Chief Technical Specialist [Open to internal and external applicants]
Organizational Context
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Papua New Guinea (PNG) is implementing a project to accelerate the sustainable blue economy through strengthened governance and investment in marine areas. This GEF-funded initiative focuses on integrating natural capital accounting, enhancing marine protected areas, demonstrating nature-based solutions, and improving knowledge management. The project operates across three critical seascapes, aiming to protect biodiversity, promote sustainable livelihoods, and reduce CO2 emissions.
Job Purpose
The Chief Technical Specialist (CTS) provides overall technical leadership, strategic guidance, and quality assurance for the 'Accelerating PNG's Sustainable Blue Economy' project. This role ensures that conservation, sustainable blue-economy development, private-sector engagement, and access-to-finance interventions are technically sound, commercially informed, and coherent across all project outcomes and geographies. The CTS is responsible for building the capacity of the Project Manager, Project Management Unit, and the national Implementing Partner (CEPA) to meet GEF, UNDP, and Government of PNG requirements. The position is crucial for ensuring the project's success in strengthening marine ecosystem protection and sustainable use, aligning with the GEF-8 Blue Green Islands Integrated Program objectives and contributing to PNG's sustainable development goals.
Responsibilities
The Chief Technical Specialist (CTS) will provide strategic technical leadership and oversight for the project, ensuring alignment with international best practices and local market conditions. Key responsibilities include guiding the integrated approach to blue economy, MPA governance, Nature-based Solutions (NbS), Natural Capital Accounting (NCA), private-sector development, and access to finance. This involves preparing and reviewing technical documents, ensuring consistency across geographies, and providing guidance on ecosystem assessment, MPA management, MSP frameworks, and NbS business models. The CTS will also lead market and value-chain assessments to identify conservation-positive opportunities and guide the design of business and financing models with robust safeguards. Furthermore, the role involves overseeing monitoring and evaluation, risk management, and adaptive management processes, including contributing to GEF Project Implementation Reports. Capacity building for the project team and national partners in relevant technical areas, such as NCA, sustainable blue economy business models, and conservation finance, is also a core duty. The CTS will foster partnerships, coordinate with stakeholders, and manage knowledge products, while providing technical leadership on nature-based business models, blended finance, and public-private-community partnerships to mobilize investment for marine conservation.
Work Experience
A minimum of 7 years (with Master's) or 9 years (with Bachelor's) of progressive experience is required in sustainable blue-green economy business development, conservation finance, payments for ecosystem services, or structuring public-private-community partnerships. Experience in marine biodiversity conservation, MPA management, marine spatial planning, or sustainable fisheries management is necessary. Project advisory and technical support for international development projects, including GEF-funded initiatives, is also required, along with stakeholder engagement and capacity building.
Skills
Strategic thinking, systems thinking, project management, partnership management, communication, expertise in nature/ecosystems and biodiversity, gender and environment integration, sustainable blue-green economy business development, innovative conservation finance, natural capital accounting, marine conservation, MPA management, private-sector engagement, and capacity building.