Technical Advisor - Environmental

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.

As part of the Global Portfolios Office, UNOPS Geneva provides comprehensive solutions in secretariat hosting, operational support, and fund management. We manage global programmes, including the Water, Environment and Climate (WEC) Portfolio, offering project management, procurement, HR, and financial services. Geneva hosts the secretariats of eight global partnerships focused on health (RBM, Stop TB, ATscale), nutrition (SUN), water/sanitation (SHF), humanitarian leadership (GELI), urban development (Cities Alliance), and disaster displacement (PDD). We also provide fund management for EIF and UN Water, and operational support to Geneva-based partners like the Global Fund and UNHCR. The EU-UNOPS Lives in Dignity (LiD) Grant Facility is also based here.

The Water, Environment and Climate (WEC) portfolio, based in Vienna, and with offices based globally is part of the UNOPS Global Portfolio Office. The Portfolio has built strong partnerships and is effectively managing a portfolio of over 500 million USD over the last 15 years to support key initiatives with fund management, project implementation and administrative support.

WEC effectively operationalizes partners' agendas with global approaches, as well as regional and country specific activities focused on climate action, protection and conservation of the environment. Partners profit from WEC’s ability to operationalize and/or scale up their important substantive agendas, including in support of key multilateral environmental and climate agreements,  such as the Paris Agreement, the Cartagena Convention as well as the Sustainable Development Goals.

The South China Sea region and the UNEP/GEF SCS-SAP Project

The South China Sea is a semi-enclosed sea, which supports a number of unique habitats and ecosystems that are amongst the most biologically diverse shallow water marine ecosystems globally. The richness and productivity of the South China Sea and associated environments are, however, seriously threatened by high population growth, pollution, overharvest and habitat modification, resulting in high rates of habitat loss and impairment of the regenerative capacities of living resources. The socio-economic impacts of environmental deterioration are significant for the economies of this region.

Recognising that actions were urgently needed to halt degradation of the environment of this marine basin, the countries of the region sought the assistance of UNEP and the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the project “Reversing Environmental Degradation Trends in the South China Sea and Gulf of Thailand” was implemented from 2003-2008. This included a Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis (TDA) of the issues and problems and their societal root causes as the basis for development of a Strategic Action Programme (SAP) which was inter-governmentally adopted in 2008. The SAP established a series of objectives and priority actions for coastal habitats, land-based pollution management, and the overexploitation of fish stocks in the South China Sea.

In May 2018, a US$ 15 million grant was released by the GEF to support the execution of the South China Sea  SAP Project (SCS-SAP) until December 2026 (originally 2018-2023). The United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) is the executing agency for the implementation of the SCS-SAP project. The SCS-SAP Project includes Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand and Viet Nam, with direct outcomes on habitat conservation on mangroves, coral reefs, seagrass, and coastal wetlands; knowledge management; sustainable financing; and regional governance and collaboration.

To improve the sustainability and governance mechanism for the region at an intergovernmental level, the SCS-SAP project is working with the Coordinating Body on the Seas of East Asia (COBSEA), the UNEP Regional Seas Programme for the East Asian Seas with participation by all 6 SCS-SAP countries.The Twenty-sixth Intergovernmental Meeting of the COBSEA (IGM 26) (23–25 October 2024, Siem Reap, Cambodia) reviewed the outcome of the Strategic and Functional Review which recommended action points on sustainability and governance. A Task Force (TF) with members from the nine COBSEA countries was established. Based on the Strategic and Functional Review, The TF will provide recommendations for the COBSEA IGM 27, to be held in Manila, Philippines, in November 2026. The Consultant/Task Force Lead will support the TF in carrying out its mandate.

Under the direct supervision of the Senior Project Manager, the Technical Adviser provides strategic and technical leadership to the COBSEA Task Force by analyzing regional environmental priorities, supporting the development of future COBSEA Strategic Directions, coordinating Task Force processes and deliverables, and preparing recommendations and implementation roadmaps for consideration by the 27th Intergovernmental Meeting (IGM 27). The role ensures alignment with UNEP priorities, regional environmental governance objectives, and the findings of the South China Sea and Gulf of Thailand Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis.

A. Initial analysis of the possible evolution of the COBSEA Strategic Directions

• Extract key transboundary pressures, root causes and recommended priority interventions from the draft South China Sea and the Gulf of Thailand Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis (TDA 2.0) developed in the context of the SCSSAP project in the formulation of COBSEA new Strategic Directions 2027-2031 in consistency with UNEP’s new MTS priorities 2026-2029 and COBSEA thematic foci;

• Develop schematic strategic options (e.g. status quo, targeted refresh, thematic alignment) in the form of a table/alignment matrix.

B. Finalization and proposed followup to COBSEA Task Force

• Draft and review Task Force deliverables (background documents, agenda, presentations, meeting summaries) and produce a consolidated Final COBSEA Task Force Package with executive summary and annexes to accompany the final COBSEA Task Force Report to IGM 27.

• Prepare a followup roadmap of IGM 27 decisions related to the COBSEA Task Force recommendations (who, what, timeline, indicative budget).

Key Results Expected

• Initial analysis of how COBSEA 2023-2027 Strategic Directions could evolve to align with UNEP 2026-2029 Medium-Term Strategy (MTS) and the draft 2025 South China Sea and the Gulf of Thailand Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis (TDA 2.0) developed in the context of the SCSSAP project (31 December 2026).

• Background documents, presentations and summaries of the COBSEA Task Force meetings held in 2026 before the IGM 27 (starting with TF 5, April 2026).

• Adjustments and finalization of the Task Force Report to IGM 27 and timeline for the implementation of the IGM 27 decisions related to the work of the Task Force (1 December 2026).

Required

• Master’s degree (or equivalent) preferably in Environmental Policy, International Relations, Environmental Law, Marine Science/Management, Public Policy with 7 years of relevant experience is required OR

• Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) preferably in the above mentioned fields with 9 years of relevant experience

Required

• Relevant experience in environmental governance, strategic planning, policy analysis, or marine/coastal resource management.

Desired

• Prior experience working directly with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the COBSEA Secretariat, Global Environment Facility (GEF) projects, or other Regional Seas programmes. 

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