Short-Term Professional Employment and Practical Training

Background

IUCN Asia welcomes applications to join its Talent Pool for short-term professional employment and practical training at the Regional Office in Bangkok, Thailand or at any of its country offices across Asia.

1. Objectives of talent pool
   • To identify and engage with the wider pool of available professional and academic talent to meet IUCN Asia’s immediate short-term workforce requirements.
   • To encourage and nurture young early-stage professionals, by providing them relevant work experiences to qualify for long-term career options in the nature conservation sector including with IUCN Asia.
   • To provide capacity building opportunities to IUCN Members and Commissions, as well as programme partners, as part of regional Secretariat’s engagement with Union constituency and stakeholders.
   • To foster and support a more gender-inclusive workforce through targeted approach for women’s career development.
2. Categories of short-term professional employment and practical training
   • Visiting professional – short-term professional employment
   • Professional volunteer – voluntary, unpaid professional work
   • Student intern – academically credited learning programme for current students
   • Practicum trainee – practical on-the-job training for recent graduates
3. Areas of work and training opportunities
   • Programme Areas
     • Species and habitats
     • Marine and coastal
     • Water and wetlands
     • Protected, conserved and heritage areas
     • Forests
     • Agriculture and food systems
   • Strategic and Cross-Cutting Themes
     • Nature-based solutions and climate
     • Business and finance
     • Governance and rights
     • OneHealth
     • Urban resilience
     • Policy engagement
     • Capacity building
     • Biodiversity, general
   • Institutional Support Services
     • Finance and accounting
     • Human resources
     • General office administration
     • Communications
     • Monitoring and evaluation
     • Events management
     • Data management and analysis
     • Information technology

Job Description

Conditions of appointment

• Appointments are for a period between 1 to 6 months, at the regional office in Bangkok, Thailand or one of its local offices in 11 countries across Asia.
• Hybrid and remote options are applicable subject to the task assignments, target outputs, and conditions for operational feasibility.
• This call for Talent Pool applications is intended for those available for appointment during the year 2025. Subsequent annual calls will be announced.
• Short-term professional and practical training appointments cannot be extended nor converted to a longer fixed-term contract. Appointees may subsequently apply for staff vacancies through a full-fledged selection process.

IUCN provides financial and other entitlements; including sponsorship for temporary/short term work visa subject to its Human Resources guidelines such as: i) remuneration package for short-term employment of visiting professionals, and ii) stipend/allowance and external sponsorship/self-funding for practical training appointments.

Inclusion in the roster does not guarantee eventual offer of appointment, as this is subject to opportunity and need by specific offices/units of IUCN Asia.

Application and selection

Applications are accepted year-round online through IUCN’s HRMS career page and screened on a rolling basis by IUCN Asia. Applicants must complete the CV template (download here) and submit this as attachment to the online application.

Applicants who pass the general screening and assessment will be informed of their inclusion in the roster of pre-qualified candidates — including information on the position-categories they have qualified for.

The Talent Roster will serve as source of pre-qualified candidates for simplified, fast-tracked appointment to specific positions, as these become available in relevant units/offices of IUCN Asia. Further assessment may be conducted prior to receiving an appointment offer. Period of appointment (between 1 and 6 months) must start during 2025, subject to timing of IUCN Asia’s requirement for the position.

Consistent with IUCN Asia’s goal of promoting a more gender-inclusive workforce, applications from women will be proactively sourced, screened and rostered.

Requirements

Categories of short-term professional employment and practical training

1. Visiting Professional
   Scope: Short-term professional employment
   Target candidates: Professionals available for temporary fixed-term appointments or in-between jobs, academics on sabbatical leave; staff from organisations seeking short-term staff-mobility arrangement with IUCN Asia
   Qualifications: Relevant undergraduate/graduate degree and work experience (corresponding to IUCN job grade)
   Financial entitlement from IUCN: Remuneration package, as per IUCN HR guidelines for staff
2. Professional Volunteer
   Scope: Voluntary professional work (unpaid)
   Target candidates: Professionals with expertise, experience or resource relevant to a specific activity/event/project of IUCN Asia
   Qualifications: At least undergraduate degree and work experience (min 2yrs)
   Financial contributions from IUCN: None (as exception, allowance for misc/local transportation expenses)
3. Intern
   Scope: Academic internship
   Target candidates: Students undertaking field studies, thesis research and other applied projects to fulfil academic requirements
   Qualifications: Currently registered as undergraduate/graduate student
   Financial contributions from IUCN: Stipend, based on rate for applicable duty station as determined by local office (interns could also be externally sponsored or self-funded)
4. Practicum Trainee
   Scope: Practical on-the-job training
   Target candidates: Recent graduates and early-stage professionals seeking learning and work experience
   Qualifications: Academic degree recently completed (within 2yrs from graduation)
   Financial contribution from IUCN: stipend, based on rate for applicable duty station as determined by local office

For more information and other enquiries, email asia@iucn.org.

Application

Applicants are requested to apply online through the HR Management System, by opening the vacancy announcement and pressing the “Apply” button.

Applicants will be asked to create an account and submit their profile information. Applications will not be accepted after the closing date. The vacancy closes at midnight, Swiss time (GMT+1 / GMT+2 during Daylight Saving Time, DST). Please note that only selected applicants will be personally contacted for interviews.

Other job opportunities are published in the IUCN website: https://www.iucn.org/involved/jobs/

About IUCN

IUCN is a membership Union uniquely composed of both government and civil society organisations. It provides public, private and non-governmental organisations with the knowledge and tools that enable human progress, economic development and nature conservation to take place together.

Created in 1948, IUCN is now the world’s largest and most diverse environmental network, harnessing the knowledge, resources and reach of more than 1,400 Member organisations and around 16,000 experts. It is a leading provider of conservation data, assessments and analysis. Its broad membership enables IUCN to fill the role of incubator and trusted repository of best practices, tools and international standards.

IUCN provides a neutral space in which diverse stakeholders including governments, NGOs, scientists, businesses, local communities, indigenous peoples organisations and others can work together to forge and implement solutions to environmental challenges and achieve sustainable development.

Working with many partners and supporters, IUCN implements a large and diverse portfolio of conservation projects worldwide. Combining the latest science with the traditional knowledge of local communities, these projects work to reverse habitat loss, restore ecosystems and improve people’s well-being.