Programme Management - Senior Assistant (Retainer)

UNOPS supports partners to build a better future by providing services that increase the efficiency, effectiveness and sustainability of peace building, humanitarian and development projects. Mandated as a central resource of the United Nations, UNOPS provides sustainable project management, procurement and infrastructure services to a wide range of governments, donors and United Nations organizations.

The New York Portfolios Office (NYPO) supports the United Nations Secretariat, as well as other New York-based United Nations organizations, bilateral and multilateral partners in the delivery of UNOPS mandate in project management, infrastructure management, and procurement management. The Sustainable Development Cluster (SDC) supports diverse partners with their peacebuilding, humanitarian and development operations. It was formed by combining the following portfolios: Grants Management Services (GMS), UN Technology Support Services (UNTSS), Development and Special Initiatives Portfolio (DSIP) It provides Services to partners' programmes that are designed, structured, and managed with a global perspective and primarily serving partners that are headquartered in New York. SDC has a footprint of approximately 125 countries.

UNOPS has signed an agreement with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to implement the project activities for the Global Programme on Nature for Development.

UNDP’s Global Programme on Nature for Development brings together three different initiatives -- the Equator Initiative, Learning for Nature, and the National Biodiversity Initiative under one program in order to identify, foster, showcase and celebrate nature-based solutions that help achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at local, national, and international levels. The work of the Global Programme on Nature for Development contributes to UNDP's Strategic Plan 2018-2021 by charting sustainable development pathways through the conservation, restoration and sustainable management of biodiversity and ecosystems; and by promoting inclusive and effective democratic governance in the area of natural resources.

The Equator Initiative brings together the United Nations, governments, civil society, businesses and grassroots organizations to recognize and advance local sustainable development solutions for people, nature and resilient communities. The Equator Initiative seeks to:

• Recognize the success of local and indigenous initiatives;
• Create opportunities and platforms to share knowledge and good practice;
• Inform policy to foster an enabling environment for local and indigenous community action; and
• Develop the capacity of indigenous peoples and local communities to scale-up their impact.

The National Biodiversity Initiative supports countries to manage their ecosystems and biodiversity in order to improve national planning and governance of biodiversity, ecosystems, and development, and to promote resilience for sustainable development. The National Biodiversity Initiative works in three project areas: National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) Support, National Reporting, and Capacity Building. The use of spatial data for spatial planning is a cross-cutting theme across these project areas, including work through our flagship platform Environment and the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity.

Knowledge Sharing is a main goal of the Equator Initiative, Learning for Nature and the National Biodiversity Initiative. The Equator Initiative has a large series of research papers, books, and other publications focusing on local approaches to poverty reduction and conservation, informed by community-based initiatives.180 case studies in over 30 languages have documented the Equator Prize winners’ innovative practices that deliver the win-win-win solutions that ensure social, economic, and environmental sustainability. The National Biodiversity Initiative share knowledge on the role of spatial data in biodiversity planning, policymaking, and reporting through blogs, case studies, and story maps.

Learning for Nature is a capacity-building offer provided by the Global Programme on Nature for Development, cutting across the three areas of work. This program connects biodiversity policymakers, change-makers, and on-the-ground subject matter experts to facilitate the delivery of the Convention on Biological Diversity’s Aichi Biodiversity Targets and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. Access to the global multi-stakeholder networks mobilized by the Equator Initiative, Learning for Nature, and the National Biodiversity Initiative allows Learning for Nature to circulate knowledge while promoting best practices. Building on our learnings on the ground, Learning for Nature seeks synergies, builds linkages, and engages thousands of course participants through Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), webinars, self-paced e-learning modules, and private training courses.

For further information please go to: www.equatorinitiative.org, www.nbsapforum.net, www.learningfornature.org, www.unbiodiversitylab.org

This is a position to support a project which UNOPS is implementing for the United Nations Development Programme. The incumbent of this position will be personnel of UNOPS under its full responsibility.

UNOPS is seeking the support of a Programme Management - Senior Assistant to advance the Global Programme on Nature for Development’s work to provide customized AI-driven insights at a national and global level to increase policy alignment with the global goals and targets of the Global Biodiversity Framework and other multilateral environment agreement. This assignment will focus on data management, analysis, compliance, coding, and data communications for the Global Biodiversity Framework Early Action Support (GBF-EAS) Project. 

