Org. Setting and Reporting

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 close to 150 Governments and seeks to respond to the needs of governments and other stakeholders to strengthen the science-policy interface on biodiversity and ecosystem services. At the request of the IPBES Plenary and with the authorization of the UNEP Governing Council in 2013, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) hosts the secretariat services to IPBES. This post is located within the IPBES Secretariat at the Bonn, Germany duty station. The incumbent will be accountable to the IPBES Plenary, through its Bureau, on policy, programmatic and financial matters and will be part of the extended Senior Management Team (SMT) at UNEP. Under the overall guidance of the Executive Director of UNEP and the direct supervision of the Deputy Executive Director, the incumbent will be responsible for the following duties:

Responsibilities

• Lead and represents IPBES in national and international forums, promoting its mission and the key findings of its assessments, with strong credibility in biodiversity and ecosystem science, and a passion and demonstrated commitment to nature conservation, sustainable land management, ecosystem services and sustainable development. • Direct and manages the implementation of the IPBES work programme as approved by the IPBES Plenary. • Lead the development of tion, and reporting on budget/programme performance, and on programmatic/ substantive issues, innovative and/or change management programmes. • Lead the formulation, implementation and monitoring of yearly budgets and schedules for all elements of work programme determining priorities and allocating resources for the completion of outputs and their timely delivery, including on resource mobilization. • Lead fundraising efforts with a view to identify new donors and increase revenues, among IPBES members and with the private sector and philanthropic organizations; • Oversee the management of activities undertaken by the Secretariat, with the aim of facilitating implementation of programmed activities and key findings of IPBES by IPBES members and stakeholders from the scientific, indigenous, business and broader stakeholder communities; • Coordinate nomination and selection processes for experts to participate in the preparation of IPBES deliverables in the different areas both within the subsidiary bodies, task forces and expert groups of the Secretariat and Plenary, and with other organizations of the United Nations System, Governments, donors and agencies as appropriate. • Oversee and coordinates, together with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the implementation of the collaborative partnership arrangement, as set out in decision IPBES-2/8. • Coordinate the preparation of reports to Governments and intergovernmental bodies such as the IPBES Plenary, Bureau, Multidisciplinary Expert Panel. Liaises with relevant subsidiary bodies, relevant Multilateral Environmental Agreements, stakeholders from the scientific, indigenous, business and broader stakeholder communities and other policymaking organs, as appropriate with a view to foster coordination and coherence with existing relevant initiatives. • Foster collaboration within UNEP, including regular engagement with the extended Senior Management Team (SMT), with the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), with other biodiversity related multilateral environmental agreements, with the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) on land degradation, desertification and restoration, and with Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) on related programmatic/substantive issues, as appropriate, to ensure timely updates regarding new findings of IPBES Assessments, and cohesion with their activities as appropriate; • Ensure that all and publications of IPBES maintain high-quality standards to build and defend the credibility of the Platform; that reports are clear, objective and based on credible data and peer-reviewed literature. Ensures the and publications are effectively communicated to the priority audiences and or stakeholders identified by the Plenary directly. • Undertake or oversees the programmatic, administrative and financial tasks necessary for the functioning of the Secretariat ensuring that the Secretariat operates under the relevant IPBES procedures and in compliance with the Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and applicable rules and procedures of UNEP. • Reports to the IPBES Plenary on collaboration with Partners that have established an institutional link with the Platform, whereby the Partners coordinate relevant activities and cooperate in areas related to the functions of the Platform. • Provide regular updates on the activities of IPBES to the heads of UNEP, FAO, UNDP and UNESCO, and through them to their respective Governing Bodies. Brings decisions and resolutions of governing bodies of these organizations that are relevant to IPBES' work to the attention of the IPBES Bureau and Plenary for their consideration. • Recruit professional staff of the Secretariat in collaboration with the executive heads of UNESCO, FAO and UNDP, taking due account of geographical and gender balance and core values and competencies required by the United Nations. • Manage, guides, develops and trains staff under his/her supervision; creates and ensures an inclusive and friendly working environment; fosters teamwork and communication among staff members including IPBES technical support units. • Chairs meetings, seminars, etc., on substantive-related issues, as appropriate; represents the Secretariat at the highest policy and political levels at/in international, regional, inter-agency processes, meetings, seminars and conference; provides programmatic/substantive expertise on an issue or holds programmatic/substantive and organizational discussions with representatives of other institutions. • Perform other related duties as requested by the IPBES Plenary, Chair of IPBES or UNEP Executive Director.