Biodiversity and Natural Capital Unit Chief - Washington - Inter-American Development Bank

Description

Biodiversity and Natural Capital Unit Chief Job Description

We improve lives.

The IDB Group is a community of diverse, versatile, and enthusiastic people who come together on a journey to improve lives in Latin America and the Caribbean. Our people find purpose and do what they love in an inclusive, collaborative, agile, and rewarding environment.

About this position

The Biodiversity and Natural Capital Unit works to mainstream natural capital and biodiversity across the Bank and provides specialized advice to project teams and client countries on a demand basis, under a robust conceptual approach aligned with the Natural Capital and Biodiversity Mainstreaming Action Plan. The Unit is part of the Climate Change and Sustainability (CSD) Sector within the IDB's Vice-Presidency for Sectors and Knowledge (VPS). CSD conceptualizes, prepares, supports the execution, and coordinates sustainability-focused Bank operations in borrowing member countries. Our main activities include lending operations, technical assistance, and knowledge generation related to territorial development, sustainable cities, biodiversity, environment, disaster risk management, and climate change. Due to the cross-cutting nature of our work, we work predominantly in a multi-sectoral fashion with other VPS sectors, country departments, and representation offices in LAC, as well as those areas of the Bank that lead on institutional partnerships, fiduciary matters, and development effectiveness. The present position will certainly require extensive collaboration across the IDB Group. The position reports to the Sector Manager for CSD.

What you will do:

• Lead and manage the implementation of the Natural Capital and Biodiversity Mainstreaming Action Plan (NCBMAP) and its associated funding mechanisms.
• Work closely with IDB Sectors, Countries, and the IDB Group (IDB Invest and IDB Lab) to plan, formulate, and implement solutions to development challenges from a natural capital and biodiversity perspective using IDB Group financing mechanisms.
• Advise Senior Management and VPS sectors on state-of-the-art data, knowledge, and developments in the biodiversity arena. Coordinate the development of a high-quality economic research agenda on biodiversity and natural capital.
• Lead high-level sector dialogue with borrowing member countries on the development and implementation of their National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) and associated financing plans, and the integration of natural capital and biodiversity into their policies, projects, and investment framework.
• Supervise the strategic direction of the Unit, ensure quality control of its work, and provide direct and indirect line management to its staff.
• Manage a highly skilled, interdisciplinary, and multicultural team of professionals based in both headquarters and regional country offices. The team leads or co-leads operations focused on the conservation, restoration, and sustainable use of nature, including nature finance, nature-based solutions, and biodiversity policy.
• Lead, mentor, establish goals and expectations, handle performance, provide feedback to optimize staff performance; and promote knowledge sharing within the Unit, contributing to coherence, consistency, and collaboration between employees.
• Serve as the formal counterpart of the Bank to the nature-related international fora, including the Convention on Biological Diversity.
• Lead the IDB's collaboration with other Multilateral Development Banks in the natural capital and biodiversity space.
• Lead the implementation of nature-related IDB Group strategic documents and action plans.
• Serve as a liaison for the IDB to donors and countries on thematic issues.
• Work with the IDB's Global Partnerships Office, serve as a subject matter expert to mobilize and deploy capital for the natural capital and biodiversity agenda, including funds currently under management at the IDB.

What you'll need:

Education: You hold an advanced degree (master's or equivalent) from an accredited university in disciplines relevant to Biodiversity and Natural Capital.

Experience:

• A minimum of 10 years of proven experience related to Biodiversity and Natural Capital is needed.
• Extensive experience conducting strategic-level technical dialogues with diverse groups (e.g., public sector, private sector, civil society, MDBs), including dialogues in matters related to the Unit's work.
• Experience with the sustainable development agenda is highly desirable.
• Experience facilitating dialogues and negotiations.
• A working understanding of Multilateral Development Banks is highly valued.
• You have a demonstrated understanding of the fundamental economic, socio-cultural, and environmental characteristics of LAC territories.

Languages: Proficiency in English (written and spoken) is required, and Spanish is highly desired. Additional knowledge of French and Portuguese is a plus.

Requirements:

• Citizenship: You are a citizen of one of our 48-member countries. We may help with relocation and visa applications for you and your eligible dependents.
• Consanguinity: You have no family members (up to the fourth degree of consanguinity and second degree of affinity, including spouse) working at the IDB Group.

Type of contract and duration: International staff contract, 36 months initially, renewable upon mutual agreement.

Skills:

• Coach and Develop
• Promote Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
• Build Lean and Versatile Teams
• Lead Change and Transformation
• Create Partnerships

What we offer:

The IDB group provides benefits that respond to the different needs and moments of an employee's life. These benefits include:

• A competitive compensation package, including an annual base salary expressed on a net-of-tax basis.
• Leaves and vacations: 24 days of paid time off + 8 personal days + sick leave + gender-neutral parental leave.
• Health Insurance: IDB Group provides employees and eligible dependents with a robust medical benefits program which covers medical, dental, vision, preventive care, and prescription drugs.
• Pension plan: defined benefit pension plan that provides financial security and supports employees in planning for their future.
• We offer assistance with relocation and visa applications for you and your family when it applies.
• Hybrid and flexible work schedules.
• Health and wellbeing: Access to our Health Services Center which provides preventive care and health education for employees.
• Development support: We offer tools to boost your professional profile such as mentoring, 1:1 professional counseling, training, and learning opportunities, language classes, mobility options, among others.
• Other perks: Lactation Room, Daycare Center, Gym, Bike Racks, Parking, Spouse Career Program, and others.

Our culture:

At the IDB Group, we work so everyone brings their best and authentic selves to work, willing to try innovative approaches without fear, and where they are accountable and rewarded for their actions. Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) are at the center of our organization. We celebrate all dimensions of diversity and encourage women, LGBTQ+ people, persons with disabilities, Afro-descendants, and Indigenous people to apply. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job interview process. If you are a qualified candidate with a disability, please e-mail us at diversity@iadb.org to request reasonable accommodation to complete this application.

Our Human Resources Team reviews carefully every application.