Technical Senior Officer- Environmental (Biodiversity & Capacity Building) – Multiple Positions Freelance

UNOPS supports partners to build a better future by providing services that increase the efficiency, effectiveness and sustainability of peace building, humanitarian and development projects. Mandated as a central resource of the United Nations, UNOPS provides sustainable project management, procurement and infrastructure services to a wide range of governments, donors and United Nations organizations.

The New York Portfolio Office (NYPO) supports the United Nations Secretariat, as well as other New York-based United Nations organizations, bilateral and multilateral partners in the delivery of UNOPS mandate in project management, infrastructure management, and procurement management. The Sustainable Development Cluster (SDC) supports diverse partners with their peacebuilding, humanitarian and development operations. It was formed by combining the following portfolios: Grants Management Services (GMS), UN Technology Support Services (UNTSS), Development and Special Initiatives Portfolio (DSIP) It provides Services to partners’ programmes that are designed, structured, and managed with a global perspective and primarily serving partners that are headquartered in New York. SDC has a footprint of approximately 125 countries.

UNOPS has signed an agreement with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to implement the project activities for the Global Programme on Nature for Development.

UNDP’s Global Programme on Nature for Development brings together three different initiatives — the Equator Initiative, the National Biodiversity Initiative, and the Global Forest Initiative (New York Declaration on Forests Global Platform) under one program in order to identify, foster, showcase and celebrate nature-based solutions that help achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at local, national, and international levels. The work of the Global Programme on Nature for Development contributes to UNDP’s Strategic Plan 2018-2021 by charting sustainable development pathways through the conservation, restoration and sustainable management of biodiversity and ecosystems; and by promoting inclusive and effective democratic governance in the area of natural resources.

The Equator Initiative brings together the United Nations, governments, civil society, businesses and grassroots organizations to recognize and advance local sustainable development solutions for people, nature and resilient communities. The Equator Initiative seeks to:

• Recognize the success of local and indigenous initiatives;
• Create opportunities and platforms to share knowledge and good practice;
• Inform policy to foster an enabling environment for local and indigenous community action; and
• Develop the capacity of indigenous peoples and local communities to scale-up their impact.

The National Biodiversity Initiative supports countries to manage their ecosystems and biodiversity in order to improve national planning and governance of biodiversity, ecosystems, and development, and to promote resilience for sustainable development. The GEF Enabling Activities Project supports developing, middle income, and small island nations in their commitments to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD): early action on the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs), National Reporting. The use of spatial data for spatial planning is a cross-cutting theme across these project areas, including work through our flagship platform UN Biodiversity Lab (UNBL) and to map Essential Life Support Areas (ELSAs). The UNBL, created in partnership with UN Environment and the CBD Secretariat provides policymakers with access to 100 of the world’s best spatial datasets on nature, climate, and sustainable development for planning, monitoring, and reporting. Building on this base, our work to map ELSAs brings together the world’s best scientists and governments in 11 pilot countries to use spatial data to identify where nature-based actions to protect, manage, or restore ELSAs can deliver efficiently across national priorities for biodiversity, climate, and sustainable development. A nascent area of work is building the spatial literacy of Indigenous peoples and local communities and ensuring their participation in spatial planning.

Knowledge Sharing is a main goal of the Equator Initiative, Learning for Nature and the National Biodiversity Initiative. The Equator Initiative has a large series of research papers, books, and other publications focusing on local approaches to poverty reduction and conservation, informed by community-based initiatives.180 case studies in over 30 languages have documented the Equator Prize winners’ innovative practices that deliver the win-win-win solutions that ensure social, economic, and environmental sustainability. The National Biodiversity Initiative share knowledge on the role of spatial data in biodiversity planning, policymaking, and reporting through blogs, case studies, and story maps.

Learning for Nature is a capacity-building offer provided by the Global Programme on Nature for Development, cutting across the three areas of work. This project connects biodiversity policymakers, change-makers, and on-the-ground subject matter experts to facilitate the delivery of the Convention on Biological Diversity’s Aichi Biodiversity Targets and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Access to the global multi-stakeholder networks mobilized by the Equator Initiative, Learning for Nature, and the National Biodiversity Initiative allows Learning for Nature to circulate knowledge while promoting best practices. Building on our learnings on the ground, Learning for Nature seeks synergies, build linkages, and engage thousands of course participants through Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), webinars, self-paced e-learning modules, and private training courses.

