MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Strategic support and management;
• Support the implementation of the COR Regional Program Strategy and associated large projects, with a focus on ensuring seamless integration with country and global IUCN program strategies to address IUCN’s strategic priorities
• Support Identifying key target audiences, influencers and partners to drive IUCN COR’s work in the region forward, including key delivery, organizational, partnership and fundraising objectives
• Identify organizational and program-related challenges, emerging issues and solutions faced by the programs at the regional and country level
• Ensure critical monitoring, evaluation, and reporting of COR’s programmatic and project efforts in the region that demonstrates impact and reflects IUCN’s initiatives and projects as appropriate to local conditions
• Design support, including development of mature theories of change, monitoring and evaluation, work plans, risk assessments, alignment with IUCN COR’s strategic goals and objectives, project institutional arrangements, governance and delivery
• Proposal writing and review when applicable, contract or lead the proposal writing and coordination
• Ensure coordination within the program on large-scale, multi-country and priority projects
• Flag and help project teams/project leads avoid pitfalls and issues experienced by other projects that could have been averted with more sound design.
• Share best practices/processes/resources to streamline the proposal development process and increase the uptake of best practices for project implementation across the program.
• Program Coordination;
• Represent IUCN COR’s efforts and work in the region, with a focus on project delivery, creating synergies with other non-COR project activities and teams, and ongoing development efforts, addressing issues and opportunities
• Liaise with other programs and project teams in ensuring and pushing program excellence
• Project management;
• Day-to-day technical oversight on all COR projects, both at Regional and Country levels, with a focus on ensuring program quality control, and impactful program and project delivery
• Lead development and delivery of strong and sound regional work plans and related budgets. Ensure that the best adaptive management practices are mainstreamed and adhered to by regional and in-country teams.
• Ensuring that project/programme strategies and workplans are developed and implemented according to plan and commitments to partners and donors (including assuring quality of performance & progress, timing and budget);
• Serve as initial coordinator for new large-scale and priority public-funded projects,
• Analyze delivery risks/delays identified, and provide projects the necessary management support
• Monitor/track success and progress for selected projects comparing against criteria that will be developed specific to that project
• Support high-risk projects or those not meeting expectations
• Gather and share lessons learned and other resources for project management and implementation across the division (e.g., project management tools, finance/operations processes, etc.).
• Ensure knowledge sharing between program staff across the COR program, for transfer of ideas on program development, program implementation, and strategic partnership building
• Working closely with COR RH and the Finance and Administration Department as well as Human Resource, support efforts to ensure that projects/programme are financially viable and have the necessary human and other resources necessary for effective implementation;
• Ensuring that contractual obligations and IUCN’s policies and procedures are efficiently adhered to;
• Ensure that all IUCN online system are kept up to date
• In close coordination with the COR RH and the Regional Communication officer, ensure that IUCN’s work is effectively ad widely shared (including by producing high quality communication material), including on online platforms and other media channels.
• Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting;
• In close collaboration with ESARO’s Regional and COR M&E Officers, support the development and implementation of a regional COR monitoring and evaluation systems and processes at programme and project level;
• Oversee IUCN portal entries and management, and mid-year and annual reports development for regional COR portfolio;
• Facilitate targeted socio-economic and scientific surveys and analysis, and project evaluation management.
• Programme development;
• Support fundraising and resource mobilization efforts for the programme, including writing of proposals based on COR RH guidance, regional strategic framework and in-country guidance.
• Other Duties;
• Carry out other relevant tasks assigned by, and mutually agreed with, the line manager.

REQUIREMENTS

• Position requirements:
• Education;
• Advanced degree in environmental sciences, political sciences, business administration, sustainable development or any other discipline that is relevant to nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources;
• Computer literacy in relation to office applications (word processing, spreadsheets, PowerPoint) use of internet and online communication tools;

Work Experience;

• We’re looking for an outstanding, hands-on, highly motivated, autonomous, innovative, solution oriented, results driven and resourceful individual with at least:
• 10+ years of proven experience in coordinating state of the art implementation and coordination of large-scale program portfolio
• Knowledge and experience in sustainable development, natural resource management, coastal and marine conservation, environmental economics or blue economy is considered a strong asset;
• Outstanding experience in programme and project portfolio management, development and fundraising;
• Demonstrated budgeting, programme and project planning and day-to-day activity coordination abilities;
• Experience with result-based portfolio and project cycle management, and monitoring and evaluation methodologies;
• Sound ability to see the big picture, think strategically, connect the dots and able to deal with complex situation and projects
• Entrepreneurial character and capacity to work autonomously required
• For this position, we are looking for a high caliber professional self-driven and solution oriented
• Strong interpersonal, management and supervisory skills and experience, including working with remote implementing partners and teams;
• Be willing to undertake frequent travel (25% of the time) and interact with multicultural stakeholders;
• Demonstrated work experience and understanding of the WIO region a strong advantage.
• Established network within coastal/marine/blue economy related stakeholders will be considered a strong asset, as well as among potential technical partners and donors.