Expert, Global Biodiversity Framework - WWF International - Secondment/Fixed ter

International secondment or fixed term opportunity Location: APAC except Singapore and Hong Kong Duration: Until 30 June 2027

% FTE: 40%-100%

Want to make a positive difference to the future of people and our one shared home, the Earth? Working at WWF could be your opportunity of a lifetime.

All around the world, people are waking up to the devastating impacts of climate change and nature loss. The situation today is worse than the darkest predictions of just ten years ago, pushing billions of people to the edge and threatening lives and livelihoods. At WWF, we are facing our biggest crisis – and our biggest ever opportunity – to create a better future for people and nature. With over 60 years of experience and an active presence in more than 100 countries, we work to achieve both on-the-ground and global policy action, from protecting and restoring species and their habitats, to transforming markets and policies toward sustainability.

Our people come from hugely diverse backgrounds and with a variety of expertise, ranging from conservation science and advocacy to HR and finance. We welcome applications from anyone who believes they can help us tackle this enormous global challenge and drive the urgent conservation impact needed to restore our planet.

What We Do We are an independent conservation organization, striving to sustain the natural world for the benefit of people and the ecosystem. From individuals and communities to businesses and governments, we are part of a growing global movement calling for bolder action on climate and nature, demanding that world leaders set nature on the path to recovery by 2030. WWF works to address the most dominant drivers of nature loss through system-wide changes in how food and energy are produced and consumed, and in how financial systems are structured. By implementing change in every country, we aim to drive visible and positive impacts on the ground, helping to restore nature in the most critical places around the world, from the Amazon to the Coral Triangle.

Engaging everyone means addressing the barriers to participation faced by some groups in society, including local communities. Conservation will only be sustainable if it is owned by, and benefits, local people. That’s why Indigenous Peoples and local communities must be at the centre of action on climate and nature. WWF is committed to using its resources and global network to support these communities in creating together the most effective solutions where they live.

Humanity is still in time, we have a clear pathway to solve this crisis. At WWF, we call on everyone to join the global movement, change how we live, and take action now.

1 MISSION OF THE DEPARTMENT

2030 marks a milestone on many fronts. WWF’s global goals, the Global Biodiversity Framework, the Paris Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals all have a 2030 horizon. WWF views the next six years as critical in delivering impact to meet these targets and driving systemic change through policy action is one of the key vehicles to deliver this impact. The next six years are crucial as WWF will scale up its efforts to strengthen inclusive implementation at the national level and leverage these experiences to influence and ensure progress on its global ambitions. This includes ensuring there are sufficient, timely and accessible financial resources flowing to where they are needed, as well as ensuring that relevant stakeholders are involved and engaged at the local, regional and global level. Engaging everyone means addressing the barriers to participation faced by some groups in society, including local communities, and ensuring the knowledge of Indigenous Peoples and local communities (IPs and LCs), as custodians and stewards of nature, is at the centre of implementation of WWF’s People Powering Biodiversity project. To this end, WWF recently commenced implementation of this three-year project focused on accelerating implementation of the Global Biodiversity Framework through community-led conservation. The People Powering Biodiversity project aims to put community-led conservation at the heart of Global Biodiversity Framework implementation in Papua New Guinea, the Republic of Congo, Tunisia, Tanzania and Viet Nam, by ensuring full and effective participation of IPs and LCs in the development / revision of National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plans (NBSAPs), and in the implementation and monitoring of conservation activities at site and landscape level. The project will also advocate for new and additional funding for biodiversity through National Biodiversity Finance Plans (NBFPs) that facilitate greater access to finance for IPs and LCs. Experiences and lessons learned in the five countries will be leveraged and amplified to galvanise action and advocacy for ambitious and inclusive NBSAPs and NBFPs in the Congo Basin, Pacific, North Africa/Mediterranean, Mekong/ASEAN, Eastern and Southern Africa sub-regions, and globally working closely with WWF’s regional and global policy and advocacy teams, and public sector partnership teams.

