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BIOPAMA Project Officer

Vacancy #:   6436
Unit:   Protected and Conserved Areas Team
Organisation:   International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
Location:   Headquarters, Gland, Switzerland
Reporting to:   Senior Programme Officer, BIOPAMA & IUCN Green List
Work percentage:   100%
Grade:   P1
Expected start date:   15 November 2023
Type of contract:   Max-term (24 months)
Closing date:   21 June 2023
BACKGROUND
The IUCN Protected and Conserved Areas (PCA) Team has a long heritage in the Union, with a headquarters-based core team and regional staff, and a closely coordinated programme of activities with the World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA). The PCA Team is part of the Centre for Conservation Action. This work is supported by a number of donors and partners, including the European Development Fund of the European Union, through the Africa, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States in the BIOPAMA Programme, the German International Climate Initiative through investments to achieve the objectives of the Convention on Biodiversity, the European Commission through the BEST programme and by several private organisations, including the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation.

The Biodiversity and Protected Areas Management (BIOPAMA) programme is a component programme of the IUCN Global Protected and Conserved Areas Team. It aims to improve the long-term conservation and sustainable use of natural resources in African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries, in protected areas and surrounding communities. It is an initiative of the ACP Group of States financed by the European Union’s 11th European Development Fund (EDF), jointly implemented by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission (JRC). Building on the first five years of activities financed by the 10th EDF, BIOPAMA’s second phase (BIOPAMA II) provides tools for data and information management, services for improving the knowledge and capacity for protected area planning and decision-making, and funding opportunities for specific site-based actions. www.biopama.org.

The programme will continue to build institutional and technical capacity at the regional, national and site levels for improved PCA and biodiversity management with access to and application of data and information related to biodiversity, protected and conserved areas governance and management, being used to inform and strengthen policy decisions and management actions. BIOPAMA II also implements an Action Component, including grants to support specific actions on the ground in priority areas for strengthening protected and conserved areas governance and management.

The BIOPAMA Project Officer is thus expected to have a solid grasp of project management, monitoring and evaluation, the application of environmental and social safeguards, and grant-making rules, particularly those applying to the Action Component, and to contribute to the derivation of lessons learned through practice. The relationship with the beneficiaries of grants requires knowledge of grant making, a proactive attitude, patience and creativity. The process will be informed by and supportive of the BIOPAMA Regional Programme Coordinators and the BIOPAMA coordination team in the IUCN Headquarters. The duty station will be IUCN Headquarters in Gland, Switzerland.
JOB DESCRIPTION
OVERALL RESPONSIBILITIES

Working under the supervision of the BIOPAMA Senior Manager and Senior Programme Officer, the BIOPAMA Project Officer is responsible for supporting the implementation of the BIOPAMA II programme in two main areas of work:

(i) Supporting the BIOPAMA programme management, monitoring and learning;
(ii) Supporting the implementation of the BIOPAMA Action Component including grant monitoring, reporting, portal management, and analysis of the impacts of BIOPAMA’s funded projects and communication.

SPECIFIC DUTIES

The BIOPAMA Project Officer will be responsible for the following main duties:

Programme coordination and organisation
• Convene the regular technical meetings of the implementing partners and donors;
• Support the organisation of the annual BIOPAMA Steering Committee Meeting;
• Convene the internal coordination meetings between the BIOPAMA implementing partners;
• Keep records of the decisions taken in coordination and management meetings and advise team members on their effective follow up;
• Prepare regular programme updates;
• Contribute to the preparation and review of the annual work plans aligned with the logical framework;
• Coordinate the preparation of the six-monthly and annual reports together with other members of the BIOPAMA team and the regional teams.

Programme monitoring, evaluation and learning
• Contribute to the maintenance of the programme’s logical framework, including at the regional level;
• Develop and implement monitoring and evaluation activities for the BIOPAMA II programme implementation, including tracking of indicators in the programme’s logical framework;
• Support the IUCN BIOPAMA team through internal and external evaluations and monitoring missions;
• Disseminate findings and recommendations of evaluations, assist with the compilation of management responses, and track actions needed;
• Monitor the performance of the BIOPAMA Action Component in accordance with the overall programme logical framework and its indicators;
• Support regional teams to monitor performance of grant projects against the agreed indicators and ensure that these are incorporated into the regional reference information systems.

Knowledge management
• Manage and maintain the BIOPAMA Action Component portal, with technical support from external consultants;
• Incorporate a BIOPAMA AC projects database into the AC portal and analyse impacts of funded projects;
• Ensure that lessons learned from project implementation are identified, captured and synthesized with a view to sharing knowledge across the BIOPAMA network and beyond;
• Coordinate the preparation of PANORAMA case studies for relevant projects and coordinate their dissemination;
• Develop capacity for undertaking learning and sharing across the BIOPAMA programme with regional teams and implementers;
• Support the publications pipeline of the BIOPAMA programme, aimed at documenting the impact of the programme, and capitalising on the lessons learnt;
• Develop and maintain the database of BIOPAMA programme resources.
REQUIREMENTS
  • A Bachelors or higher degree in social sciences, development studies, statistics, environmental studies, natural resources, economics or related fields.

• Computer proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel and PowerPoint), database, spreadsheet and graphics presentations, including one or more database and statistical applications such as SPSS, SAS, or STATA.

• Knowledge of protected and conserved areas governance and management, including a working knowledge of biodiversity, social justice and gender policy.

• At least 5 years of professional experience in nature conservation or relevant related field, with demonstrated experience in managing tasks and projects.

• Demonstrated experience in delivering project management and in knowledge management.

• Experience with project reporting requirements; experience with European Commission project cycle management will be an advantage.

• Fluency in written and spoken English is essential; proficiency in French, Spanish or Portuguese will be an advantage.

• Adherence to IUCN core values of Transparency, Inclusiveness, Professionalism and Accountability.

• Proven ability to work effectively as a team member.

• Attention to detail and organisational skills.

• Excellent interpersonal skills and a strong team player with proven communication and diplomacy with the ability to work effectively with multicultural and multidisciplinary teams with sensitivity and respect for diversity.

• Willingness to travel.
SALARY
The gross annual salary for this position is between CHF 86'330 and CHF 107'913, subject to deductions for social security contributions and second-pillar pension, and before tax. While this is an indicative amount effective as of the current date, changes may occur as per IUCN's compensation practices without prior notice. The same applies to other organisations hosted by IUCN.
APPLICATIONS

Applicants are requested to apply online through the HR Management System, by opening the vacancy announcement and pressing the "Apply" button.

Applicants will be asked to create an account and submit their profile information. Applications will not be accepted after the closing date. The vacancy closes at midnight, Swiss time (GMT+1 / GMT+2 during Daylight Saving Time, DST). Please note that only selected applicants will be personally contacted for interviews.

Other job opportunities are published in the IUCN website: https://www.iucn.org/involved/jobs/


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IUCN is a membership Union uniquely composed of both government and civil society organisations. It provides public, private and non-governmental organisations with the knowledge and tools that enable human progress, economic development and nature conservation to take place together.

Created in 1948, IUCN is now the world’s largest and most diverse environmental network, harnessing the knowledge, resources and reach of more than 1,400 Member organisations and around 16,000 experts. It is a leading provider of conservation data, assessments and analysis. Its broad membership enables IUCN to fill the role of incubator and trusted repository of best practices, tools and international standards.

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