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Director, GEF & GCF Coordination Unit
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BACKGROUND
JOB DESCRIPTION
A. FUNCTION:
The Director - GEF & GCF Coordination Unit, coordinates the development of the IUCN partnership with the GEF and the GCF More specifically, the Director will:
1. Oversee development, coordination and implementation of the IUCN portfolio of GEF and GCF-funded projects, including:
- Analysing GEF, GCF and IUCN approaches, strategies and priorities, in order to define areas of convergence and opportunities for cooperation;
- Providing technical guidance on projects to Global and Regional Programme Units and coordinate the reviews of project concepts;
- Supporting expediting project start up and implementation following approval with an effort of bringing down the time period from approval to implementation start
- Ensuring that procedures for application of environmental and social safeguards are used, that adequate processes to undertake environmental and social assessments have been followed; that budgets for project implementation include provisions for any measures to mitigate adverse impacts and that the implementation of such measures or other safeguard provisions is monitored;
- Providing inputs to the further development and consolidation of the Environmental and Social Management System (ESMS), including capacity development within the organization and its regionalization (or operationalization in regional offices);
- Coordinating the IUCN Internal Advisory Group on GEF and GCF Policy and Programme;
- Consulting regularly with IUCN Members, IUCN Commissions and partners to discuss joint initiatives and programmes, and leverage institutional partnerships, including co-funders and executing institutions;
- Providing advice and updates to the IUCN Secretariat Leadership Team and Senior Management on IUCN overall engagement with GEF and GCF.
2. Manage the GEF & GCF Coordination Unit, including:
- Providing guidance on all technical aspects relevant to project development, especially in relation to environmental and social safeguards, gender mainstreaming, risk identification and management ;
- Assisting the team with preparing annual work programme objectives and performance targets, ABC list and cash flows, analysis of projects at risk, progress reports and lessons emerging from the portfolio;
- Supervise staff of the Unit including assisting them in the development of goals and objectives, tracking progress and lessons learned, and undertaking performance appraisal;
- Monitor the Unit’s budget and produce regular cashflow and sustainability analysis;
- Briefing the team on IUCN global and regional policies, strategies and priorities.
3. Oversee GEF and GCF corporate relations and communications, including:
- Leading communication with, and interactions between the Secretariats of GEF and GCF, and IUCN Senior Management, Global and Regional Programme Directors;
- Communicating with the GEF and GCF Secretariats and participation in GEF and GCF-related activities and events as required;
- Contributing to portfolio and project information for use by IUCN Communication Unit and other relevant stakeholders;
- Collaborating with other GEF and GCF Agencies in a way that adds value to the partnership and the IUCN Programme.
B. COMPETENCIES
1. Enthusiastic commitment and vision, characterized by:
- A commitment to nature conservation and sustainable use.
- Ability to provide inspiration and strategic direction.
2. Leadership abilities and experience, maturity and management skills, characterized by:
- A deep sense of self-awareness as evidenced by the ability to articulate one’s own strengths, weaknesses and one’s impact on others.
- Unimpeachable integrity as evidenced by behavior, communication style and way of handling ambiguous or difficult situations.
- Demonstrated ability to manage and lead the work of the Secretariat with diverse skills, personalities, and backgrounds.
- Proven ability to effectively delegate, empower and motivate staff and others.
- Experience developing teams and individuals and effectively leading improvement and change.
- Clear commitment to fostering a culture of high performance and accountability, demonstrated in the ability to manage by results, differentiate performance and assertively give feedback and take decisive action when necessary.
- Demonstrated ability to both plan and take action, keeping the staff focused on priorities.
- Demonstrated experience in the selection, coaching and appraisal of staff.
- Demonstrated experience building teams diverse in gender, nationality and background to achieve business results. This commitment to diversity and inclusion should be exemplified through staffing decisions (recruitment, promotion, recognition, etc.) and the ability to model behaviors that promote a more inclusive organizational culture.
3. Senior management experience, characterized by:
- Demonstrated experience and achievements in organizational, financial and personnel management, and in decision-making.
- Proven experience in maintaining and nurturing expert networks with demonstrated ability to handle politically and culturally sensitive issues.
