Peatland Specialist

UNOPS supports the successful implementation of its partners’ peacebuilding, humanitarian and development projects around the world. Our mission is to serve people in need by expanding the ability of the United Nations, governments and other partners to manage projects, infrastructure and procurement in a sustainable and efficient manner.

Working in some of the world’s most challenging environments, our vision is to advance sustainable implementation practices, always satisfying or surpassing our partners’ expectations.

With over 7,000 personnel spread across 80 countries, UNOPS offers its partners the logistical, technical and management knowledge they need, wherever they need it.

A flexible structure and global reach means that we can quickly respond to our partners' needs, while offering the benefits of economies of scale. 

THOH

Thailand Operations Hub (THOH) is a UNOPS business unit under the UNOPS Asia Regional Office and it was established to better support, develop and oversee the UNOPS portfolio of projects in South East Asia and the Pacific.

The Hub comprises three main portfolios –THOH Thailand, THOH Indonesia and THOH Pacific and provides a wide range of services including Project Management, Transactional HR, Financial, and Procurement to clients that include other UN entities, INGOs and governments/government agencies and donors.

BRG Results Enabling Facility (BRG-REF)

Seasonal peatland fires are now compromising Indonesia’s economic and social development by creating considerable threats to health, the environment, and the economy. In 2015 peat fires and their related haze resulted in the hospitalization of more than half a million people due to acute respiratory infections. These fires that raged through 2.6 million hectares of forest and peatland areas in the islands of Kalimantan and Sumatra released 1.6 Gt of CO2e, surpassing the annual CO2 emissions of advanced industrialized nations such as Germany, France, and others. Direct and indirect damages cost the Indonesian national economy an estimated USD 16 billion, about 2% of its annual GDP.

In recognition of the importance of peatlands for biodiversity conservation, water resource management, reducing forest and land fires, livelihood support for local communities and carbon storage, the Government of Indonesia through Presidential Regulation No 1/2016 constituted the Peatland Restoration Agency (BRG). BRG has an important mandate: prevent forest fires, especially in peatland areas, as well as restore 2 million hectares of peatlands devastated by forest and land fires. The Agency identified 7 target provinces for peatland restoration and fire prevention activities in Riau, Jambi, South Sumatra, West Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan, South Kalimantan and Papua.

Since its establishment in 2016, Norway has been supporting BRG, as current support to the BRG by the Norwegian Government falls within the wider partnership between Norway and Indonesia established in 2010 through the Letter of Intent (LOI) to reduce emissions from deforestation and land degradation of forests and peatlands. The support is part of an international (UNFCCC) climate-mitigation initiative that uses international aid to counter forest degradation in various parts of the world, and this is one of the largest-ever contributions made to reduce deforestation.

In the framework of this background, Norway and BRG have asked UNOPS to develop a flexible multiyear administrative support mechanism for managing Norway’s financial support to BRG through the establishment of the BRG Results Enabling Facility (BRG-REF). The mechanism has within its scope an Implementation Support Mechanism that focuses internally within BRG, providing a technical and advisory support mechanism aimed at strengthening BRG’s capacities to deliver on its mandate.

UNOPS THOH is hiring for the position of Peatland Specialist. Reporting to the Head of the Implementing Support Unit, the Peatland Specialist shall ensure that advice and support provided by the ISU will be technically sound and aligned with BRG’s mandate, as well as ensure that technical peatland knowledge is well managed and accessible within the ISU and BRG.   

Reporting to the Head of the Implementation Support Unit (ISU), the Peatland Specialist is responsible for the following:

• Provide advisories to the Head of ISU to ensure that all advice and support delivered by the ISU is technically sound from the perspective of sustainable peatland management.
• Coordinate with the BRG-REF’s consultants to ensure that their advice and activities are technically sound from the perspective of sustainable peatland management.
• Collaborate with the Head of ISU to ensure coherence and alignment of support activities undertaken within the BRG-REF programme.
• Provide high-quality technical support and advice as required by the BRG-REF programme, either by UNOPS or by BRG.
• Coordinate with BRG in operationalizing best practices and lessons learned in peatland assessments, restoration, and management.
• Absorb and synthesize all available information on, and options for, sustainable tropical paludiculture, to become a resident expert for the BRG-REF.
• Work closely with the M&E Advisor and the Reporting Officer to ensure their reports and products are technically sound and in line with state-of-the-art knowledge on sustainable peatland management.
• Representing the ISU and UNOPS in Communities of Practice.
• Collaborate on content and data management to store, institutionalise, and disseminate peatland management knowledge within BRG and UNOPS.
• Work with BRG leadership and technical staff to enhance its status as the leading institution on peatland restoration in Indonesia.
• From a technical standpoint, provide quality assurance on reports and information products produced by the BRG-REF programme.
• Convene and facilitate meetings with stakeholders as required.
• Perform any other duties as assigned by the Head of ISU.

Impact of Results

The effective and successful performance of the Peatland Specialist contributes directly to the success of the ISU and hence to the achievement of BRG-REF programme results. Consequently it will also reinforce the visibility and image of UNOPS THOH as a partner of choice and preferred service provider in project services and fund management.

Education:

• A minimum of an advanced university degree (Master's Degree or equivalent) in natural resources management, tropical forestry, or other relevant field.
• A Ph.D. in any of above field will be considered advantageous.

Experience:

• A minimum of seven (7) years’ experience in sustainable tropical peatland/natural resources/forest management in combination with at least a Master degree is required.
• Skilled in public speaking; comfort in preparing and delivering professional oral presentations (PowerPoint) is required.
• Conceptual, analytical and advisory knowledge and/or experience in the assessment or review of plans, projects, and progress is required.
• Experience with assessment and review of peatland restoration approaches and methodologies is desirable.
• Experience in the usage of computers and in office software packages (MS Office 2010 and/or newer versions) is required.
• Knowledge and experience with remote sensing and/or mapping software (GIS) is considered an advantage.
• Practical experience in knowledge management is desirable.

Language:

Fluency in English and Bahasa Indonesia is required. Knowledge of a local language spoken in Sumatra or Kalimantan peatland areas is an asset.

• Please note that the closing date is midnight Copenhagen time.
• Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.
• Only those candidates that are short-listed for interviews will be notified.
• Qualified female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.
• For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post
• The incumbent is responsible to abide by security policies, administrative instructions, plans and procedures of the UN Security Management System and that of UNOPS.  

Work life harmonization - UNOPS values its people and recognizes the importance of balancing professional and personal demands. We have a progressive policy on work-life harmonization and offer several flexible working options. This policy applies to UNOPS personnel on all contract types

It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential recruits/interns.  Recruitment/internship in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.