Biodiversity and Climate Change Adaptation Specialist

Contract

This is a UNV International Specialist contract. This kind of contract is known as International UN Volunteer. It is normally internationally recruited only. More about UNV International Specialist contracts.

UNDP Thailand promotes the principle of integration when it comes to solutions for the complex development issue that Thailand is facing. Same approach is being applied to climate change and biodiversity that we see as twin-crises as it becomes increasingly evident that these two issues are interrelated. Climate change is expected to be the main driver of biodiversity loss by the end of the century, and it is expected to cause significant disturbances to ecosystems. It has already altered ecosystems, species loss, and increased diseases. This threatens the economy, food security, medicine availability, water quality, and more. The climate and biodiversity nexus is therefore an area of increasing interest where additional technical expertise will be needed to turn the scattered initiatives the CO has into a larger and more comprehensive portfolio.

Building on the above, the CO sees the UN Volunteer’s assignment with UNDP in Thailand as working across various teams while focusing on strengthening the biodiversity portfolio. The UNV will engage in Thailand country office’s targeted projects and collaborate with multiple local partners. This includes project planning, implementation, monitoring, and reporting, with a specific focus on biodiversity and climate change initiatives. Additionally, it requires contributing to policy formulation, offering technical advice for sustainable and climate-resilient practices, conducting research, capacity building, knowledge sharing, community and private sector engagement, coordination with UN agencies and partners, communications, and resource mobilization efforts. Other duties as assigned by the supervisor may also be part of the role.

Under the direct supervision of the Integrated Team Leader, the UN Volunteer will undertake the following tasks: • Project Management: Take the lead in the planning, implementation, and monitoring of targeted projects aimed at reducing poverty, addressing inequalities, and enhancing biodiversity in collaboration with local partners and communities. Specifically, focus on UNDP’s biodiversity and climate change portfolio. Examples of projects include, but not limited to GEF-funded Global Biodiversity Framework Early Action Support (GBF EAS) Project, GEF-funded Mainstreaming Biodiversity-based Tourism in Thailand to support sustainable tourism Project, and BIOFIN project.
• Policy and Strategy: Contribute to the formulation of policies and strategies that pro-mote sustainable development, social inclusion, and biodiversity in alignment with national and global agendas. • Technical expertise: Provide technical expertise and guidance to ensure that projects are on the right track to achieve desired outcomes and effectively integrate climate-resilient practices, ensuring that interventions are environmentally sustainable and contribute to the broader climate change agenda. • Monitoring and Reporting: Support the monitoring of project progress, tracking indicators, and evaluating impacts, regularly adapting interventions to achieve intended outcomes effectively. • Research and Analysis: Conduct research on sustainable development, biodiversity, impacts of climate change on local communities. Specifically, focus on the topic of poverty dynamics, social disparities, climate vulnerabilities, energy transition, waste management, e-vehicles, and others. Provide analytical reports to support decision-making. • Capacity Building: Develop and oversee the execution of capacity-building programs that empower governments, communities, local leaders, and civil society organizations to actively engage in poverty reduction, inequality mitigation, and biodiversity efforts. • Knowledge Sharing: Facilitate knowledge-sharing and peer learning among partners and stakeholders, fostering a culture of innovation and best practices in addressing the interconnected challenges. • Community Engagement: Engage with local communities and relevant stakeholders to gather feedback and ensure the project's alignment with their needs. Engage with local communities and relevant stakeholders to gather feedback and ensure the project's alignment with their needs. • Private Sector Engagement: Engage with local and international private sector companies to find common areas of collaboration and project opportunities. Support the country program team in mapping the private sector for engagement with UNDP. Contribute to the UNDP’s BIOFIN project.
• Coordination: Coordinate with relevant UN agencies, youth groups and partners (e.g. Thailand Youth Climate Action Agenda) to advance UNDP’s work in Thailand • Collaboration: Closely work with project teams to collaborate with government agencies, NGOs, and local stakeholders to ensure a participatory approach in identifying community needs and priorities. • Communications: Support the preparation of high-quality reports, presentations, and communication materials to highlight project achievements, lessons learned, and success stories. • Resource Mobilization: Contribute to fundraising and resource mobilization efforts by providing technical inputs and insights for project proposals to secure funding for sustained impact. Contribute to fundraising and resource mobilization efforts by providing technical inputs and insights for project proposals to secure funding for sustained impact. • Other Duties: Perform other duties as assigned by the supervisor.

☒ Accountability ☒ Adaptability and Flexibility ☒ Building Trust ☒ Client Orientation ☒ Commitment and Motivation ☐ Commitment to Continuous Learning ☒ Communication ☒ Creativity ☒ Empowering Others ☒ Ethics and Values ☒ Integrity ☒ Judgement and Decision-making ☒ Knowledge Sharing ☒ Leadership ☒ Managing Performance ☒ Planning and Organizing ☒ Professionalism ☒ Respect for Diversity ☒ Self-Management ☐ Technological Awareness ☐ Vision ☒ Working in Teams

environmental science and policy, social policy, public policy, economics, development studies or a related area.
• In-depth understanding of social inequalities, biodiversity and climate change issues, • Proven track record in designing, implementing, and managing development projects that address poverty reduction, inequality mitigation, and climate resilience. • Strong analytical abilities to assess complex data, identify trends, and generate in-sights for evidence-based decision-making. • Excellent communication skills to convey technical information clearly to diverse audiences and stakeholders. • Proficiency in building and maintaining partnerships with government agencies, NGOs, local communities, and international organizations. • Ability to adapt strategies and interventions based on feedback and changing circum-stances. • Engagement in collaborating with diverse stakeholders such as government bodies, community representatives, and international partners. • Experience in conducting assessments, research, and data analysis related to development challenges and climate impacts. • Demonstrated involvement in advocacy, policy formulation, or programmatic initiatives addressing poverty, inequalities, and climate change. • Proven ability to contribute to fundraising efforts, including drafting project proposals and engaging with donors. Track record of working effectively in multicultural and multidisciplinary teams.

Thailand is a family duty station. Its beautiful natural scenery, low cost of living, great and diverse food, and thriving expat and digital nomad communities make Thailand one of the best places to live as an expat. Accommodation is affordable and modern. The public transport and communications infrastructure are good. The city if Bangkok is vibrant and safe, it is a home for many global and regional offices of various international organizations making it very international and open to host expats.