- Maintain a positive work environment that facilitates collaboration and information sharing and is conducive to attracting, retaining, and motivating diverse talent;
4. Professional competencies, characterized by:
- Good understanding of world affairs and experience with the workings of Multilateral Environmental Agreements and governmental and non-governmental institutions.
- Ability and commitment to act in accordance with the core values of integrity, respect for diversity and professionalism as spelled out in IUCN’s Code of Conduct and Professional Ethics.
5. Sound judgment and decision making, characterized by:
- Experience in identifying key issues in a complex situation, and consulting, gathering, and analyzing relevant information before proposing and implementing decisive actions or recommendations.
- Well-organized and logical in thought and action.
- Ability to foresee and manage risk.
The above job description contains the main duties and responsibilities for this position. However, in a small organization such as IUCN, staff members are expected to show flexibility in their approach to work and be willing to undertake other tasks that are reasonably allocated to them but which are not part of their regular job description. Where any task becomes a regular part of an employee's responsibilities, the job description will be changed in consultation with the employee and the Human Resources Management Group.
The Director - GEF & GCF Coordination Unit, coordinates the development of the IUCN partnership with the GEF and the GCF More specifically, the Director will:
1. Oversee development, coordination and implementation of the IUCN portfolio of GEF and GCF-funded projects, including:
- Analysing GEF, GCF and IUCN approaches, strategies and priorities, in order to define areas of convergence and opportunities for cooperation;
- Providing technical guidance on projects to Global and Regional Programme Units and coordinate the reviews of project concepts;
- Supporting expediting project start up and implementation following approval with an effort of bringing down the time period from approval to implementation start
- Ensuring that procedures for application of environmental and social safeguards are used, that adequate processes to undertake environmental and social assessments have been followed; that budgets for project implementation include provisions for any measures to mitigate adverse impacts and that the implementation of such measures or other safeguard provisions is monitored;
- Providing inputs to the further development and consolidation of the Environmental and Social Management System (ESMS), including capacity development within the organization and its regionalization (or operationalization in regional offices);
- Coordinating the IUCN Internal Advisory Group on GEF and GCF Policy and Programme;
- Consulting regularly with IUCN Members, IUCN Commissions and partners to discuss joint initiatives and programmes, and leverage institutional partnerships, including co-funders and executing institutions;
- Providing advice and updates to the IUCN Secretariat Leadership Team and Senior Management on IUCN overall engagement with GEF and GCF.
2. Manage the GEF & GCF Coordination Unit, including:
- Providing guidance on all technical aspects relevant to project development, especially in relation to environmental and social safeguards, gender mainstreaming, risk identification and management ;
- Assisting the team with preparing annual work programme objectives and performance targets, ABC list and cash flows, analysis of projects at risk, progress reports and lessons emerging from the portfolio;
- Supervise staff of the Unit including assisting them in the development of goals and objectives, tracking progress and lessons learned, and undertaking performance appraisal;
- Monitor the Unit’s budget and produce regular cashflow and sustainability analysis;
- Briefing the team on IUCN global and regional policies, strategies and priorities.
3. Oversee GEF and GCF corporate relations and communications, including:
- Leading communication with, and interactions between the Secretariats of GEF and GCF, and IUCN Senior Management, Global and Regional Programme Directors;
- Communicating with the GEF and GCF Secretariats and participation in GEF and GCF-related activities and events as required;
- Contributing to portfolio and project information for use by IUCN Communication Unit and other relevant stakeholders;
- Collaborating with other GEF and GCF Agencies in a way that adds value to the partnership and the IUCN Programme.
B. COMPETENCIES
1. Enthusiastic commitment and vision, characterized by:
- A commitment to nature conservation and sustainable use.
- Ability to provide inspiration and strategic direction.
2. Leadership abilities and experience, maturity and management skills, characterized by:
- A deep sense of self-awareness as evidenced by the ability to articulate one’s own strengths, weaknesses and one’s impact on others.
- Unimpeachable integrity as evidenced by behavior, communication style and way of handling ambiguous or difficult situations.
