Policy Lead, Forest Carbon Markets - FCLP

Organizational Context

The UNOPS Global Portfolios Office (GPO) supports sustainable development, climate action, and peacebuilding globally. It collaborates with governments, international financial institutions, and UN agencies on diverse projects. The Forest & Climate Leaders’ Partnership (FCLP), a hosted entity within UNOPS DSIP, aims to halt and reverse forest loss by 2030 through international collaboration and national action.

Job Purpose

The Policy Lead, Forest Carbon Markets will operate under the Deputy Director - Policy's oversight, focusing on supporting FCLP members in developing and executing shared commitments, particularly the J-REDD+ Coalition. This role is crucial for aligning policy, partnerships, and events to accelerate progress in forest conservation and climate action. The Lead will facilitate inclusive collaboration among governments, NGOs, philanthropic organizations, and civil society partners, ensuring that collective efforts effectively contribute to the FCLP's mission and the broader goals of sustainable development and climate change mitigation.

Responsibilities

The Policy Lead will provide strategic and policy leadership by offering expertise and guidance on Forest Carbon Markets to FCLP members, informing their decisions with technical input derived from national and international policies. This includes developing high-quality technical documents and analysis, and supporting the coordination of annual workplans to ensure alignment with FCLP priorities. In terms of coordination and delivery, the role involves managing member engagement at the workstream level, facilitating workplan activities, and ensuring synergy between Forest Carbon Markets initiatives and other FCLP functions. The position also emphasizes partnerships and inclusive engagement by supporting the JREDD+ Coalition and fostering relationships with key stakeholders, ensuring equitable participation. Finally, the Lead will coordinate FCLP's presence at major global events and support the development of joint messaging and communication materials.

Work Experience

Requires a minimum of five years of professional experience in areas such as forests and land-use, climate change, REDD+, or environmental law, preferably in tropical forest countries. Experience with REDD+ land-use governance, carbon rights, land tenure, benefit-sharing, and high-integrity forest carbon markets is essential. Experience working with government systems and strong stakeholder engagement skills are also necessary.

Skills

Environmental Policy, Policy Analysis, Policy Research, Stakeholder Engagement, Diplomacy, Written Communication.

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