Programme Support Consultant – Level A

Result of Service

• Successful organization of the meetings of the nexus, transformative change and business and biodiversity assessments scheduled in Q 2 and 3 of 2023;
• Successful delivery of the draft assessment of invasive alien species for consideration by the Plenary (May / August 2023);
• Successful onboarding of the technical support unit for business and biodiversity (May/June/July 2023);
• Successful preparation of documentation for IPBES 10 regarding IPBES assessments (April/May/August 2023);
• Successful conduct of IPBES 10 working groups with regard to assessments and task forces (August 2023);

Work Location

Office based, Bonn

Expected duration

1/3-30/09/2023

Duties and Responsibilities

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is the leading global environmental
authority that sets the global environmental agenda, promotes the coherent implementation of the environmental dimension of sustainable development within the United Nations system and serves as an authoritative advocate for the global environment. Established in April 2012, the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) has a membership of over 130 Governments (see www.ipbes.net) and seeks to respond to the needs of governments and other stakeholders to strengthen the science-policy interface on biodiversity and ecosystem services.

Under the overall supervision of the Executive Secretary of IPBES, the Consultant will:

Provide technical and scientific advice to the deliverables in the IPBES work programme,
with a specific focus on the coordination of work related to the IPBES assessments and task forces

• Manage the technical aspects of the finalization of the selection of experts for the IPBES business and biodiversity assessment;
• Manage the technical aspects of the coordination of the technical support units for ongoing IPBES assessments;
• Manage the technical aspects of processing of comments from the first external reviews of the nexus and transformative change assessments;
• Manage the technical aspects of coordinating the work of assessment teams with the work of the IPBES task forces;

Provide technical and scientific advice to IPBES meetings and workshops (in particular meetings related to the IPBES assessments), including developing agendas, identifying participants, preparation of background research and documents, meeting reports and presentations, etc.

• Process documentation for and provide technical and scientific advice to the meetings to support the development of the summary for policymakers of the nexus and transformative change assessments (July 2023);
• Process documentation for and provide technical and scientific advice to the first author meeting of the IPBES business and biodiversity assessment (July/August 2023).

Ensure that up-dated information on the IPBES work programme and related processes are available on the IPBES website in a timely manner.

• Develop website content related to completed and ongoing IPBES assessments and the work of the IPBES task force, to ensure that comprehensive information on processes and content is available on the website and up-to-date.


Prepare, coordinate, review and finalize documentation for IPBES Plenary sessions and IPBES Bureau and MEP meetings.

• Review and edit drafts of the IPBES assessment of invasive alien species (April/May/June 2023);
• Review and edit drafts of documents on IPBES assessments and the work of task forces for IPBES 10 and related meetings of the MEP and Bureau (March to August);
• Manage the technical aspects of the organization of the online exchanges of views among Governments in preparation for IPBES 10, in particular with regard to the work of IPBES task forces (July 2023);
• Manage the technical aspects of the organization of Plenary working groups (July/August 2023).

Coordination of activities related to the work programme budget and legal agreements (programme/project preparation and submissions, progress reports, financial statements, among others) and preparation of related documents/reports.

• Manage the technical aspects of the preparation of budget documentation (March/April/May 2023);
• Manage the technical aspects of the review of reports under project cooperation agreements (June/July 2023).

Qualifications/special skills

An advanced university degree (Master's degree or equivalent) in environmental science, geography, social sciences, economics or a related field is required. A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying work experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
• Minimum 2 years of experience in project or programme management or a related area is required;
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills and the ability to write clear, concise drafts in English;
• Experience in planning and organizing international events and/or conferences is desirable;
• Good organizational and personal management skills, with ability to prioritize work issues to meet deadlines with minimal supervision and adjust to changing situations while maintaining focus on delivery and follow-through are desirable;
• Experience in working with national or global assessment processes will be an advantage;
• Knowledge of IPBES, biodiversity and environment-related matters will be an advantage;
• Professional experience of translation, proof-reading and editing in English will be an advantage.

Languages

Fluency in oral and written English is required.

No Fee

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.