
The ideal candidate will have strong abilities in construction and working independently to get projects completed. You will need to be prepared to work in difficult and physically demanding conditions with limited resources. Candidates should be able to improvise and come up with ideas that will benefit the organisation. Candidates should also have at the minimum an intermediate level of written and spoken English and Spanish.
