Vacancy: Associate Veterinary Surgeon, Maldives

About ORP

Olive Ridley Project (ORP) is on a mission to protect sea turtles and their habitats through rescue and conservation medicine, scientific research, and education and outreach. At the core of our work is a passionate and dedicated team of scientists, conservationists, citizen scientists and volunteers. We pride ourselves on being able to collaborate with a wide range of diverse groups in order to reach our goal and fill data gaps in sea turtle conservation. The charity is at the forefront of sea turtle conservation, influencing local policy makers, fishing communities and collaborating with research institutes. We currently have bases in Kenya, Maldives, Oman, Pakistan, and Seychelles.

About The Position

ORP is a fast-growing charity with ambitious goals, and we are seeking an enthusiastic associate veterinary surgeon to join our veterinary team in the Maldives. This position is ideal for candidates looking to advance their veterinary skills in a highly specialized facility with unique species while gaining valuable in-field experience in tropical environments working with sea turtles. Numerous clinical research opportunities are available and can be cultivated.

This role is based at one of our veterinary facilities in the Maldives. ORP’s Marine Turtle Rescue Centre, located in Baa Atoll, opened in February 2017. At the time, it was the first fully equipped sea turtle rescue facility in the Maldives, established in response to the growing number of turtles found entangled in ghost gear. The Centre follows a ‘Sea Turtle University’ model: a busy teaching hospital equipped with advanced veterinary tools, including a full blood laboratory, endoscopy, digital radiography, ultrasound, Class 4 laser, and a complete surgical suite. We also operate three additional sea turtle rehabilitation centres in the Maldives where the associate veterinary surgeon will play an active role, and will soon open a second, hospital-level clinical facility.

Our core values include excellence in clinical care, innovation, and education. We regularly host veterinary trainees and students from around the world who seek training in sea turtle medicine and rehabilitation, alongside interns and volunteers who help run the centres. We handle one of the largest clinical caseloads in sea turtle conservation globally.

ORP’s veterinary team includes a veterinary surgeon, two associate veterinary surgeons, two interns, and two to three volunteers, all led by our Lead Veterinary Surgeon. Additionally, three sea turtle biologists and two interns assist at our rehabilitation facilities. You will be part of a close-knit, friendly team dedicated to treating, healing, and releasing as many sea turtles as possible. The work is demanding but immensely rewarding and engaging; you will leave with a profound appreciation for sea turtles, their medical care, and their conservation in this region.

Main Duties

As an associate veterinary surgeon, you will assist the Lead Veterinary Surgeon and Veterinary Surgeon in all aspects of running ORP’s Rescue, Clinical and Rehabilitation facilities in the Maldives, including operational and administrative functions:

• Providing comprehensive clinical and veterinary care, including surgical and medical procedures, anesthetic monitoring, patient recovery, diagnostic imaging, blood evaluations, treatments, and therapies for the sea turtle patients at our facilities
• Assisting with the rescue and transportation of injured sea turtles from across the country to the ORP’s rehabilitation and clinical facilities
• Releasing treated sea turtles once they are medically cleared to return to the wild
• Supervising patient care and clinical work at ORP’s rehabilitation and clinical facilities in the Maldives, both remotely and in person
• Supervising, coordinating, and training volunteers, interns, veterinary trainees, and other ORP team members
• Maintaining clinic machinery and equipment including but not limited to the autoclave and centrifuge, tanks, pumps and pipes
• Overseeing rehabilitation and clinical facilities, patients, operations, interns, trainees and volunteers in the absence of the Veterinary Surgeon
• Visiting and providing cover of ORP’s rehabilitation and clinical facilities in the Maldives as and when required
• Stock checks and ordering of consumables, medical supplies, and equipment for the rehabilitation and clinical facilities
• Maintaining cloud-based medical records, including PACS
• Ensuring compliance with permits and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)
• Maintaining clinical research datasets
• Assisting with both clinical and biological research
• Creating and posting content about our patients and hosting live social media events
• Assisting with educational outreach activities for resort guests, visiting school children, and the local community

Requirements

• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine or equivalent
• Licence in good standing to practise veterinary medicine in country of origin
• At least one year of clinical practice, preferably in a formalised veterinary internship setting
• Fluency in spoken and written English
• Confident communication and presentation skills
• Eagerness to learn quickly and adapt to new challenges
• Proficiency or willingness to learn blood evaluation, including manual CBCs with differentials
• Strong team player
• Experience using social media platforms and willingness to be on camera
• Competent swimmer

Assets

• Experience with exotic animals, preferably wildlife
• Competent free diver or qualified scuba diver
• Research experience
• Proficiency in other languages

How to apply

If you are interested in joining the ORP team as an Associate Veterinary Surgeon and fulfil the requirements for this rewarding opportunity, please send your current CV, along with a brief cover letter detailing your motivation for applying, to Lead Veterinary Surgeon Dr Max Polyak at max.polyak@oliveridleyproject.org by 20th April 2025 (please note that applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and the vacancy may close earlier than the deadline if an appropriate candidate is found). Be sure to include Job Reference ORPAVS002 and Your Full Name in the email subject line.