- Demonstrated ability to manage and lead the work of the Secretariat with diverse skills, personalities, and backgrounds.
- Proven ability to effectively delegate, empower and motivate staff and others.
- Experience developing teams and individuals and effectively leading improvement and change.
- Clear commitment to fostering a culture of high performance and accountability, demonstrated in the ability to manage by results, differentiate performance and assertively give feedback and take decisive action when necessary.
- Demonstrated ability to both plan and take action, keeping the staff focused on priorities.
- Demonstrated experience in the selection, coaching and appraisal of staff.
- Demonstrated experience building teams diverse in gender, nationality and background to achieve business results. This commitment to diversity and inclusion should be exemplified through staffing decisions (recruitment, promotion, recognition, etc.) and the ability to model behaviors that promote a more inclusive organizational culture.
3. Senior management experience, characterized by:
- Demonstrated experience and achievements in organizational, financial and personnel management, and in decision-making.
- Proven experience in maintaining and nurturing expert networks with demonstrated ability to handle politically and culturally sensitive issues.
- Maintain a positive work environment that facilitates collaboration and information sharing and is conducive to attracting, retaining, and motivating diverse talent;
4. Professional competencies, characterized by:
- Good understanding of world affairs and experience with the workings of Multilateral Environmental Agreements and governmental and non-governmental institutions.
- Ability and commitment to act in accordance with the core values of integrity, respect for diversity and professionalism as spelled out in IUCN’s Code of Conduct and Professional Ethics.
5. Sound judgment and decision making, characterized by:
- Experience in identifying key issues in a complex situation, and consulting, gathering, and analyzing relevant information before proposing and implementing decisive actions or recommendations.
- Well-organized and logical in thought and action.
- Ability to foresee and manage risk.
The above job description contains the main duties and responsibilities for this position. However, in a small organization such as IUCN, staff members are expected to show flexibility in their approach to work and be willing to undertake other tasks that are reasonably allocated to them but which are not part of their regular job description. Where any task becomes a regular part of an employee's responsibilities, the job description will be changed in consultation with the employee and the Human Resources Management Group.
REQUIREMENTS
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• Demonstrated skills and capacity to conceive and develop initiatives, programmes and projects aimed at conserving biodiversity and restoring ecosystems with local and global social and environmental benefits. • Ability to lead teams in challenging tasks to achieve desirable outcomes. • Capacity to share best practices, trends, knowledge and lessons learned across units and with Members and partners, in a clear and compelling way. • Demonstrated capacity to contribute to drafting large and complex project documents according to the latest project appraisal standards. • At least 10 years of practical work on programme strategies, initiative development and portfolio management. Management of programmes and projects in a developing country context is a distinct advantage. • Ability to deal with programmes or projects involving a range of stakeholders, international organizations, development agencies, scientific and technical bodies, beneficiary country counterparts, and NGOs. • Strong communication skills, both verbal and written, and the ability to collaborate with senior leadership and strategic partners. • Proven leadership, management and interpersonal skills with ability to motivate others. • Ability to operate effectively, with tact and diplomacy, in a multi-cultural, interdisciplinary environment in an international setting. • Strong outcome-based orientation and skills. • Demonstrated experience in managing a large team of professionals. • Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English, including ability to communicate complex issues to a wide range of audiences. Second language (French, Spanish) is highly desirable. • Ability to work independently on complex tasks on tight deadlines. • Demonstrated ability to function as a team player within and across teams. • Previous working experience with the GEF or other funding mechanism would be an asset. • Ability to travel frequently within the region and globally. |
SALARY
The gross annual salary for this position is between CHF 155'063 and CHF 193'829, 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/
About IUCN
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.
IUCN provides a neutral space in which diverse stakeholders including governments, NGOs, scientists, businesses, local communities, indigenous peoples organisations and others can work together to forge and implement solutions to environmental challenges and achieve sustainable development.
Working with many partners and supporters, IUCN implements a large and diverse portfolio of conservation projects worldwide. Combining the latest science with the traditional knowledge of local communities, these projects work to reverse habitat loss, restore ecosystems and improve people’s well-being.
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