Chief Technical Specialist [Open to internal and external applicants], Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea

## Chief Technical Specialist [Open to internal and external applicants], Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea - Organization:UNDP - United Nations Development Programme - Country:Papua New Guinea - Office:UNDP Port Moresby In line with the commitment to safeguard capacity and support personnel already in the Organization, a majority of UNDP UNCDF/UNV vacancies are advertised using a tiered application process whereby: - Tier 0: UNDP/UNCDF/UNV IP staff holding permanent (PA) and fixed-term (FTA) appointments, whose posts will be abolished, or contracts will be terminated or not renewed during 2026. - Tier 1: Other UNDP/UNCDF/UNV staff holding permanent (PA) and fixed-term (FTA) appointments - Tier 2: UNDP/UNCDF/UNV staff holding temporary appointments (TA), personnel on regular PSA contracts, and Expert and Specialist UN Volunteers - Tier 3 or no tier indicated: All other contract types from UNDP/UNCDF/UNV and other agencies, and other external candidates Please make note of the Tier(s) indicated in the vacancy title, if any, and ensure that you satisfy the eligibility to apply. UNDP is the knowledge frontier organization for sustainable development in the UN Development System and serves as the integrator for collective action to realize the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). UNDP's policy work carried out at HQ, Regional and Country Office levels offers a spectrum of deep local knowledge to cutting-edge global perspectives and advocacy. UNDP invests in the Global Policy Network (GPN), a network of field-based and global technical expertise across a wide range of knowledge domains in support of the signature solutions and organizational capabilities envisioned in UNDP's Strategic Plan. UNDP is an accredited Implementing Agency for the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Trust Fund and the family of funds such as the Least Developed Countries Fund (LDCF), the Special Climate Change Fund (SCCF), and the Global Biodiversity Framework Fund (GBBF). As an Implementing Agency, UNDP offers countries highly specialized services for eligibility assessment, project formulation and due diligence, co-financing mobilization, implementation oversight, results management and evaluation, and knowledge management. Papua New Guinea (PNG) harbors exceptional marine biodiversity of global significance, including the highest marine biodiversity richness in the Pacific Ocean. The country's 3.12 million km² Exclusive Economic Zone encompasses 13,840 km² of coral reefs, 4,200 km² of mangrove forests and extensive seagrass beds, supporting more than 500 species of stony coral and 1,635 reef-associated fish species. Despite this extraordinary natural endowment, PNG's coastal and marine ecosystems face severe and accelerating threats from illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, destructive fishing practices, coastal pollution, climate-induced coral bleaching, habitat conversion, governance failures and limited access to appropriate finance for conservation-positive enterprises and community livelihoods. This project'Accelerating PNG's Sustainable Blue Economy through Strengthened Governance and Investment in Marine Areas'(PIMS 9532, GEF ID 11262) is a child project of the GEF-8 Blue Green Islands (BGI) Integrated Program. With a total GEF grant of USD 16.76 million and co-financing of over USD 43.2 million, it represents a major GEF-funded marine conservation investment in PNG. The project aims to strengthen the protection and sustainable use of coastal and marine ecosystems through four integrated components: - IntegratingNatural Capital Accounting (NCA)into national economic planning. - Strengthening governance throughMarine Protected Areas (MPAs)and Marine Spatial Planning (MSP). - DemonstratingNature-based Solutions (NbS)and innovative public-private-community partnerships. - Ensuring robustKnowledge Managementand learning, linking PNG to the global BGI platform. Through these interventions, the project aims to place 3.9 million hectares of marine areas under improved management, restore 20,000 hectares of mangroves, move over-exploited fisheries toward sustainable levels, and avoid 19 million tonnes of CO2e emissions, while directly benefiting 10,000 people, at least 50% of whom are women. The project operates in three critical seascapes: the Autonomous Region of Bougainville (AROB), New Ireland Province (NIP), and Bootless Bay (National Capital District & Central Province), reflecting diverse ecological and governance contexts. The project strategy is built around the four transformation levers of the GEF-8 Blue Green Islands Integrated Program, governance and policies, multi-stakeholder dialogue, financial leverage, and innovation and learning, and operationalizes them through a sustainable blue-green economy agenda spanning natural capital accounting, area-based conservation, nature-based solutions business models and innovative conservation finance. This agenda is delivered in close coordination with the PNG Biodiversity and Climate Fund (BCF, established under GEF-6 and transitioning to an independent entity), the GEF-8 Biodiversity Finance Program for PNG (BIOFIN), the Global Fund for Coral Reefs (GFCR) Blue Economy Incubation Facility, and co-financing partners including the EU-funded Forestry-Climate Change-Biodiversity (EU-FCCB) Programme, Rainforest Trust, The Nature Conservancy, the Wildlife Conservation Society and Infinity Blue. The Chief Technical Specialist (CTS) will provide overall technical leadership, strategic guidance, and quality assurance for the project. The CTS is the project's principal international technical expert, responsible for ensuring that that conservation, sustainable blue-economy development, private-sector engagement and access-to-finance interventions are technically sound, commercially informed and coherent across all all outcomes and geographies. S/he will provide critical capacity building to the Project Manager, Project Management Unit (PMU), and the national Implementing Partner, the Conservation and Environment Protection Authority (CEPA) - to ensure that the project meets GEF, UNDP and Government of PNG requirements throughout its lifecycle. Duties and Responsibilities The CTS will report primarily to the Assistant Resident Representative (ARR), Environment and Climate Change Portfolio, UNDP PNG Country Office and liaise with the UNDP Bangkok Regional Hub Regional Technical Advisor for Ecosystem and Biodiversity. The CTS will work in close collaboration with the national project team (Project Manager/Coordinator, M&E Specialist, Gender-Safeguards Specialist, Communications Officer, Community Mobilizers and Technical Specialist ), as well as with other international advisors engaged under the project. On the project's sustainable blue-green economy, business development and innovative financing agenda, the CTS provides strategic and technical leadership, leads day-to-day private sector engagement, deal origination and PPCP/grant administration; the CTS also liaises directly with Treasury, the Department of National Planning and Monitoring, the National Statistical Office, the National Oceans Office, and the PNG Biodiversity and Climate Fund (BCF) on matters of natural capital accounting, blue economy policy and conservation finance. The CTS will maintain regular communication with the BGI IP Global Coordination Project team and the UNDP Planet Hub technical advisors at the Bangkok Regional Hub. The CTS will be office-based in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, with travel to the three target geographies (NCD, New Ireland Province and AROB) as required and approved by the UNDP Country Office. The CTS will be given access to all relevant project documentation, databases and information systems necessary for the execution of tasks under this assignment. The CTS will be provided with office space and standard equipment at the Project Office in CEPA and UNDP Country Office in Port Moresby. Given the regional and international