The Senior Programme Officer in Business & Nature is responsible for the technical management, implementation and development of a portfolio of collaborative partnerships with companies and public actors in sectors in Brazil with important impacts on biodiversity (including but not limited to the metals and mining, aggregates, paper & pulp, chemicals industries, nature-based industries and agrifood) to support the delivery of measurable Nature Positive outcomes aligned with IUCN Programme targets, whilst generating high quality knowledge and learning. In doing so, s/he will be expected to collaborate with the IUCN Business & Nature Global team, IUCN Regional Office for South America (IUCN SUR), the Brazilian Country Office, the Brazilian National Committee of IUCN members, IUCN thematic Teams, as well as with IUCN Commissions as necessary to ensure that recommendations and lessons learnt are integrated into the programmes policy and knowledge work.
SPECIFIC DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Under the supervision of the Regional Programme Coordinator and close coordination of the Business and Nature Senior Programme Manager, the main duties and responsibilities include:
1. Portfolio technical implementation and development
• Develop private sector use and application of IUCN standards, metrics, and tools, such as the IUCN RHINO approach (Rapid High-Integrity Nature-positive Outcomes), Species Threat Abatement and Restoration (STAR) metric, NbS Standard, and the Integrated Biodiversity Assessment Tool (IBAT) while promoting the application of the mitigation hierarchy and IUCN’s relevant policies in Brazil;
• Collaborate with companies and sectoral bodies in Brazil to refine IUCN tools, providing technical feedback to IUCN global teams to strengthen knowledge and best practices on nature-positive approaches, and increase their relevance and uptake in the business sector;
• Explore ways to combine IUCN tools (e.g., STAR) with other approaches, such as Life Cycle Assessments, to enhance their relevance and use across sectors;
• Facilitate Independent Scientific and Technical Advisory Panels in Brazil, providing strategic expertise to address complex and controversial issues and build trust amongst stakeholders;
• Help identify opportunities and support the development of technical proposals to the private sector in Brazil, that use IUCN’s data, tools, and expertise to deliver Nature Positive results;
• Develop concepts and funding proposals to donors for projects that strengthen enabling conditions—such as policies and regulations—supporting the sectoral transition toward Nature Positive outcomes;
• Support the regional team in establishing and strengthening collaborations with the private sector in the region and in preparing high-quality technical proposals.
2.Project portfolio management, delivery, and quality assurance
• Provide technical assistance and capacity building to private sector partners, contributing to sectoral transformation and high-quality project outcomes;
• Ensure timely and effective delivery of projects and initiatives in line with annual workplans and IUCN standards;
• Manage project resources—including financial, human, and intellectual—efficiently and adaptively, in accordance with IUCN project management guidelines;
• Engage and oversee consultants and external project counterparts to maintain technical quality and support project delivery;
• Lead coordination with internal teams, external partners, and IUCN units—including HQ, Regional, and Country Offices—to ensure smooth, joint implementation and delivery of projects;
• Work with regional (and national) colleagues to ensure effective implementation of Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning frameworks for the business lines and project portfolio.
• Manage project planning, budgeting, reporting, and documentation following IUCN’s tools and policies (e.g., Smartsheet, project portal, risk management);
• Support the organization of workshops, meetings, and other events that strengthen project implementation and stakeholder engagement.
3.Capacity building, Knowledge generation and Communication
• Ensure key results and lessons learnt are communicated in insightful knowledge products and promoted through various media channels and networks, to reach both external and internal audiences. Coordinate with national, regional and global communication focal points for this purpose.
• Strengthen IUCN’s capacity, influence and external visibility on work with the private sector, including by developing new training programmes to promote IUCN’s tools and approaches for the private sector and support their uptake (in collaboration with the IUCN Academy);
• Participate in meetings, conferences, and platforms of relevance to the work program described above, to advance and showcase IUCN technical and thought leadership to drive sector-wide transformation, and to influence and mobilize new networks, partners, and stakeholders.
• Nurture working relationships with existing partners and establish new partnerships in Brazil and in the region, including resource mobilization.
4.Collaborative Work with IUCN SUR, Brazil Team and IUCN Business & Nature team
• Participate in events and meetings, with a special focus on (but not limited to) strengthening relationships with the private sector, while also engaging with other key stakeholders as needed.
• Collaborate with the IUCN Regional team and the one in Brazil on a periodic basis on relevant projects, communicating with members and partners in Brazil and the region.
• Attend technical meetings with the IUCN Business & Nature team and/or the Centre for Science and Knowledge and other global technical Teams to stay abreast of new tools development relevant to the position.
• Provide technical input to other projects, products and deliverables, including reviewing and reference.
• Contribute to the review of communications materials and translations.
The above job description contains the main duties and responsibilities for this position. However, in a small organization such as IUCN, staff members are expected to show flexibility in their approach to work and be willing to undertake other tasks that are reasonably allocated to them, but which are not part of their regular job description. Where any task becomes a regular part of an employee’s responsibilities, the job description will be changed in consultation with the employee and the Human Resources Management Group.