The Convention on Wetlands is an intergovernmental treaty that provides the framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands and of wetland biodiversity and services. It is the first of the modern global multilateral environmental agreements and remains the only one devoted to a specific critical ecosystem.

The Convention Secretariat has its headquarters in Gland, Switzerland, where the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) provides some administrative services for the Convention.

The Convention on Wetlands, also known as the “Ramsar Convention on Wetlands” from the name of the city in Iran where it was signed in 1971, is an intergovernmental treaty that provides the framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands and of wetland biodiversity and services. It was the first of the modern global multilateral environmental agreements and remains the only one devoted to a specific critical ecosystem.

The Secretariat of the Convention on Wetlands (“the Secretariat”) has its headquarters in Gland, Switzerland where the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) provides some administrative services to the Convention’s Contracting Parties for the operations and implementation of the Convention.

The Secretariat provides support to the Contracting Parties to the Convention, including organizing the meetings of its governing and subsidiary bodies, providing technical and policy advice to support implementation at national and regional levels, raising awareness and building policy relevance about wetlands and the Convention. The Secretariat works under the authority of the Standing Committee and the Conference of the Parties.

The post-holder is responsible for the human resources functions of the Secretariat working in close collaboration with IUCN to ensure efficient operations of the team, including recruitment, employee administration, compensation, benefits, training, HR support to employees. The Secretariat adheres to the IUCN HR policies and processes and IUCN provides HR services as part of the service agreement established with the Standing Committee, therefore, the post-holder collaborates closely with IUCN HR. The position reports to the Secretary-General of the Convention. The work percentage is 50%.

Recruitment and selection

• Responsibility for the recruitment and selection process of staff.
• Assist with the preparation of Job Descriptions and position requirements for new positions in coordination with hiring managers, as appropriate.
• Coordinate vacancy announcements and advertising of positions on all relevant portals;
• Coordinate recruitment logistics as needed.
• Organize and participate in interview panels as required and provide candidates with interview feedback.
• Conduct reference checks before appointing candidates.

Compensation and benefits

• Liaise with IUCN HR on compensation and benefits issues, ensuring that new positions are graded and recommendations are provided for initial offers and promotion increases as appropriate.
• Provide relevant information regarding employment conditions to candidates, including benefits, work permit and taxes.

Focal point for employees

• Provide the first point of contact for advice to the Secretariat staff on HR issues and on IUCN policies and processes and Swiss Labor Law (with reference back to IUCN HR staff as necessary).
• Provide HR input to annual work planning and assessment processes of the Secretariat.
• Liaise with IUCN to roll-out any new IUCN policies and guidance and support their implementation in the Secretariat.
• Provide input on HR matters in staff meetings.
• Coordinate staff exit processes, including preparing work certificates, and exit interviews.
• On the basis of the Secretariat capacity development priorities coordinate outsourcing for the implementation of capacity building plans.


General HR matters

• Responsible for all HR administrative duties as needed
• Closely liaise with IUCN to ensure the provision of high quality HR information to the Secretary General and staff, and to coordinate the effective delivery of HR services by IUCN in the context of the Service Agreement.
• Facilitate induction and on-boarding of new staff.


The HR Officer works as part of a whole-of-Secretariat approach, thus taking responsibility on the tasks included in this job description and supporting others to deliver on the common goals and objectives of the Secretariat. This job description contains the main duties and responsibilities for this position. However, in small organizations such as the Secretariat of the Convention on Wetlands, 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.