While nature supports human development and societal progress, it is being degraded at rapid and unprecedented rates. IUCN helps address this critically urgent challenge by helping mainstream nature into financial and economic decisions, towards transforming investments and actions for valuing the natural world.
In Asia, IUCN works with diverse stakeholders at various levels and scales in better understanding and influencing: i) how nature contributes to prosperous and equitable societies, ii) how financial flows and economic activities impact biodiversity conservation, and iii) how the private business sector can contribute to more nature-positive outcomes.
The Senior Technical Officer provides expert input to and is responsible for overall coordination of Finance and Economics for Nature, a strategic theme under the IUCN Asia regional programme. He/she helps catalyse multi-disciplinary knowledge and expertise to drive collaborative learning and action by conservation, finance and economic sectors in the region. The Technical Officer is a mid-level professional member of the Science and Strategy Group (SSG) based at the Asia Regional Office (ARO) in Bangkok, Thailand and works closely with IUCN’s regional, country and global teams,

1. MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES:

Under the overall guidance of the Regional Director and direct supervision of the SSG’s Head of Programme Management, the Senior Technical Officer serves as IUCN Asia’s focal person for Finance and Economics, enhances relevant capacity of regional team and partners, coordinates and grows the regional portfolio of projects and activities, and engages with Union constituents, partners and donors.

2. SPECIFIC DUTIES:
2.1 Technical Input and Capacity Development Support
• Serve as regional expert in the application of financial and economic approaches and tools to systematically assess, design, execute, and evaluate relevant aspects of the IUCN Asia programme including:
– sustainable finance approaches and strategies for biodiversity conservation and nature-based solutions (NbS); innovative tools, products and services for public and private sector investments in nature, including finance-sector promotion and application of IUCN nature positive approach and its measurement.
– integrating economic dimensions in the analysis of and planning for nature conservation; ecosystem services valuation and natural capital accounting, cost benefit and opportunity cost analysis, financial and economic analysis in ecosystems restoration and protection projects; and assessment of NbS economic feasibility, cost-effectiveness and direct/indirect outcomes,
– policy frameworks and guidance tools for integrating nature-relate risks and opportunities in sustainable development planning; strategic engagement with private sector to make nature count in business planning, operations and results; familiarity with reporting and disclosure frameworks, including TNFD, and safeguards and standards of development banks and financial institutions.
– support to IUCN Asia’s multilateral finance portfolio in developing blended and other novel finance mechanisms, to catalyse incremental public and private sector financing for biodiversity conservation and climate resilience.
• Act as resource person for capacity building, advisory and outreach activities in effectively managing nature’s interrelationship with finance and economics.
• Keep abreast of best available knowledge and innovation, emerging from within and beyond IUCN, to ensure that tools and best practices are made available to regional secretariat, Union constituents and partners.

2.2 Programme Coordination and Portfolio Management
• Coordinate programme development, implementation and reporting for the Finance and Economics regional strategic theme; facilitate its integration in regional programme agenda and strategy, and its contribution to the Union’s overall programme and vision.
• Provide finance and economics expert input to regional programme areas in: species and habitats, marine and coastal ecosystems, protected and conserved areas, water and wetlands, forest landscapes, and agri-food systems.
• Manage assigned projects by coordinating their overall operations, leading technical implementation and quality assurance, maintaining working relationships with project partners and stakeholders, and overseeing project cycle finance and administration. These include projects under development and implementation on: sustainable finance models in GEF and GCF biodiversity and climate programmes, integrating forest and marine conservation metrics and tools in impact investing, application of NbS Global Standard economic criteria and indicators, and financial and economic analysis for ecosystems restoration and protection projects.
• Contribute to portfolio growth in regional, subregional and country offices through collaborative project development and strategic resource mobilisation.

2.3 Partnerships and Communications
• Serve as ARO liaison for relevant initiatives with the Union’s regional constituents; represent ARO in external partnership platforms and knowledge-sharing events.
• Facilitate IUCN Asia’s community of practice to foster collaboration among regional, subregional and country teams for the strategic theme.
• Represent IUCN Asia in external partnership platforms, professional and institutional networks, knowledge-sharing events and policy dialogues.
• Contribute to the development of knowledge products drawn from documentation of project/programme experiences, and to the information dissemination and outreach targeting key stakeholder-group audiences.

In addition to the above, the Technical Officer may carry out other relevant tasks assigned by and mutually agreed with supervisor/s.