ICT Specialist (E-Learning Instructional Designer) – Retainer

Background Information – Job-specific

UNOPS supports partners to build a better future by providing services that increase the efficiency, effectiveness and sustainability of peace building, humanitarian and development projects. Mandated as a central resource of the United Nations, UNOPS provides sustainable project management, procurement and infrastructure services to a wide range of governments, donors and United Nations organizations.

The New York Service Cluster (NYSC) supports the United Nations Secretariat, as well as other New York-based United Nations organizations, bilateral and multilateral partners in the delivery of UNOPS mandate in project management, infrastructure management, and procurement management. The Sustainable Development Cluster (SDC) supports diverse partners with their peacebuilding, humanitarian and development operations. It was formed by combining the following portfolios: Grants Management Services (GMS), UN Technology Support Services (UNTSS), Development and Special Initiatives Portfolio (DSIP) It provides Services to partners’ programmes that are designed, structured, and managed with a global perspective and primarily serving partners that are headquartered in New York. SDC has a footprint of approximately 125 countries.

UNOPS has signed an agreement with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to implement the project activities for the Global Programme on Nature for Development.

UNDP’s Global Programme on Nature for Development brings together three different initiatives — the Equator Initiative, the National Biodiversity Initiative, and the Global Forest Initiative (New York Declaration on Forests Global Platform) under one program in order to identify, foster, showcase and celebrate nature-based solutions that help achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at local, national, and international levels. The work of the Global Programme on Nature for Development contributes to UNDP’s Strategic Plan 2018-2021 by charting sustainable development pathways through the conservation, restoration and sustainable management of biodiversity and ecosystems; and by promoting inclusive and effective democratic governance in the area of natural resources.

The Equator Initiative brings together the United Nations, governments, civil society, businesses and grassroots organizations to recognize and advance local sustainable development solutions for people, nature and resilient communities. The Equator Initiative seeks to:

• Recognize the success of local and indigenous initiatives.
• Create opportunities and platforms to share knowledge and good practice.
• Inform policy to foster an enabling environment for local and indigenous community action.
• Develop the capacity of indigenous peoples and local communities to scale-up their impact.

The National Biodiversity Initiative supports countries to manage their ecosystems and biodiversity in order to improve national planning and governance of biodiversity, ecosystems, and development, and to promote resilience for sustainable development. The GEF Enabling Activities Project supports developing, middle income, and small island nations in their commitments to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD): early action on the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs), National Reporting. The use of spatial data for spatial planning is a cross-cutting theme across these project areas, including work through our flagship platform UN Biodiversity Lab (UNBL) and to map Essential Life Support Areas (ELSAs). The UNBL, created in partnership with UN Environment and the CBD Secretariat provides policymakers with access to 100 of the world’s best spatial datasets on nature, climate, and sustainable development for planning, monitoring, and reporting. Building on this base, our work to map ELSAs brings together the world’s best scientists and governments in 11 pilot countries to use spatial data to identify where nature-based actions to protect, manage, or restore ELSAs can deliver efficiently across national priorities for biodiversity, climate, and sustainable development. A nascent area of work is building the spatial literacy of Indigenous peoples and local communities and ensuring their participation in spatial planning.

Knowledge Sharing is a main goal of the Equator Initiative, Learning for Nature and the National Biodiversity Initiative. The Equator Initiative has a large series of research papers, books, and other publications focusing on local approaches to poverty reduction and conservation, informed by community-based initiatives.180 case studies in over 30 languages have documented the Equator Prize winners’ innovative practices that deliver the win-win-win solutions that ensure social, economic, and environmental sustainability. The National Biodiversity Initiative share knowledge on the role of spatial data in biodiversity planning, policymaking, and reporting through blogs, case studies, and story maps.