For further information please go to: www.equatorinitiative.org, www.nbsapforum.net, www.learningfornature.org, www.unbiodiversitylab.org

This is a position to support a project which UNOPS is implementing for the United Nations Development Programme. The incumbent of this position will be personnel of UNOPS under its full responsibility.

Functional responsibilites

UNOPS is seeking the support of a Technical Senior Officer to support the GEF 8 ‘Umbrella Programme to Support NBSAP Update and the 7th National Reports’. The ‘Umbrella Programme to support NBSAP update and Seventh National Reports’ is a Party-led effort funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) to continue the process of updating NBSAPs and undertake reporting on implementation of the GBF. This programme provides financial and technical support to 139 developing countries, small island developing states, and economies in transition in their work to update NBSAPs in alignment with the GBF and prepare and submit Seventh National Reports to the CBD. Joint implementation support is provided by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), in partnership with the CBD Secretariat and the GEF Secretariat. It will build upon existing work through the GBF Early Action Support Project, as well as support countries to develop biodiversity finance plans, through the “Umbrella Programme to Support Development of Biodiversity Finance Plans”. The Project implementation units of all three initiatives will coordinate to ensure that resources from both projects are used effectively and efficiently towards the update or revision of the NBSAPs and the preparation of the 7th national report.

Responsibilities include supporting the Senior Programme Manager and team to:

Technical services to countries

• Provide guidance to countries in aligning their national biodiversity strategies with the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
• Assist countries in identifying gaps and opportunities in their biodiversity action plans to improve implementation efficiency.
• Support the preparation and submission of high-quality reports to the CBD Secretariat, ensuring compliance with reporting requirements and timelines.
• Coordinate targeted training sessions or workshops to strengthen national capacities for project implementation and reporting.
• Develop tailored technical resources, such as templates, guidelines, and toolkits, to assist countries in meeting their project objectives.
• Establish and maintain a feedback loop to continuously refine technical support based on country-specific needs and progress.
• Facilitate connections with subregional technical and scientific cooperation support centers, where possible, to enhance regional collaboration.
• Facilitate partnerships and collaborations between countries to share knowledge and best practices in biodiversity conservation and reporting.
• Collaborate with Parties and national teams to identify their specific needs, focusing on national and regional priorities.
• Engage with national technical teams to provide customized assistance and share relevant resources.
• Monitor and evaluate the progress of countries in implementing technical recommendations, offering follow-up assistance as necessary.
• Support countries in accessing relevant funding mechanisms or resources to complement their biodiversity efforts.
• Coordinate with participating countries to deliver targeted technical support through individual calls or email communication.
• Collaborate with regional organizations to ensure technical support is contextually appropriate and regionally coordinated.
• Review and provide feedback on the structure and content of the NBSAP and 7NR documents.

Project coordination and implementation

• Track and maintain detailed records of national progress in achieving project goals.
• Facilitate the alignment of project activities with national, regional, and global biodiversity goals and priorities.
• Organize periodic meetings with national focal points and partners to review progress, address challenges, and plan next steps.
• Coordinate development and implementation of communication strategies to disseminate technical guidance, jointly produced documents with partners, and other curated materials.
• Support engagement with key project partners, including the CBD Secretariat, UNEP, UNEP-WCMC, and initiatives such as the NBSAP Accelerator Partnership.
• Conduct literature reviews, knowledge management activities, and data compilation on topics relevant to the project.
• Establish regular communication channels with stakeholders to keep them informed of project developments and progress.
• Draft reports and policy recommendations addressing the targets of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
• Ensure the timely preparation and submission of all required reports to donors and other stakeholders.
• Provide logistical and technical support for project-related events, workshops, and training sessions.
• Collect data from participating countries to prepare project progress reports, donor reports, training materials, and presentations.
• Coordinate development and maintenance of a centralized database for all project-related documents, data, and communications to ensure efficient knowledge management.
• Foster collaboration among participating countries and partners to ensure synergies and avoid duplication of efforts.
• Coordinate development of frameworks for monitoring and evaluating project impacts and outcomes, incorporating lessons learned into future initiatives.
• Coordinate project timelines and deliverables to ensure that milestones and deadlines are met.
• Manage risk by identifying potential challenges in project implementation and devising contingency plans to address them.
• Assist in budgeting, financial planning, and tracking of project expenditures to ensure compliance with donor and organizational requirements.
• Monitor the implementation of cross-cutting themes such as gender equality, inclusivity, and stakeholder engagement within project activities.

