Senior Programme Officer, Business

Vacancy #:
- 7374- Unit:
- South America - Brazil- Organisation:
- International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)- Location:
- Brazil Country Office, Brasilia - DF, Brazil- Reporting to:
- Coordinador Regional de Programa- Work percentage:
- 100%- Grade:
- P2- Expected start date:
- 15 September 2025- Type of contract:
- Fixed-term (12 months with possibility of renewal)- Closing date:
- 03 September 2025 BACKGROUND

IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) is a union of members primarily made up of government and civil society organizations. It leverages the expertise, resources, and reach of over 1,400 member organizations and contributions from more than 18,000 global experts. Recognized as the global authority on the status of the natural world and the actions needed to protect it, IUCN’s Secretariat is headquartered in Gland, Switzerland, with offices worldwide.

As a leading provider of conservation data, assessments, and analysis, IUCN serves as a trusted hub for best practices, tools, guidelines, and international standards. It offers a neutral platform where a wide range of stakeholders—including governments, NGOs, scientists, businesses, local communities, Indigenous groups, and faith-based organizations—can collaborate on solutions to environmental challenges and promote sustainable development.

IUCN implements a diverse global portfolio of conservation projects that combine scientific innovation with traditional local knowledge to halt habitat loss, restore ecosystems, and enhance human well-being.

IUCN’s Business & Nature Global Team is responsible for developing and delivering a coherent and impactful programme of work that leverages IUCN’s knowledge, tools, metrics, and approaches to accelerate the adoption by companies of practices that deliver nature positive outcomes and societal benefits. This programme is delivered primarily through the development of private sector and public partnerships and action at the corporate, sectoral, supply chain, and regulatory levels. It is implemented through a diverse project portfolio delivered in collaboration with IUCN’s Regional and Country Offices, thematic teams, and members.

IUCN’s Regional Office for South America (UICN SUR) is based in Quito, Ecuador and has been active since 1992; the National Office in Brazil, based in Brasilia, since 2010. In Brazil, most IUCN projects are part of broader global or regional initiatives focused on protected areas, the Green List, Nature-based Solutions (NbS), Nature Positive approaches, Forest Landscape Restoration, and other themes aligned with the IUCN Nature 2030 Programme. IUCN’s partners in Brazil include federal and state government agencies, academia, and NGOs—24 of which are IUCN members. IUCN is also engaged in strategic collaborations with leading private sector actors and intends to expand this portfolio with this position.

This position is based in São Paulo, Brazil.

SPECIFIC DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Under the supervision of the Regional Programme Coordinator and close coordination of the Business and Nature Senior Programme Manager, the main duties and responsibilities include:
1. Portfolio development and implementation
- Lead the development and implementation of technical proposals to the private sector in Brazil and potentially others in South America, that leverage IUCN’s data, metrics and knowledge products as well as IUCN’s technical support & analytics to deliver Nature Positive outcomes;
- Leverage partnerships with individual companies and sectoral bodies in Brazil to support the refinement of IUCN’s tools & knowledge, providing technical feedback to the relevant thematic teams, with a particular focus on tools and approaches related to Nature Positive measurement and approaches;
- Explore the possible complementarity and combination of IUCN tools (such as STAR) with approaches supported by other actors or in other context (such as, for instance, Life Cycle Assessments) to increase the relevance of IUCN tools in different sectors and extend their outreach;
- Facilitate Independent Scientific and Technical Advisory Panels in Brazil, providing strategic expertise to address complex and controversial issues and build trust amongst stakeholders;
- Develop and submit concepts and funding proposals to donors for projects related to enabling conditions (regulatory ) that could accelerate the sectoral transition to Nature Positive;
- Support the regional team in establishing and strengthening new collaborations with the private sector in the region and lead the preparation of proposals.

2.Project portfolio management, delivery, and quality assurance
- Ensure the provision of technical assistance, capacity building, and contribute to sectoral transformation as part of IUCN’s collaborative efforts with the private sector;
- Ensure high quality delivery of projects and initiatives associated to each partnership with the private sector according to the priorities defined