Learning for Nature is a capacity-building offer provided by the Global Programme on Nature for Development, cutting across the three areas of work. This project connects biodiversity policymakers, change-makers, and on-the-ground subject matter experts to facilitate the delivery of the Convention on Biological Diversity’s Aichi Biodiversity Targets and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Access to the global multi-stakeholder networks mobilized by the Equator Initiative, Learning for Nature, and the National Biodiversity Initiative allows Learning for Nature to circulate knowledge while promoting best practices. Building on our learnings on the ground, Learning for Nature seeks synergies, build linkages, and engage thousands of course participants through Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), webinars, self-paced e-learning modules, and private training courses.

For further information please go to: www.equatorinitiative.org, www.nbsapforum.net, www.learningfornature.org, www.unbiodiversitylab.org

This is a position to support a project which UNOPS is implementing for the United Nations Development Programme. The incumbent of this position will be personnel of UNOPS under its full responsibility.

Functional Responsibilities

As a cross-cutting service to the three initiatives referenced above, the Global Programme on Nature for Development requires research support on a continuous basis in order to ground the project’s activities scientifically, to complement program and project development, and to identify synergies with existing initiatives both internal and external to the UN system. The support needed also consists of support in ‘scanning the horizon’ for new initiatives and innovations in the sector, as well as assistance with special projects such as publications, communications, and research support to the Global Programme’s manager in her role advising UNDP senior management.

The ICT Specialist (E-Learning Instructional Designer) will carry out the following tasks:

• Design and develop e-learning courses related but not limited to the contributions and nature and natural capital to sustainable development; biodiversity and ecosystems in national, local, and international contexts; forest management; local communities and indigenous peoples; social entrepreneurship and impact investing; involvement in global policy processes; spatial planning in national biodiversity reporting processes; communications about environmental change; sustainable supply chains and deforestation-free commodities; innovative finance solutions for the environment.
• Edit online learning materials, interactive learning activities and other knowledge products.
• Provide quality assurance for designed materials in multiple languages.
• Create online course rooms in English and Spanish, organizing course content within modules, quizzes and activities, using the content provided by the project team and in accordance with project team’s specifications.
• Test functionalities in course rooms to ensure that all the assets are fully accessible by final users.
• Provide technical support to the Learning for Nature community.
• Create and manage online spaces: upload content, track progress on and engagement in online events.
• Liaise with partners and coordinate the collection of partner content for a variety of e-learning offerings.
• Produce a variety of e-learning offerings, including instructional design, webinar coordination and user support.
• Coordinate knowledge management efforts and gathering and dissemination of best practices, including data analysis.
• Manage communications efforts such as social media materials and photo stories.

Monitoring and Progress Controls
The assignment is supervised by the Manager of the Global Programme on Nature for Development.

Education/Experience/Language requirements

*FEMALE CANDIDATES ARE STRONGLY ENCOURAGED TO APPLY

*CANDIDATES WITH NO UNITED NATIONS OR UNOPS EXPERIENCE ARE STRONGLY ENCOURAGED TO APPLY

Education

• Advanced university degree (Master’s or equivalent) preferably in IT, Arts, Environmental Management/Sciences, International Relations, Political Science, Business and Management, Social Studies, Development, and/or other fields relevant for biodiversity planning and research around topics prioritized by the Global Programme on Nature for Development is required.
• First level university degree (Bachelor’s or equivalent) in combination with two (2) additional years of experience may be accepted in lieu of an Advanced university degree.

Required Experience

• At least five (5) years of experience in one of the following areas: Development of online E-learning Courses/Material, Instructional or Graphic Design is required.

Desirable experience (the following experience is optional candidates who do not have it are welcome to apply):

• Experience with specialized e-learning and instructional design software or datasets (e.g. Genially, Vyond, Canvas, H5P, Prezi, Padlet, etc.) and proficiency with learning management systems (LMS) is an asset;
• Experience developing and designing e-learning courses; editing and developing online learning materials; creating learning experiences and environments; designing interactive learning activities (e.g. quizzes, games, educational songs and videos, etc.) is considered an advantage.

Language

• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English are required.
• Fluency in a second official UN language is desired.