Technical Specialist - Environmental (Environmental Policy)

UNOPS is seeking the support of a Technical Specialist - Environmental (Environmental Policy) to advance the Global Programme on Nature for Development’s work to support governments to use spatial data and systematic conservation planning in their efforts to plan, implement, monitor, and report on their commitments to the Convention on Biological Diversity, the other Rio Conventions, and the nature-based elements of the UN 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development. The goal of the assignment is to provide GIS and coding support, contribute to the development of technical documents, guidance materials, and other related resources for the UN Biodiversity Lab and a variety of projects and initiatives that bring together the world’s governments, UN agencies, and leading scientists to develop and implement approaches around the globe to identify where nature-based actions to protect, manage, or restore biodiversity and ecosystems can more effectively and efficiently meet national commitments and priorities for biodiversity, climate, and sustainable development.

Under the supervision of the Senior Technical Manager the duties and responsibilities include:

• Customize guidance briefs to address sector-specific challenges (e.g., agriculture, water resources, urban planning).
• Develop simplified versions of guidance materials for community-level stakeholders.
• Incorporate global best practices and lessons learned from other countries by implementing nature-based solutions.
• Conduct comparative analyses of nature-based solutions policies across different countries to identify best practices.
• Provide technical support to government agencies in updating biodiversity and climate-related policies.
• Develop policy alignment matrices to assess coherence between national strategies and international frameworks.
• Create a centralized database to track key policy developments and their impact on nature-based solutions.
• Develop data visualization tools to make policy analysis findings more accessible to stakeholders.
• Conduct scenario modeling to assess the long-term impact of different policy options on biodiversity and climate resilience.
• Identify key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure the effectiveness of nature-based solutions-related policies over time.
• Map nature-based solutions commitments in the NDCs against implementation gaps and propose targeted actions.
• Support the inclusion of measurable nature-based solutions indicators in future NDC updates.
• Coordinate with sectoral ministries to mainstream nature-based solutions into sectoral climate strategies.
• Provide technical input for the country’s NDC progress reports to international climate bodies.
• Establish an online community of practice for nature-based solutions practitioners to exchange knowledge and experiences.
• Develop thematic reports summarizing nature-based solutions trends and emerging issues.
• Organize annual conferences or forums to showcase national and international nature-based solutions success stories.

• Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent)  preferably in environmental management/sciences, development studies, sustainable development, international relations, or research around topics prioritized by the Global Programme on Nature for Development with five (5) years of relevant experience is required; OR 

• A first level university degree (Bachelor's degree)  preferably in environmental management/sciences, development studies, sustainable development, international relations, or research around topics prioritized by the Global Programme on Nature for Development with seven (7) years of relevant experience is desirable.

• Relevant experience is defined as  work or academic experience, preferably in at least one of the following topics at a conceptual and/or practical level: international environmental policy, natural resource management, biodiversity/climate change. 

• Fluency in English is required.
• Fluency in a second official UN language is desired.