Programme Associate, Climate Change

The IUCN Climate Change and Energy Transition Team (CCETT) is recruiting a Programme Associate to support the implementation of multiple global projects. CCETT is a thematic programme of the IUCN Secretariat within the IUCN Centre for Conservation Action, working under a mandate from IUCN membership with a focus on delivering key transformations in the conservation, restoration and management of ecosystems. The team operates as a delocalised group across several IUCN duty stations, with the majority of staff divided between Headquarters in Gland, Bonn and Washington DC.

The Programme Associate will support Nature-based Solutions (NbS) for Adaptation and Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) initiatives. This involves collaborating with colleagues across Thematic Teams, Regions, Commissions, IUCN Members and partners; supporting technical backstopping for project delivery; compiling reports; synthesising information; tracking deliverables; and facilitating high-level meetings and workshops. The post-holder will also support efforts to strengthen evidence for policy and practice influence through research and analysis, including engaging with policy streams of UNFCCC, UNCBD, UNCCD and other fora; interacting with stakeholders on selected policy discourses; planning and organising workshops, events and communications; and drafting and publishing issue briefs and technical papers.

Additional responsibilities include assisting in IUCN’s engagement with global network partnerships and supporting teams in representing IUCN, working groups, and organising and presenting at events and webinars. The Programme Associate will contribute to developing knowledge products on climate change adaptation and other sectoral areas, such as gender, including analysing large amounts of data through quantitative or qualitative methods to support the development of technical papers and outreach products. The post-holder will also support programme development and proposal responses by analysing donor priorities, identifying key internal and external stakeholders, and proposing potential interventions.

The role requires 3–5 years of relevant work experience in fields related to climate change, specifically adaptation and ecosystem-based adaptation, ecosystem management, sustainable development, international development, and/or environmental science. A relevant university degree in a subject relevant to climate change, natural resources management, geography, international development, conservation science or environmental policy is required. Strong quantitative and qualitative analytical skills including statistical analysis are essential, and data visualisation skills relevant to climate, adaptation or environmental datasets are highly desirable.

Demonstrated experience conducting research, evidence synthesis and analytical writing is required, including drafting technical papers, policy briefs, reports or knowledge products for expert and policy audiences. Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel and strong digital research and data management skills are essential. Experience with analytical and visualisation tools such as Power BI, Tableau, R, Python, SPSS, STATA, GIS or similar is highly desirable. Excellent written and spoken English is required; French and Portuguese are desirable.