Capacity building

• Strengthen knowledge-sharing platforms to enable peer learning among participating countries.
• Develop tailored training programs to address specific needs of national teams and stakeholders.
• Support the integration of biodiversity targets into national development plans through customized training sessions.
• Provide guidance on the use of innovative tools and technologies for biodiversity planning and reporting.
• Identify and promote funding opportunities to support capacity-building activities at the national and regional levels.
• Facilitate the development of South-South Cooperation and peer-to-peer exchange opportunities, particularly through regional working groups.
• Lead the preparation of capacity-building engagements, including in-person and virtual events, and develop supporting materials such as PowerPoint presentations, agendas, and other resources.
• Monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of capacity-building activities, collecting feedback to refine future initiatives.
• Promote multilingual resources to ensure inclusivity and accessibility for diverse stakeholders.
• Collaborate with regional organizations to identify and deliver regionally relevant capacity-building initiatives.
• Create and maintain an online repository of capacity-building materials and resources for easy access by stakeholders.
• Work closely with thematic experts to ensure capacity-building materials are up-to-date and aligned with global biodiversity goals.
• Encourage the participation of underrepresented groups, such as women and Indigenous Peoples, in capacity-building initiatives.
• Collect and document best practices, experiences, and lessons learned from participating countries to enhance capacity-building efforts and knowledge exchange.
• Organize follow-up sessions post-training to address queries and provide ongoing support.
• Facilitate the organization of simulation exercises and hands-on workshops to improve practical understanding of biodiversity frameworks.
• Support the development of partnerships with academic institutions and training centers to broaden access to capacity-building resources.
• Coordinate the creation of capacity-building materials, such as webinars, online courses, brochures, and technical booklets, identifying key topics, dates, and speakers for these initiatives.

Communication

• Coordinate the development of engaging and visually appealing content for the NBSAP Forum, events, publications, blogs, and learning opportunities.
• Coordinate the dissemination of recordings of webinars and training sessions organized by UNDP and CBD on the NBSAP Forum.
• Draft and edit press releases, talking points, PowerPoint presentations, blogs, and video messages for various communication needs.
• Design and implement communication and outreach strategies to synthesize lessons learned, best practices, and project results.
• Coordinate the preparation and dissemination of photo essays, success stories, and video content for public engagement.
• Develop targeted social media campaigns to promote the NBSAP Forum and related biodiversity initiatives.
• Ensure that all GEF Enabling Activities resources are readily accessible to users on the NBSAP Forum.
• Assist in creating multilingual resources to ensure inclusivity in communications and outreach materials.

Events

• Organize and moderate panel discussions at international conferences to highlight project achievements.
• Identify key events to showcase countries’ innovative practices, lessons learned, and solutions to common challenges.
• Provide technical support and manage the NBSAP Help Desk during key international events.
• Coordinate the preparation and distribution of the NBSAP Forum newsletter, ensuring its content is relevant and timely.
• Act as the primary liaison for the NBSAP Forum Steering Committee by convening meetings and participating in strategic discussions.
• Identify relevant international events where the project should be represented, with particular attention to the CBD Secretariat’s calendar.
• Coordinate the in-person NBSAP Help Desk during international conferences, upon request
• Coordinate the planning and logistics of high-profile events, including virtual summits, international workshops, and expert panels, ensuring seamless execution and alignment with project goals.
• Develop and implement event promotion strategies to raise awareness about the project’s impact and attract a diverse range of participants, including stakeholders from government, civil society, and the private sector.
• Evaluate event outcomes by gathering feedback from participants and analyzing the effectiveness of the event in achieving its objectives, providing recommendations for future improvements.

