OVERVIEW OF THE FUNCTIONS OF THE POST

Under the overall authority of the Assistant Director-General for Culture (ADG/CLT), the general supervision of the Director of the World Heritage Centre (DIR/WH), and the direct supervision of the Head of the Natural Heritage Unit of the World Heritage Centre (WHC/NHU), the incumbent shall be responsible for coordinating the Rapid Response Facility (RRF) project and provide technical support for the implementation of activities related to Natural Heritage in Africa . The incumbent shall also provide technical support in the further development of high-quality data, tools, and methodologies for the monitoring of the state of conservation of World Heritage sites.

In particular, the incumbent shall:

• Coordinate, monitor, provide inputs and finalize contributions to the overall implementation of the Rapid Response Facility (RRF), including technical support in the review of RRF grant applications in consultation with relevant experts and UNESCO field offices, the preparation of administrative and contractual arrangements with programme partners, and support to communication and outreach activities of the facility.

• Coordinate the overall implementation and provide technical support for the implementation of activities related to Natural Heritage, including design, development, implementation and monitoring of programmes and project activities focusing on priority areas related to biodiversity issues in Africa.

• Lead the preparation of capacity-building workshops, training material, policy briefs and data collection in coordination with relevant partners, including the Advisory Bodies to the World Heritage Committee and UNESCO networks.

• Contribute to the coordination and production of high-quality data, tools, and methodologies to support the implementation of the World Heritage Convention and the protection of World Heritage sites; support the publication and dissemination of guidelines and other policy and capacity development materials, documents, and technical products to enhance knowledge sharing within UNESCO networks.

• Contribute to the application and development of data and information management systems, notably on the use of geospatial data to support the implementation of activities related to the work programme of the Unit.

• Contribute to the resource mobilization of the Unit, engaging proactively in the drafting and presentation of new proposals for voluntary contributions as well as in the management of voluntary contributions-funded projects with particular focus on freshwater, marine and coastal ecosystems, climate change and biodiversity in collaboration with other UNESCO Sectors.

• Support communication and outreach activities of the Unit. Prepare monitoring and progress reports in accordance with UNESCO’s and donor’s requirements.

• Provide support to the Head of Unit for the monitoring and reporting on the activities by providing assistance on the gathering of information, the updating of the projects database.

COMPETENCIES (Core / Managerial)

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REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education

• Advanced university degree (Master’s or equivalent) in environmental sciences or related field.

Work experience

• Minimum of 4 (four) years of relevant professional experience in the areas of environmental sciences research and education, of which preferably 2 (two) years acquired at international level.
• Demonstrated professional experience in proposal writing, resource mobilisation and partnership building.
• Relevant experience in implementing projects on natural heritage notably in developing countries.

Skills/Competencies

• Excellent coordination skills and ability to maintain good and effective working relations with a variety of stakeholders and external partners, including within the scientific community.
• Excellent analytical skills, in particular the ability to collect, synthesize and analyse information from various sources and communicate effectively on work results.
• Ability to work in intercultural context and under tight deadlines.
• Ability to take initiative, and organize and prioritize work to meet established deadlines, with close attention to detail and quality of work.
• Expertise in international relations with a demonstrated ability to address complex issues, which can be of a sensitive nature.
• Good IT skills (Excel, Word, Outlook, PowerPoint, etc.).

Languages

• Excellent knowledge of English or French (written and spoken) and good knowledge of another.

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS

Work experience

• Relevant experience in implementing projects within UNESCO and/or the United Nations System.
• Experience in synthetizing and sharing information with general public in the areas of environmental conservation and/or science.
• Experience in establishing and maintaining professional scientific networks.

Skills/Competencies

• Proven capacity to organize and carry out research and training courses at international level and in project formulation, implementation, and evaluation.
• Expertise in data and information management systems, including in the application of geospatial data (ArcGIS or equivalent).
• Good knowledge of UNESCO’s mission and the UNESCO World Heritage Convention.
• Knowledge of the Results-based management (RBM) approach in project management.

Languages

• Knowledge of another/other official UNESCO language(s) (Arabic, Chinese, Russian or Spanish).