We are seeking a Programme Officer to join our National Ecosystem Assessment Initiative to help deliver an exciting and rapidly growing body of work supporting countries undertake national ecosystem assessments, through capacity building, knowledge sharing and networking.

WCMC attaches great importance to addressing safeguarding and ethical considerations in all activities carried out by its staff, including where partner organisations or individuals are part of the delivery of our work. This includes children and vulnerable adults in the community who may be vulnerable to abuse. WCMC act with integrity, are transparent and expect applicants to share the same values.

You’ll principally be supporting our multi-million dollar portfolio of national ecosystem assessments in fourteen countries across the globe, contributing to the Centre’s work on building national capacities to integrate the full value of nature into decision-making, in a way that creates synergies across global biodiversity conventions and across policy sectors. You will provide technical insights and knowledge to these and other related areas of work; lead projects to deliver high quality agreed outputs for a range of stakeholders; prepare technical reports, convene, organise and facilitate meetings with project beneficiaries; identify new project opportunities and represent the Centre at conferences and meetings with international partners.

You will have more than three years’ experience working in an international context on biodiversity and ecosystem services related project, and leading specific project components/outputs on time, budget and message. You will be able to show a willingness to take on new challenges and acquire new knowledge, and to articulate clearly your knowledge of biodiversity and ecosystem services. It’s important that you are an excellent writer with an eye for detail, a confident and engaging verbal communicator, and be skilled at steering and facilitating meetings towards the desired outputs and outcomes for the Centre.

We will provide you with the challenge of working on high profile conservation projects, where your work really makes a difference to the field of conservation in an area aligned to our strategic aims and broader global initiatives. In addition to training and development opportunities, we offer a competitive salary and benefits package, including generous pension contributions.

Key Areas of Responsibility

• Provide strong technical expertise and inputs into a range of projects within the Programme, particularly (though not exclusively) relating to ecosystem assessments.
• Be responsible for delivery of scientific reports and policy–relevant analyses relating to project and programme objectives and for ensuring that outputs are consistently delivered to UNEP–WCMC’s high standards
• Fulfil the role of project leader for specified agreed projects, manage discrete components of larger scale projects and make substantial contributions as a team member to other projects that contribute to implementation of the programme and the Centre’s objectives
• Facilitate workshops and other project–related meetings where required
• As a project leader, create cross disciplinary and cross programmatic teams as required
• Ensure the delivery of projects (or project components) to time and budget, and ensure efficient project management administration and reporting procedures are in place, working closely with the programme administrators
• Build and maintain successful working relationships with a variety of stakeholders and work closely with existing partners in national governments, UN Environment Programme, UNDP, UNESCO and other global and national partners
• Liaise with key project partners and donors to maintain and build partnershipsto drive forward our work
• Develop fundraising proposals for new projects that support programme and thematic priority objectives, ensuring that fundraising opportunities are then secured effectively.
• Line manage junior staff and interns as required
• Represent UNEP–WCMC effectively at external meetings and workshops, ensuring a high level of professionalism