Programme Support Consultant – Level B

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 (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

• Coordinate the finalization of the selection of experts for the IPBES business and biodiversity assessment;
• Guide the onboarding of the technical support unit for the business and biodiversity assessment;
• Coordinate the work of the technical support units for ongoing IPBES assessments;
• Guide the processing of comments from the first external reviews of the nexus and transformative change assessments;
• Ensure close coordination of the work of assessment teams with the work of the IPBES task forces;
• Coordinate the implementation of the IPBES data and knowledge management policy for ongoing assessments in close coordination with the task force on knowledge and data;
• Provide scientific advice to the organization of ILK dialogue workshops for ongoing assessments.

Provide substantive backstopping 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.

• Provide substantive backstopping to the organization and conduct of the second author meeting of the IPBES transformative change assessment (May 2023);
• Provide substantive backstopping to the organization and conduct of meetings to support the development of the summary for policymakers of the nexus and transformative change assessments (July 2023);
• Provide substantive backstopping to the organization and conduct of the first author meeting of the IPBES business and biodiversity assessment (July/August 2023).

Coordinate outreach activities, ensuring that up-dated information on the IPBES work programme and related processes are available on the IPBES website in a timely manner.

• Provide input to the work of the task forces on capacity-building and on policy tools and methodologies regarding the preparation of fact sheets on completed assessments and the uptake and use of completed IPBES assessments in decision-making, in particular an online workshop for the African region (May 2023);
• Ensure that website content related to assessments is up-to-date.

Coordinate the organization of IPBES Plenary sessions and IPBES Bureau and MEP meetings, in particular by writing information and working documents for those meetings.

• Review drafts of and coordinate the finalization of the IPBES assessment of invasive alien species for consideration by the IPBES Plenary, including with regard to document processing and translation (April/May/June 2023);
• Prepare, coordinate the preparation of and review documents on IPBES assessments for IPBES 10 and related meetings of the MEP and Bureau (March to August);
• Provide scientific advice and coordinate expert input for the organization of the online exchanges of views among Governments in preparation for IPBES 10 (July 2023);
• Coordination and organization of Plenary working groups, in particular with regard to the consideration of the invasive alien species assessment (July/August 2023).

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

• Provide input on planned assessment activities to the preparation of budget documentation (March/April/May 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 5 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;

• Experience of translation, proof-reading and editing in English and/or other official UN languages 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.