Under the supervision of the Manager and Senior Policy Advisor the duties and responsibilities include:

Data Management, Analysis, and Compliance with UNDP Data Standards

• Assist data gathering and cleaning processes, in addition to assisting with the analysis for projects supporting countries to conduct policy analysis and enhance alignment of national policy to the Global Biodiversity Framework and related conventions.
• Assist in organizing and maintaining an inventory of current policy data that is relevant for the GBF-EAS Project data analysis needs.
• Support the supervisor in organizing and arranging the gathering, processing, and uploading of datasets.
• Assist in  global analysis of policy coherence across biodiversity, climate change and sustainable development policy.
• Assist in applying Artificial Intelligence (AI), especially large language models and generative AI, for biodiversity, climate change and sustainable development policy analysis strategies and capacity building.
• Assist in structuring a tool to assess the national targets changes/improvements of new target submissions to the Convention on Biological Diversity
• Assist the model validation processes including development of validation processes, coordination with colleagues to review models, and manual review of results. 
• Assist in record management of developments in methodology and steps taken to ensure compliance with regulations and alignment with country and partner feedback. 

Coding

• Assist in the development of scripts and general code using python and the R programming language to support the policy analysis work related to national work under the UN Biodiversity Convention and other related conventions, including examining policy comparison, policy alignment, thematic elements of policy, and other relevant aspects for countries.
• Assist in utilization of R Markdown to generate GBF Alignment National Reports in different languages, checking for language accuracy.
• Assist in the development of customized national assessments after the Policy Advisor has developed the underlying model. This includes compiling data, creating a template for R Markdown, and generating tailored reports combining the template and country-specific data in R Markdown for countries.
• Assist the use of R markdown to provide reports to countries based on their self-assessments on project progress. 

Communication and country-level support

• Assist the countries on an on-demand basis to explain methodologies and explore opportunities for customized analyses within the bounds of UNDP best practices and the recommendations of the Chief Digital Office. 
• Assist with knowledge management efforts and gathering and dissemination of best practices, including data analysis
• Assist with communications efforts for the GBF-EAS project as needed, including drafting case examples, communication materials, and reporting and impact information.
• Support in the development of a video on AI for the UNDP Nature for Life Hub. 
• Perform translations of text into and from different UN-related languages manually or with the assistance of digital tools.

Information on Working Arrangements:

• The contractor will work remotely.
• The contractor will be given access to relevant information necessary for the execution of the tasks under this assignment.
• Given the global consultations to be undertaken during this assignment, the contractor is expected to be reasonably flexible with his/her availability for such consultations taking into consideration different time zones.

Monitoring and Progress Controls

The contractor will be supervised by the Manager and Senior Policy Advisor of the Global Programme on Nature for Development, and the contractor and supervisors will determine progress and next step in mutual communication.

• Secondary education/High school diploma is required.
• University degree (Bachelor’s or Master’), preferably in arts, environmental management/sciences, international relations, political science, business and management, social studies, development, public administration and/or other fields relevant for biodiversity planning and research around topics prioritized by the Global Programme on Nature for Development or other related discipline, will be considered an asset and may substitute for some of the required years of experience.

• A minimum of five (5) years work experience preferably in the following topics at a conceptual and/or practical level is required: international environmental policy, natural resource management, biodiversity / climate change; data science; econometrics, spatial planning; and/or computer science/information technology.

• Experience using data science and analysis for biodiversity conservation implementation, monitoring, and/or reporting is an asset.
• Experience coding in R and/or Python is an asset.

• Fluent in English with excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Fluency in additional UN languages is an asset.

Contract type: Individual Contractor Agreement (ICA) Retainer - A retainer contract is issued for a period of time during which the services of the individual contractor are required intermittently. The individual contractor agreement on retainer basis will specify a “unit price” per day worked. For budgetary purposes, a monetary cap will be determined when the contract is awarded and issued. Please note that the retainer contract will not provide for a minimum, and payment will be made only after completion of work

Contract level: Local Individual Contractor Agreement (LICA-5)

Contract duration: 6 months with possibility of extension, subject to satisfactory performance, availability of funds and necessity of services.

• Please note that UNOPS does not accept unsolicited resumes.
• Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.
• Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process, which involves various assessments.
• UNOPS embraces diversity and is committed to equal employment opportunity. Our workforce consists of many diverse nationalities, cultures,  languages, races, gender identities, sexual orientations, and abilities. UNOPS seeks to sustain and strengthen this diversity to ensure equal opportunities as well as an inclusive working environment for its entire workforce. 
• Qualified women and candidates from groups which are underrepresented in the UNOPS workforce are encouraged to apply. These include in particular candidates from racialized and/or indigenous groups, members of minority gender identities and sexual orientations, and people with disabilities.
• We would like to ensure all candidates perform at their best during the assessment process.  If you are shortlisted and require additional assistance to complete any assessment, including reasonable accommodation, please inform our human resources team when you receive an invitation.

Terms and Conditions 

• For retainer contracts, you must complete a few Mandatory Courses (they take around 4 hours to complete) in your own time, before providing services to UNOPS. For more information on a retainer contract here.
• All UNOPS personnel are responsible for performing their duties in accordance with the UN Charter and UNOPS Policies and Instructions, as well as other relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, all personnel must demonstrate an understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a manner consistent with UN core values and the UN Common Agenda.
• It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential personnel. Recruitment in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.