Vacancy #: 7277 Unit: Water and Wetlands Organisation: International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Location: Regional Office for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, Belgrade, Serbia Reporting to: Global Water & Wetlands Team Director Work percentage: 100% Grade: SP Expected start date: 01 June 2025 Type of contract: Max-term (24 months with possibility of renewal) Closing date: 30 April 2025 BACKGROUND The Blue Peace project aims to foster equitable water resource management in Central Asia to ensure sustainable socio-economic growth and regional stability. With the overarching objective of benefiting Central Asian populations through climate-resilient and sustainable water management, the project outlines three indicative outcomes, each targeting different levels of intervention. This sub-section critically reflects on these objectives, lines of intervention, and potential implications for achieving the project's overarching goal.
The project is grounded in a multi-level and multi-stakeholder approach towards water management and cooperation in Central Asia. By emphasising equitably shared and effectively managed water resources, the project acknowledges the interdependence of water management with socio-economic development and regional stability. IWMI is the project lead and will be working in partnership with IUCN and CAREC. The project has three Objectives; Objective 1 Hydro Diplomacy; Objective 2 on Small transboundary tributaries and Objective 3 on Capacity Building.
Under direct supervision of Global Head of Water and Wetlands Team (based in Switzerland), the Deputy Project Lead / Objective 1 Lead will work closely with the BPCA Project Implementation Unit, to ensure the smooth and successful delivery of the Blue Peace Central Asia (BPCA) Project and IUCNs specific outputs under Objective 1 on Hydro Diplomacy.
The project will be delivered through a Project Implementation Unit (PIU) based in the International Water Management Institute, IWMIs Offices in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, with support from local project staff in the other Central Asian countries.
The Deputy Project Lead and the PMU will operate under the guidance of the Project Steering Committee (PSC), and the Regional Advisory Committee with members appointed by the donor and key country partners, as well as the consortium partners; IUCN, IWMI and CAREC JOB DESCRIPTION Project Leadership & Coordination
- Support the Project Team Lead in developing and overseeing the implementation of the project strategy, workplans, budget, and timelines to ensure alignment with program objectives.
- Provide project management leadership for Objective 1, ensuring efficient planning, execution, and reporting of related activities, as well as for IUCN activities under Objective 2.
- Serve as the primary liaison between IUCN and the project management unit, the project stakeholders, including donors, government agencies, regional water institutions, and international partners.
- Represent IUCN and the project in donor meetings, national focal point engagements, project oversight bodies, and other relevant forums.
- Ensure the project adheres to technical specifications, deliverables, and performance indicators as outlined in funding agreements.
- Identify and mitigate risks and challenges in project implementation, ensuring compliance with regional and international standards.
Project Management & Implementation
- Lead the implementation of Objective 1, ensuring its activities align with the overall project strategy and goals.
- Work closely with the Project Team Lead and Project Coordinator to manage the day-to-day operations of the project, ensuring administrative efficiency.
- Work closely with IUCN HQ and the Environmental Law Team to provide technical and strategic input directly related to Hydro Diplomacy, transboundary water cooperation, basin investment planning and other technical issues related to project implementation
Monitoring, Evaluation, and Reporting
- Contribute to the M&E framework to assess project performance, impact, and compliance with key indicators.
- Conduct field visits and assessments to monitor project activities and gather stakeholder feedback, especially related to Objective 1 and 2.
Core Competencies;
Transparency: Able to build trust and contribute to informed and responsible decision-making by carrying out the work of IUCN in a transparent manner; provides clear guidance to ensure that objectives and desired measurable results are understood by members of the team.
Inclusiveness: Understands and accepts cultural diversity, and provides a tolerant, positive and supportive working environment that fosters respect for diversity, demonstrates the ability to work in a multicultural, multi-ethnic environment and maintains effective working relations with people of different nationalities and cultural backgrounds.
Professionalism: Promote the organizationโs interests, objectives and values diligently and professionally.
Accountability: Takes responsibility for individual and collective actions, promotes the IUCN One Programme approach
The salary range for this position is between 44.117 EUR and 55.146 EUR plus benefits.
REQUIREMENTS โข Essential:
- Post graduate qualifications in a relevant field such as water resources management, environmental science, natural resource governance, political science or a related discipline, with at least 10 years of relevant experience in Central Asia and with Central Asian stakeholders.
- Experience working on development and/or public sector-funded projects that promote, plan, design, and implement water management and climate resilience.
- Experience managing and navigating partner and stakeholder relationships with governmental, private sector, and community counterparts at various levels of organizational hierarchies (i.e., senior to lower management and professional staff), and at the regional, national, and local levels.
- Excellent interpersonal skills demonstrated ability to engage with local stakeholders and communities, including patience, diplomacy, willingness to listen, respect for colleagues and ability to work as part of a team.
- Experience working in interdisciplinary and multicultural teams.
- Excellent oral and written language skills in English and Russian, including effective listening and strong verbal and written communication abilities.
โข Desirable:
- Qualification in Project Management and/or substantial, successful project management experience.
- Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with coworkers, managers, project partners, focal points, community members, and other stakeholders. APPLICATIONS
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 worldโs 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 peopleโs well-being.
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