The UNOPS Global Portfolios Office (GPO) brings together diverse expertise to help partners deliver impact worldwide. With hubs in New York, Geneva, and Vienna, and expert teams operating globally, GPO leads multi-regional initiatives that advance sustainable development, climate action, and peacebuilding - including in some of the world’s most challenging environments.

By leveraging our collective expertise and global networks, GPO supports UNOPS’ strategic priorities and the Sustainable Development Goals across more than 130 countries. We work closely with major global partners - including governments, international financial institutions, and UN agencies - to deliver a wide range of services, such as project management, fund management, hosting services, and HR support.

Our thematic focus spans climate action and energy, health, peace and security, sustainable development, and humanitarian action, supporting high-impact initiatives across critical global priorities.

UNOPS Development and Special Initiatives team works with UN partners and Member States. This portfolio offers support for various initiatives and priorities of the UN Secretary-General in pursuit of the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals. Additionally, it helps the UN Secretariat in implementing global programs in areas such as political affairs, climate, counterterrorism and peacebuilding, among others.

UNOPS DSIP has been requested to support The Forest & Climate Leaders’ Partnership (FCLP). This is a hosted entity.

The Forest & Climate Leaders’ Partnership (FCLP) was launched by world leaders at COP27 and aims to accelerate global progress to halt and reverse forest loss and land degradation by 2030 while delivering sustainable development and promoting an inclusive rural transformation, through a voluntary and focused partnership of countries that are making a strong contribution to this agenda through national action and international collaboration. The importance of the target in the Glasgow Leaders Declaration on Forests and Land Use of halting and reversing forest loss by 2030 has now been emphasized by the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement in the outcome of the first global stocktake under the Paris Agreement.

To achieve its mission the FCLP members intend to:

• Maintain high-level political attention on forests and climate;

• Provide their combined political support to accelerate and scale implementation of a prioritized number of Policy Action Areas;

• Support implementation of the participating countries' self-determined national goals and encourage all countries to be even more ambitious over time; and

• Demonstrate impact and be answerable for commitments made.

The FCLP’s strategic direction is determined by the Steering Committee, comprising ministers from FCLP member countries, on behalf of their leaders. The Steering Committee comprises Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, DRC, France, Germany, Ghana, Guyana, Kenya, Norway, Peru and the UK, and is Chaired by the United Kingdom and Guyana. 37 countries are now members of the FCLP, which together make up more than 35% of the world’s forests and 60% of global GDP. 

The FCLP is supported by the Secretariat, which is managed and operates under the oversight of the Secretariat Board. Staff work remotely.

At COP28 in 2023, 17 FCLP members commited to advancing policies and approaches that support low carbon construction and increase the use of wood from sustainably managed forests in the built environment. In launching this initiative, the coalition stated their intent to work with non-government partners to responsibly accelerate action and scale up impact in the following areas: 

• Advancing public policies and enabling regulatory frameworks that support sustainable wood production.

• Advancing public policies and enabling regulatory frameworks that reduce barriers for increased use of wood in construction. 

• Supporting systemic collaboration and facilitate access to knowledge and support.

• Mobilising finance and enhancing risk-taking capacity. 

• Engaging societies. 

The scope of responsibilities of the Bioeconomy Lead as presented below is based on current and expected needs for 2026, as identified by the FCLP Secretariat and based on current workplans of the FCLP working groups. 

1. Strategic and Policy Leadership

• Provide policy expertise and guidance to support FCLP members’ ambitions and commitments related to Greening Construction with Sustainable Wood.

• Provide technical expertise on key national and international policies to inform members’ collective and individual decisions.

• Develop high-quality technical documents, briefings, and analysis as requested by members to support informed action and policy coherence.

• Support the development, review, and delivery of annual workplans, ensuring alignment with FCLP priorities and governance principles. 

2. Coordination and Delivery

• Coordinate member engagement and collaboration across the FCLP membership at the workstream level, ensuring clarity of roles and effective delivery of collective priorities.

• Facilitate and enable delivery of workplan activities in line with FCLP governance principles.

• Ensure alignment between Greening Construction with Sustainable Wood work and other FCLP functions, including Communications, Engagement, and Governance.

3. Partnerships and Inclusive Engagement

• Foster and maintain partnerships with key stakeholders to advance shared objectives.

• Ensure equitable participation and engagement across the FCLP membership. 

4. Events and Representation

• Coordinate FCLP participation in major events and global convenings, ensuring meaningful representation of members priorities and contributions (e.g. UNFCCC COPs, UNGA, and regional platforms).
• Support FCLP members and partners in developing joint messaging, materials, and communication opportunities.

Required

• Advanced degree (Master’s or equivalent) preferably  in environment, policy, law, international relations, economics or related fields with a minimum of five (5) years of relevant professional experience. OR

• Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) preferably in environment, policy, law, international relations, economics or related fields or related fields with 7 years of relevant experience.

Required

• Relevant experience is defined as experience working on international forestry and land-use policy and practice, climate change, REDD+, and sustainable commodity supply chains.

• Experience working with government systems and understanding different dynamics in a diverse range of governments. 

• Experience of managing complex projects and processes.

• Experience working with diverse groups of stakeholders with different perspectives, experiences and interests. 

• Experience engaging with high-level actors, including Ministers, is required.

• Experience with and understanding of the functions and functioning of UNFCCC climate conferences and other high-profile climate and nature processes.

Desired

• Experience working on policies and economics of global commodity supply chains, particularly policies incentivising sustainable production

• Experience in developing national climate action plans or strategies, including NDCs and REDD+ strategies

• Experience working in or with the fields of green building, building codes, green procurement, life cycle accounting, whole life carbon assessments

• Experience in forest carbon monitoring, accounting and reporting.

• Please note that UNOPS does not accept unsolicited resumes. 
• Please note that UNOPS will at no stage of the recruitment process request candidates to make payments of any kind.
• Applications to vacancies must be received before midnight Copenhagen time (CET) on the closing date of the announcement. Applications received after the closing date will not be considered. 
• Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process, which involves various assessments. 
• UNOPS embraces diversity and is committed to equal employment opportunity. Our workforce consists of many diverse nationalities, cultures, languages, races, gender identities, sexual orientations, and abilities. UNOPS seeks to sustain and strengthen this diversity to ensure equal opportunities as well as an inclusive working environment for its entire workforce. 
• Qualified women and candidates from groups which are underrepresented in the UNOPS workforce are encouraged to apply. These include in particular candidates from racialized and/or indigenous groups, members of minority gender identities and sexual orientations, and people with disabilities. 
• We would like to ensure all candidates perform at their best during the assessment process. If you are shortlisted and require additional assistance to complete any assessment, including reasonable accommodation, please inform our human resources team when you receive an invitation.

• For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post. 
• For retainer contracts, you must complete a few mandatory courses (they take around 4 hours to complete) in your own time, before providing services to UNOPS. Refreshers or new mandatory courses may be required during your contract. Please note that you will not receive any compensation for taking courses and refreshers. For more information on a retainer contract here. 
• For more details about the contract types, please click here.
• All UNOPS personnel are responsible for performing their duties in accordance with the UN Charter and UNOPS Policies and Instructions, as well as other relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, all personnel must demonstrate an understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a manner consistent with UN core values and the UN Common Agenda. 
• It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential personnel. Recruitment in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.