Senior Programme Officer

Organisation:
International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)

Location:

North America Regional Office, Washington D.C., United States of America

Bonn, Germany, also considered as an alternative duty station.

Reporting to:
Head Forest and Grassland Team

Work percentage: 100%

Grade: P2

Expected start date: 15 December 2026

Type of contract:
Fixed-term (up to 24 months)

Closing date: 09 November 2026

Under the supervision of the Head of the Forest and Grasslands Team (FGT), the Senior Program Officer will provide technical expertise, project management, and implementation oversight across IUCN's portfolio in ecosystem restoration, forest and grassland conservation, drylands, rangelands, and sustainable land management. The position will particularly emphasize addressing land degradation, restoring ecological functions, improving soil health, conserving biodiversity, and strengthening ecosystem and community resilience.

The incumbent will manage and contribute to the technical delivery of projects and programs, ensuring alignment with FGT priorities, IUCN's Nature 2030 Program, and relevant international environmental commitments, including the three Rio Conventions. The role will support the integration of ecological and scientific knowledge into restoration planning, policy, implementation, and monitoring, with particular attention to land degradation neutrality (LDN), nature-based solutions, and climate adaptation.

A key responsibility will be to contribute to the development, implementation, and management of projects financed through bilateral and multilateral mechanisms, including the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and other international environmental and climate funds. The incumbent will support the identification of funding opportunities, the preparation of technically sound project concepts and proposals, and the delivery of donor-funded projects in collaboration with IUCN regional and country offices and relevant partners.

The Senior Program Officer will work closely with other FGT colleagues, IUCN programs, regional and country offices, Commissions and external partners. The position will contribute to technical partnerships, policy processes, capacity development, knowledge management and learning, and represent IUCN in relevant technical and policy forums.

• Manage assigned projects and work streams on ecosystem restoration, drylands, rangelands, grasslands, forest landscapes and sustainable land management, ensuring effective delivery of agreed outputs and results.
• Provide technical guidance on the assessment, planning, implementation and monitoring of restoration and sustainable land management interventions, particularly in degraded dryland, grassland and rangeland ecosystems.
• Support the application of relevant IUCN tools and approaches, including the Restoration Opportunities Assessment Methodology (ROAM), Restoration Barometer, Red List of Ecosystems and other relevant biodiversity, ecosystem condition and land degradation assessment methodologies.
• Integrate considerations of soil health, vegetation dynamics, biodiversity, water resources, ecological connectivity, ecosystem functions and climate resilience into project planning and implementation.
• Support integrated approaches that address the drivers of land degradation and promote ecological restoration, sustainable land use and improved management of natural resources.
• Ensure the quality, timeliness and technical coherence of assigned activities, including coordination with project partners, consultants and IUCN regional and country teams.
• Contribute to program learning, results monitoring and adaptive management, including the documentation and dissemination of lessons from project implementation.

• Lead or support the technical implementation of assigned projects focused on forest and landscape restoration, dryland and rangeland management, grassland conservation, sustainable land management and biodiversity conservation.
• Provide technical expertise on land degradation processes, ecosystem condition and recovery, soil health, restoration ecology, vegetation management and ecological resilience, including in arid and semi-arid landscapes.
• Support the design and implementation of interventions contributing to land degradation neutrality, biodiversity conservation, climate adaptation and sustainable livelihoods.
• Coordinate the…