Description of the committee’s work and goal
The Animal Welfare Committee’s vision is to see the global veterinary community working together to promote good welfare for all companion animals. We achieve this through our mission to make animal welfare an everyday consideration for small animal practitioners. We also aim to ensure that WSAVA is a proactive and respected partner within international welfare circles by combining advocacy, collaboration and consensus-building across cultures and regions.
The AWC aims to:
- Ensure representation from all sectors, including veterinary practitioners, academics, researchers, industry and charity veterinarians.
- Ensure representation of a variety of geographical regions, cultures and communities
- Present a unified global voice for veterinarians worldwide, emphasizing the central role of animal welfare in veterinary practice.
Download the complete Terms of Reference here.
Detailed description of the desired candidates
We are seeking dedicated veterinary or non-veterinary professionals with one or more of the following qualifications:
- Demonstrated expertise in animal welfare- science, behaviour, animal policy and law, or veterinary ethics; OR
- Work experience in the veterinary, charity or education sectors, focused on animal welfare or ethical issues; OR
- Specific expertise in a veterinary discipline with animal welfare applications, e.g., pain management, disaster response, clinical animal behaviour, shelter medicine, etc.
- A proactive approach to developing and communicating welfare improvement activities focused on cats and dogs;
- Proven experience in collaborative work and leadership within committees, boards, or professional organizations.
- Ability and willingness to work hard and cooperatively as a member of a small, dynamic, enthusiastic team.
- Proven experience and a demonstrated willingness to contribute to continuing education through lectures, publications, and outreach related to animal welfare.
List of responsibilities from committee members
- Attend one-hour virtual meetings held every other month or as needed
- Participate in the annual in-person committee meeting held during the WSAVA Congress or other designated events
- Contribute innovative ideas to advance the AWC mission and actively carrying out the agreed AWC strategy and plans
- Respond to communications in a timely manner
- Implement and support the AWC Strategic Plan
What is the time commitment expected for this role?
- Ability to provide up to 4 hours per week working on committee tasks. This time commitment is variable.
- Attend 1–2-hour teleconference meetings held every month
- Attend 1–2 in-person day-long RCC meetings held during WSAVA Congress, and at one additional international location. Participation in the RCC meeting and in broader WSAVA initiatives will require a minimum commitment of 3 days per meeting, plus travel time.
Remuneration for this role
All WSAVA committee members including the chairperson are volunteers. However, reasonable expenses incurred while carrying out WSAVA duties will be reimbursed, in accordance with the WSAVA Travel and Expenses Policy.
Applicant must provide the full documentation required below, in English, via this dedicated application link:
- Curriculum Vitae
- Letter of Intent
- Letter of Good Standing from WSAVA Member Association*
Applications should be submitted before 15 December 2025 – 22:00 UTC
*All nominees for membership of any WSAVA committee/group are required to provide a letter of Good Standing from the WSAVA member organization of which they are a member. This requirement does not apply to nominees who are not members of a WSAVA organization (e.g. non-veterinarians) whose expertise may be necessary for specialist committees/groups. A person of Good Standing is defined as someone who has complied with all explicit obligations of the association and who is not subject to any form of sanction, suspension or disciplinary censure. This letter is not a recommendation from the association that the nominee is the best person for the position. WSAVA committee positions are not chosen by member organizations – the Committee Chair ultimately decides on the best candidate for the position and the choice is ratified by the Membership and Nomination Committee and the Executive Board. This letter indicates only that the WSAVA member association has no objection to the nomination. Please click here to view an example of this letter.