Ocean Governance Specialist at United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

Task description

Under the direction of and reporting to the Programme Management Officer, Regional Seas Unit, Ecosystems Integration Branch, the IUNV, Ocean Governance Specialist will undertake the following activities: ·

• Assist to strengthen the governance, policy framework, and technical capacity of the Regional Seas Coordinating Unit for the UNEP-Administered Regional Seas Conventions and Action Plans to support Parties and Member states to achieve the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework Goals and Targets with respect to marine and coastal biodiversity. 
• Support in advancing and strengthening country-level support for early action, ratification, and implementation of the BBNJ Agreement.
• Contribute to the design and development of information and awareness products, a regional training curriculum, and other products relevant to supporting Member States with ratification readiness as per the guidelines in the GEF Council Document (GEF/C.66/07) for which UNEP, alongside FAO and UNDP, are implementing agencies.
• Support implementation, monitoring, and reporting of the Regional Seas Strategic Directions 2022- 2025, and the RSP Coordination project.
• Assist in facilitating exchanges and sharing of experiences between the UNEP ad-ministered Regional Seas Conventions and Action Plans and the non-UNEP administered Regional Seas Conventions and Action Plans,
• Support delivery of regional BBNJ trainings and capacity building, while also developing tools to support Environmental Impact Assessments and Implementation of area-based management tools, including MPAs, among other tasks. Furthermore, UN Volunteers are required to:
• Strengthen their knowledge and understanding of the concept of volunteerism by reading relevant UNV and external publications and take active part in UNV activities (for instance in events that mark International Volunteer Day).
• Be acquainted with and build on traditional and/or local forms of volunteerism in the host country.
• Reflect on the type and quality of voluntary action that they are undertaking, including participation in ongoing reflection activities.
• Contribute articles/write-ups on field experiences and submit them for UNV publica-tions/websites, newsletters, press releases, etc.
• Assist with the UNV Buddy Programme for newly arrived UN Volunteers.
• Promote or advise local groups in the use of online volunteering or encourage relevant local individuals and organizations to use the UNV Online Volunteering service whenever technically possible.
• Results/Expected Outputs In undertaking these duties, the IUNV will help the Unit work towards three overarching strategic goals considering current and emerging objectives at the international and regional level:
• Through strengthening ocean governance systems, secure diverse, resilient, and pro-ductive marine, and coastal ecosystems.
• Support assessment, training, information awareness, and knowledge management at all levels to strengthen science-policy dialogue on marine and coastal issues and their interactions. · Increase reach and mainstreaming of advocacy, political support, preparation, and action on Ocean governance in areas within and beyond national jurisdiction.

Eligibility criteria

• Age 27 - 80

Expected start date: 01/11/2024

Nationality

• Candidate must be a national of a country other than the country of assignment.

Required experience

• 3 years of experience in relevant field is required of which at least two years of progressively responsible experience in project or programme management in relation to environmental governance, is required.
• 1-year experience in environmental law, or sustainable development of marine and coastal environment will be an asset.
• Proven working experience on environmental governance and policy issues, interna-tional or national level experience supporting multilateral Environmental Agreements or intergovernmental processes.
• Candidates must be able to demonstrate they are organized, reliable, and efficient.
• An understanding of how to work effectively as part of a team, and a willingness to learn and grow professionally by taking on new competencies and remaining abreast of developments in environmental governance field is essential.
• Proven ability to work effectively with a wide range of various actors is also required. As well, UNEP highly values creativity and innovative thinking, coupled with a problem-solving mindset.

Required education level

• Bachelor degree or equivalent in Environmental Studies, Environmental Law, Environmental management, marine science or related fields.
• A first-level university degree in combination with qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Competencies and values

Professionalism:

• Ability to identify issues, formulate opinions, make conclusions and rec-ommendations; shows pride in work and in achievements; demonstrates professional com-petence and mastery of subject matter; is conscientious and efficient in meeting commit-ments, observing deadlines and achieving results; is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations; takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspec-tives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work.

Planning and organizing:

• Develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies; identifies priority activities and assignments; adjusts priorities as required; allocates appro-priate amount of time and resources for completing work; foresees risks and allows for contingencies when planning; monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary; uses time efficiently.

Communication:

• Speaks and writes clearly and effectively; listens to others, correctly inter-prets messages from others and responds appropriately; proven interpersonal skills; asks questions to clarify, and exhibits interest in having two-way communication; tailors lan-guage, tone, style and format to match audience; demonstrates openness in sharing infor-mation and keeping people informed; good spoken and written communication skills, in-cluding ability to prepare clear and concise reports; ability to conduct presentations, artic-ulate options and positions concisely; ability to make and defend recommendations; ability to communicate and empathize with staff (including national staff), military personnel, vol-unteers, counterparts and local interlocutors coming from very diverse backgrounds; ability to maintain composure and remain helpful towards the staff, but objective, without showing personal interest; capacity to transfer information and knowledge to a wide range of differ-ent target groups.
• Genuine commitment towards the principles of voluntary engagement, which includes sol-idarity, compassion, reciprocity, and self-reliance; and commitment towards the UN core values.

Dealine: 08/08/2024