Director, Global Land Initiative G20 Office, Bonn

Org. Setting and ReportingDesertification, along with climate change and the loss of biodiversity were identified as the greatest challenges to sustainable development during the 1992 Rio Earth Summit. Established in 1994, the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) is the sole legally binding international agreement linking environment and development to sustainable land management. The Convention seeks to support countries to address Desertification, Land Degradation, and Drought (DLDD). ( unccd.int) In 2020, Saudi Arabia held the rotating Presidency of the G20. The G20 Leaders’ Declaration, issued on Sunday, 22 November 2020, launched a \"Global Initiative on Reducing Land Degradation and Enhancing Conservation of Terrestrial Habitats”. Building on existing initiatives and on a voluntary basis, the G20 countries share the ambition to achieve a 50 percent reduction in the amount of degraded land by 2040. The G20 Global Initiative on Reducing Land Degradation and Enhancing Conservation of Terrestrial Habitats aims, with oversight from UNCCD, to mobilize international cooperation, policy alignment, knowledge exchange, and investment to achieve the ambition of reducing degraded land by 50 percent by 2040. The Global Land Initiative will focus on capacity building, engaging the private sector and civil society and showcasing success. The Director of the G20 Global Initiative Coordination Office provides, under the oversight of the Executive Director of the UNCCD, manages the Coordination Office of the Global Land Initiative, and provides strategic leadership, political engagement, and programme oversight to advance the Initiative through multilateral cooperation, policy dialogue, partnerships, resource mobilization, and strategic advocacy across the UN system and global policy platforms. ResponsibilitiesUnder the guidance of the Executive Secretary the incumbent will be responsible for the following duties: 1. Manages the team and programme of work of the Global Land Initiative’s Coordination Office and ensure its coordination with UNCCD relevant Units 2. Coordinates and manages the Global Land Initiative’s substantive programme of work in order to ensure delivery in key thematic areas; provides leadership to the development of innovative and transformative programmes; advises on results-based management and on the coordination/supervision of the programme budget, staffing and resources. 3. Leads high‑level engagement with G20 member states, partner countries, and international organizations to advance the Initiative’s policy priorities and implementation objectives, in line with the COP defined program of work. 4. Under the general guidance of the Executive Secretary, facilitates and participates in relevant multilateral negotiations and intergovernmental processes related to sustainable land management, climate change, sustainable development, and environmental governance, in relation to the implementation and advancement of the G20 Global Land Initiative. 5. Identifies, develops and nurtures strategic partnerships with governments, multilateral development banks, climate/development related funds, philanthropic organizations, international financial institutions, regional organizations, civil society and the private sector. 6. Provides strategic policy advice to senior leadership on global environmental governance, sustainable development agendas, and geopolitical dynamics affecting land restoration and climate resilience. 7. Acts as the secretary to, the governance of the Global Land Initiative; ensures and coordinates the servicing of the Steering Committee; prepares reports on the implementation of the Global Initiative to the G20 as appropriate. 8. Assists in high level advocacy, represents and speaks on behalf of the Global Land Initiative at meetings of other international organizations, agencies and bodies and as required, the UNCCD. Coordinates and undertakes resource mobilization and fundraising for UNCCD’s supplementary funds and ensures follow up. 9. Mobilizes financial and technical resources to support implementation of the Initiative through engagement with donors, Climate/Development related funds, development banks, and philanthropic organizations. 10. Oversees preparation of analytical reports, policy briefs, strategic documents, and communications materials of the Initiative ensuring their alignment with global policy processes, chiefly the UNCCD. 11. Performs any other job-related activity required to achieve the goals and objectives of the Global Land Initiative as required by the Executive Secretary. CompetenciesProfessionalism: Demonstrates in-depth knowledge of international cooperation and policies relating to, sustainable development and global environmental challenges and international cooperation, with practical decision-making experience at senior levels; Partnership Building – Strong experience in coalition building, diplomacy, and stakeholder engagement. Demonstrated ability to deal with complex issues with diplomacy and tact; ability to lead in a fast-changing environment and setting an example. Shows pride in work and in achievements; demonstrates professional competence and mastery of the subject matter; is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results; is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations. Takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work. Communication: Speaks and writes clearly and effectively; listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately; asks questions to clarify, and exhibits interest in having two-way communication; tailors' language, tone, style and format to match audience; demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed. Accountability: Takes ownership of all responsibilities and honors commitments; delivers outputs for which one has responsibility within prescribed time, cost and quality standards; operates in compliance with organizational regulations and rules; supports subordinates, provides oversight and takes responsibility for delegated assignments; takes personal responsibility for his/her own shortcomings and those of the work unit, where applicable. Leadership: Serves as a role model that other people want to follow: empowers others to translate vision into results; is proactive in developing strategies to accomplish objectives; establishes and maintains relationships with a broad range of people to understand needs and gain support; anticipates and resolves conflicts by pursuing mutually agreeable solutions; drives for change and improvements; does not accept the status quo; shows the courage to take unpopular stands. And ability to deliver results in politically sensitive contexts. Vision: Identifies strategic issues, opportunities and risks; clearly communicates links between the Organization’s strategy and the work unit’s goals; Generates and communicates broad and compelling organizational direction inspiring others to pursue that same direction; Conveys enthusiasm about future possibilities. Building Trust: Provides an environment in which others can talk and act without fear of repercussion; manages in a deliberate and predictable way; operates with transparency; has no hidden agenda; places confidence in colleagues, staff members and clients; gives proper credit to others; follows through on agreed upon actions; treats sensitive or confidential information appropriately. EducationAdvanced university degree (master’s degree or Doctorate) in sustainable development, international relations, diplomacy, economics, environmental studies, public policy, natural resources management, law, or related area is required. A relevant or related first-level university degree in the above areas in combination with an additional two years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree Job - Specific QualificationNot available. Work ExperienceA minimum of fifteen (15) years of progressively responsible experience in sustainable development, multilateral diplomacy, international development economics, environment, or related field is required. Extensive experience at a senior managerial level with significant international experience in Multilateral negotiation and intergovernmental processes, international environmental governance with demonstrated expertise in engaging with UN bodies and international organizations is required. Demonstrated leadership experience with strategic vision and proven skills in managing complex organizations including engaging with high level government officials is required. An understanding of the United Nations system, including, of current environmental agenda challenges is desirable. Demonstrated experience in establishing and maintaining professional networks is desirable. Extensive experience in the diplomatic and public policy arena, including experience at the international level is desirable. LanguagesEnglish and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this job opening, English is required. Either Arabic or Chinese (Mandarin) or French or Spanish or Russian is desirable. The table below shows the minimum required level for each skill in these languages, according to the UN Language Framework (please consult for details).