NBSAP Forum moderation

• Monitor and facilitate discussions on the NBSAP Forum to ensure that discussions are productive, relevant, and engaging for all participants, responding to queries and guiding participants in their use of the platform.
• Provide timely and constructive feedback to users, ensuring that contributions are aligned with the forum’s objectives and are based on credible data or references.
• Collaborate with content contributors to ensure that materials uploaded to the NBSAP Forum are accurate, up-to-date, and aligned with global biodiversity frameworks and the needs of the forum participants.
• Support users in navigating the NBSAP Forum, answering technical questions related to the platform and guiding them in accessing resources, posting content, and engaging with other participants.
• Act as a primary point of contact for technical partners and users on the forum, ensuring smooth communication and addressing any technical or content-related challenges.
• Coordinate the creation and moderation of thematic discussion groups or sub-forums to foster more focused dialogues on specific aspects of biodiversity, such as NBSAP alignment, biodiversity finance, or policy mainstreaming.
• Track engagement metrics on the NBSAP Forum, providing regular reports to stakeholders on user activity, popular topics, and key discussions that could inform future project planning.
• Facilitate the incorporation of new tools and resources into the NBSAP Forum, ensuring that all features, such as learning modules or toolkits, are user-friendly and accessible to all stakeholders.
• Organize and moderate live Q&A sessions or webinars within the forum to engage directly with users on specific topics, challenges, or updates related to NBSAP implementation.
• Coordinate the incorporation of updates or new features in collaboration with the Learning for Nature team, ensuring the NBSAP Forum continuously evolves to meet the needs of its users.
• Develop a system for tracking and responding to forum feedback, collecting suggestions for improvements from users and coordinating with the technical team to implement necessary changes.
• Promote the NBSAP Forum through outreach and awareness campaigns, ensuring that relevant stakeholders, including government agencies, NGOs, and biodiversity practitioners, are aware of and actively participating in the forum.
• Ensure the inclusion of diverse voices, encouraging the participation of marginalized groups, such as Indigenous communities and women, in discussions to enhance the inclusivity of the forum.
• Collaborate with the Learning for Nature team to ensure that educational resources and materials on the forum are aligned with global biodiversity goals and reflect the latest research and best practices.
• Coordinate the translation of materials and forum content into multiple languages to ensure accessibility for non-English speaking stakeholders and ensure inclusivity across regions.
• Promote the integration of EAS tools to help Parties to the CBD meet their NBSAP targets, improving alignment, monitoring, policy mainstreaming, and financing.
• Facilitate the development and execution of thematic campaigns or events on the forum to spotlight key issues, such as biodiversity financing or the post-2020 global biodiversity framework.

Education/ Experience/ Language requirements

• *FEMALE CANDIDATES ARE STRONGLY ENCOURAGED TO APPLY

Education

• Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) preferably in anthropology, sociology, sustainable development, environmental management/sciences, international relations, conservation biology/ecology geography, natural resource management, or in another related field with five (5) years of relevant experience is required.; OR
• A first level university degree (Bachelor’s degree) preferably in anthropology, sociology, sustainable development, environmental management/sciences, international relations, conservation biology/ecology geography, natural resource management, or in another related field with seven (7) years of relevant experience is desirable.

Work Experience

Relevant experience is defined as work or academic experience, preferably in any of the following topics at a conceptual or practical level: international environmental policy, natural resource management, biodiversity/climate change, human/civil/indigenous/women’s rights, social entrepreneurship/impact investing, local economic development, and/or civil society engagement and education.

Languages

• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English are required.
• Fluency in a second official UN language is desired.

Contract type, level and duration

Contract type: Individual Contractor Agreement (ICA)
Contract level: International Individual Contractor Agreement (IICA-2) or Local Individual Contractor Agreement (LICA-10)

Even though the level of the position is indicated as IICA-1, depending on the incumbent’s personal situation ( candidate with national ID or resident permit), a local fee scale (LICA-8) might be applied in determining the contractor’s fee.

*Contract duration: The contract for this position is set for a duration until 31 December 2025 (renewable subject to funds availability and satisfactory performance)

This is a home based position, the selected candidate will be working from home, it is required to follow the working hours in New York (9 a.m. to 5 p.m. EDT Monday through Friday).

For more details about the ICA contractual modality, please follow this link:
https://www.unops.org/english/Opportunities/job-opportunities/what-we-offer/Pages/Individual-Contractor-Agreements.aspx

For applying to this position, please access https://jobs.unops.org/Pages/ViewVacancy/VADetails.aspx?id=29501#4

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