Mission Rabies
Website:
missionrabies.com
Job details:
Company Description
At Worldwide Veterinary Service (WVS), we champion animal welfare globally by delivering veterinary care, training, and emergency support where it is needed most.
We deploy veterinary teams to underserved regions, provide expert training in hard-to-reach communities, and support frontline animal welfare organisations worldwide with critical aid and supplies. Our international training centres operate in India, Thailand, Malawi, and the Galápagos Islands.
Through strategic One Health initiatives such as Mission Rabies, we collaborate with governments, NGOs, educators, and public health authorities worldwide to eliminate rabies and improve community health outcomes.
Last year, WVS:
- Treated over 103,000 animals
- Trained more than 2,800 veterinary professionals
- Delivered veterinary aid to 231 charities across 65 countries
- Vaccinated over 1.2 million dogs against rabies through Mission Rabies
Role Description
Opportunity for an experienced programme leader to drive meaningful change at the intersection of public health, education, animal welfare, and behaviour change. Reporting to the Director of Education, India, at global animal welfare charity Worldwide Veterinary Service (WVS), you will lead and expand education programmes that protect children and communities from zoonotic diseases while strengthening the relationship between people and animals.
Rabies remains one of the world’s deadliest yet most preventable diseases. One child dies from rabies every 10 minutes, with most victims under the age of 15. Despite being 100% vaccine preventable, rabies continues to claim thousands of lives due to limited awareness and access to timely intervention.
Through Mission Rabies, established in 2013, WVS has reached more than 9.6 million children globally with life-saving education. However, nearly half of the world’s 2 billion children still live in rabies-endemic countries. India alone records an estimated 4.5 million human rabies exposures annually and continues to account for a significant proportion of global rabies deaths.
As Head of Education, India, you will oversee regional education teams across the country, scale behaviour change and public awareness campaigns, and work closely with government bodies, public health institutions, and community stakeholders. This role is central to achieving our ambition of significantly reducing rabies deaths over the next five years.
We are seeking an ambitious, strategic, and highly collaborative leader who is passionate about public health, education, policy engagement, and animal welfare, and who is motivated by the opportunity to build impactful programmes at scale.
This is a hybrid role with flexibility for remote work. However, applicants should be aware that the role is based primarily at our offices in Goa, India, and involves regular travel. On average, this may include 1–2 meetings or project evaluations per month within India, alongside at least one annual visit to international project sites.
Qualifications
- Experience in education or training program development, curriculum design, and public awareness campaigns
- Strong leadership, team management, and organizational skills
- Proficiency in communication, public speaking, and stakeholder engagement
- Research, data analysis, and report writing capabilities
- Familiarity with One Health principles and public health challenges is an advantage
- Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Education, Public Health, Veterinary Science, or a related field
- Proficiency in local language(s) and English
- Ability to work collaboratively with a diverse team and local communities
- Passion for addressing public health challenges and commitment to Mission Rabies India's vision
Main Duties & Responsibilities
- Lead, develop, and scale education and behaviour change campaigns across India
- Oversee regional education managers and ensure delivery targets, quality standards, and monitoring frameworks are met
- Design and implement impactful public health communication strategies focused on rabies prevention and responsible animal interaction
- Work closely with State-level education departments, public health agencies, and government stakeholders to strengthen programme delivery and identify new opportunities
- Serve as a technical advisor to government and partner organisations on education, behaviour change, and rabies control initiatives
- Build and maintain strong relationships with NGOs, academic institutions, schools, and community partners
- Collaborate closely with vaccination, surveillance, and wider WVS teams to ensure integrated programme implementation
- Provide strategic input into policy development, public engagement, and community outreach initiatives
- Ensure accurate reporting, monitoring, safeguarding compliance, and programme evaluation
- Prepare high-quality project reports, technical documents, and funding proposals
- Act as Deputy Safeguarding Officer and ensure adherence to national and international safeguarding standards
- Provide regular operational and strategic updates to the India Director and UK Head of Education
- Undertake field visits and represent WVS at meetings, workshops, and conferences as required
- Support wider organisational priorities and undertake additional duties where necessary
Essential Skills & Experience
- Minimum 10 years’ experience in programme, campaign, or project management within public health, education, animal welfare, humanitarian, development, or related sectors
- Strong background in public health, sociology, behaviour change communication, education, or community development
- Experience working with government departments, public institutions, or policy stakeholders
- Demonstrated experience leading large, multidisciplinary teams in dynamic or challenging environments
- Excellent communication, stakeholder engagement, and interpersonal skills
- Experience designing or delivering behaviour change, awareness, or public education campaigns
- Strong understanding of rabies control, zoonotic disease prevention, and/or One Health approaches
- Ability to build partnerships and influence decision-making across diverse stakeholder groups
- Excellent organisational skills and attention to detail
- Passion for animal welfare and community impact
- Strong report writing and proposal development skills
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint
- Flexibility to travel regularly and work occasional evenings or weekends where required
- Postgraduate qualification or equivalent professional experience in Public Health, Social initiative, International Development, Animal Welfare, Public health nurse, Veterinary/Public Health Sciences, Communications, or a related field
- Fluent English proficiency (native or equivalent C2 level)
- Full driving licence
Desired Skills & Experience
- Experience improving education systems or delivering education programmes at scale
- Background in teaching, training, curriculum development, or community outreach
- Experience in public works, social development, or government-led community initiatives
- Experience delivering successful public health or behaviour change campaigns
- Knowledge of animal welfare, rabies elimination programmes, or zoonotic disease control
- Experience in policy development, advocacy, or technical advisory roles
- Experience working within the charity or international NGO sector
- Additional language skills relevant to India or South Asia
- Degree or professional background in Public Health, Veterinary Medicine, Education, International Relations, Behavioural Science, Communications, or related disciplines
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