Communications Officer

IUCN is a membership Union uniquely composed of both government and civil society organisations. It provides public, private and non-governmental organisations with the knowledge and tools that enable human progress, economic development and nature conservation to take place together.

Created in 1948, IUCN is now the world’s largest and most diverse environmental network, harnessing the knowledge, resources and reach of more than 1,400 Member organisations and around 16,000 experts. IUCN provides a neutral space in which diverse stakeholders including governments, NGOs, scientists, businesses, local communities, Indigenous People’s organisations and others can work together to forge and implement solutions to environmental challenges and achieve sustainable development.

Working with many partners and supporters, IUCN implements a large and diverse portfolio of conservation projects worldwide. Combining the latest science with the traditional knowledge of local communities, these projects work to reverse habitat loss, restore ecosystems and improve people’s well-being.

IUCN’s Climate Change and Energy Transition team is part of IUCN Secretariat. The team leads IUCN’s global thematic work on climate change, both to limit the future impact of climate change and to help vulnerable communities and ecosystems adapt to unavoidable climate impacts. The team engages on climate issues from multiple perspectives; from assessing the risks that climate change poses to communities and biodiversity to advocating for improved climate policy and practice; advancing Nature-based Solutions for both mitigation and adaptation centred on improved conservation, management, and restoration of natural ecosystems; and guiding climate investments to avoid maladaptation and ancillary negative impacts on biodiversity and nature-dependent livelihoods.

The team works as a delocalised team across several IUCN duty stations with the staff divided between its Gland-based Headquarters, Bonn, and Washington D.C. Office. The incumbent will support the team in tasks related to the communications for several climate change adaptation projects.

About the projects
The NAture-based Solutions for climate Adaptation: monitoring & impact evaluation (NAbSA) initiative contributes directly to Global Affairs Canada’s Action Area programming on Environment and Climate Action and Gender Equality – Partnering for Climate (P4C) 315 CAD$ portfolio – towards improving climate resilience and reduce poverty for vulnerable communities in Sub Saharan Africa by enhancing the rigorous application of gender-responsive NbS for climate change adaptation. NAbSA – as a transformative and collaborative project - is designed to bolster support through three foundational pillars:

• Enhanced design and implementation through capacity building & equitable access to knowledge;
• Increased evidence of biodiversity and societal benefits by documenting results, lessons learned and best practices;
• Adoption and scaling-up of Nature-positive, gender responsive adaption actions globally.

The Global Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) Fund is a funding mechanism for catalytic, innovative, and inclusive projects that aim to create an enabling environment for the implementation of EbA to enhance the resilience of vulnerable communities and ecosystems to the impacts of climate change.

With the focus on EbA, a nature-based solution that harnesses biodiversity and ecosystem services to reduce vulnerability and build resilience of human communities to climate change, the Fund is strategically positioned to connect and contribute to the delivery of global agendas on the Climate Change – Biodiversity nexus.

Friends of EbA (FEBA) network is a global collaborative network of organizations with a shared interest in advancing awareness, understanding and uptake of nature-based solutions in adaptation and resilience efforts around the world. More than 100 government ministries and sub-agencies, UN bodies and conventions, NGOs, research centres, and other institutions make up the Friends of EbA. IUCN serves as the FEBA Secretariat.

FEBA prioritizes collaboration and knowledge sharing across organizations and sectors, convening the global adaptation community around expert working groups, joint publications, technical workshops, and high-level events, with the belief that by working together we can accelerate global efforts on nature and adaptation.

Energy Transition Portfolio - Climate change and biodiversity loss have become an existential threat facing our planet, each exacerbating the effects of the other. To respond to these challenges, IUCN has developed a programmatic approach to support State members and non-state actors in their transition towards low carbon futures that align with the UNFCCC Paris Climate Goals whilst avoiding unintended consequences to nature and nature dependent communities and contributing towards nature positive goals.

The Global Initiative for Nature, Grids and Renewables (GINGR) is a collaboration between the IUCN and the Renewable Grid Initiative (RGI). GINGR is a platform for voluntary collaboration between state and non-state actors working with the shared interest of ensuring that future renewable and renewable grid systems are environmentally sustainable. It aims to support proactive accounting and disclosure of the impacts on biodiversity and measures put in place to ameliorate such impacts, with an ambition of progressing towards nature-positive outcomes.

IUCN engages with renewable energy operators to provide assurance mechanisms for the implementation of best practice towards nature and carbon commitments. To this end, IUCN establishes independent scientific advisory teams, with key objectives to provide guidance and recommendations to companies on the implementation of best practice tools and approaches for mitigating impacts on biodiversity and ecosystems at an operational level.

IUCN develops and promotes scientific guidance to ensure that key actors in the renewable energy sector have access to, and make systematic use of, the necessary knowledge, tools and lessons that enable the early identification and effective management of risks and opportunities associated to renewable energy production and transmission.

The Communications Officer will directly support the Climate Change & Energy Transition Team (CCETT) by raising awareness and addressing their communication needs. This role involves synthesizing knowledge into actionable insights, developing and implementing communication strategies to promote the multiple CCETT projects and initiatives.

Functions and Responsibilities

a. Communication strategy and implementation

• Regularly assess communication needs of the team; develop and implement communication strategy based on the projects needs and team's business lines
• Ensure regular updates and maintain content accuracy across all digital platforms, including the IUCN website and social media channels.
• Provide communication guidance to the Team’s projects and proposals.
• Develop short news articles, newsletters and press releases to communicate programme results.
• Coordinate with regional teams to organise project site photo/media coverage as appropriate.
• Maintain a library of media coverage (digital publications, press releases, photographs, audio-visual materials, web resources, etc.) and media materials, monitoring the use and effectiveness of such materials.

b. Support major climate adaptation projects of the team

• Lead knowledge exchange and capacity building initiatives under the NAbSA initiative to enhance design and implementation strategies that promote equitable access to information and skills.
• Document and disseminate findings, lessons learned, and best practices.
• Facilitate the adoption and scaling-up of nature-positive, gender-responsive adaptation actions globally, in alignment with the Global Affairs Canada Action Area programming on Environment and Climate Action and Gender Equality, as well as other donors and initiatives of the Team.
• Foster collaboration between stakeholders to create an enabling environment for the implementation of ecosystem-based adaptation, connecting these efforts to broader global agendas on the Climate Change – Biodiversity nexus.
• Coordinate with partners and donors to ensure alignment and support for the strategic goals of the CCETT, enhancing global impact and visibility.

c. Support product development and creation of content

• Support product development from end-user perspective: help with conception and design of products. This includes but is not limited to easy web structures, storytelling, infographics, factsheets, etc.
• Review technical content and provide corrections in language (English and French) and format to make project products usable for broad audience.
• Support communication of products with relevant audience (may include webinars, or events if relevant).
• Provide support in developing and reviewing educational and training materials.

Additional information

• The position may require international travel.
• Knowledge of IT and communication tools essential for effective remote collaboration.