2 MAJOR FUNCTIONS

The Asia-Pacific Policy Expert will be a member of the Asia-Pacific's regional conservation team, and will work very closely with the Senior Project Manager for People Powering Biodiversity, the country, regional and global project teams to ensure policy influence and advocacy for ambitious and inclusive NBSAPs and NBFPs at national level in the five project countries, generating and amplifying lessons learned in the wider sub regions and globally. The Asia Pacific Policy Expert will be responsible for amplifying lessons learned from the People Powering Biodiversity project at a national level to the wider sub regions and globally through policy influence and engagement and strengthening policy capacity, while ensuring close synergies with the country office, regional, and global conservation and policy goals including WWF offices’ five-year strategic plans (2025-2030), WWF’s Roadmap 2030 objectives, The NBSAPs We Need; WWF’s Criteria for Ambitious NBSAPs) and many others as deemed relevant. They will work closely with GPID, PSP, Practices and other global teams.

3 MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Facilitating the documentation of lessons learned from Papua New Guinea and Viet Nam that can be used for cross learning, leveraging and influencing targeted local, national and regional policy stakeholders
• Providing technical assistance to Papua New Guinea and Viet Nam to mobilize governments and key stakeholders, and boost in-country and sub region/regional policy influencing. This includes:

a. Developing policy toolkits / guidelines for coordinating coherent, ambitious and inclusive NBSAPs and NBFPs b. Developing simplified understanding / articulation of People Powering Biodiversity’s 23 targets, adapted to national and regional stakeholders in coordination with the selected WWF country offices c. Identifying conditions and opportunities for achieving ambitious, inclusive and equitable NBSAPs and linkages with other policy processes (e.g. NDCs, SDGs) in the region and sub regions d. Providing help desk and expert input to strengthen national platforms, joint lobbying and advocacy of WWF and partners in several selected countries in the region and sub regions e. Promoting and strengthening partnerships with other organizations to promote inclusive, equitable and effective participation of all stakeholders, especially the rights holders and marginalized groups

• Stimulating the replication, scaling and adoption of successful field-tested community-led conservation approaches to other landscapes and regions through technical assistance, policy influence and cross learning
• Facilitating the mainstreaming of community-led conservation approaches and results in WWF offices, including building capacity and contextualizing regional policy positions and opportunities to the national level
• Acting as a ‘radar function’ for policy influence in the region (incl. with key regional institutions, like ASEAN and the Pacific Islands Forum) and guiding how the People Powering Biodiversity projectcan be effectively positioned to achieve impact. This includes:

a. Staying up to date with intelligence on geo-political trends, challenges, experiences, opportunities, tactics regarding PPB implementation in the Asia-Pacific region that provide or hinder momentum and share with senior leadership and relevant colleagues b. Aggregating and sharing resources, priorities, successes and challenges, across the region and sub regions, in ways that attract required attention from targeted stakeholders and policy makers c. Sharing experiences and successes of WWF’s work on NBSAPs with key regional stakeholders (including CSOs, donors, international financial institutions and governmental bodies) d. Working closely with WWF national offices to provide an evidence base for their influencing with donor governments e. Organizing/participating in relevant UN conferences, lobby events, regional exchanges, workshops and consultations to gather diverse perspectives and foster collaboration

• Developing partnerships and key alliances with key regional institutions and platforms to support or leverage WWF’s ambitions and approaches on PPB implementation and work towards (financial) commitments that will allow the replication and sustainability of this approach in the region and sub regions

4 PROFILE

Required Qualifications.

• Advanced degree in conservation policy, natural resource management, or a related field
• A minimum of 10 years’ experience with a track record of advancing a complex policy agenda to national and local stakeholders
• A good understanding of regional and global intergovernmental conventions, institutions relevant for PPB implementation and other related conventions
• A good grasp of geopolitical issues and strategic relationships between governments in the region
• Extensive experience in policy influence and advocacy, development of partnerships and approaches that enable inclusion of local communities, particularly women and youth in policy development.

Required Skills and Competencies.

• Analytical skills, with the ability to synthesize complex information and produce high quality guidance documents and reports.
• A good grasp of geopolitical issues and strategic relationships between governments in the region
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to work effectively with diverse stakeholders from different cultural settings.
• Diplomatic skills, internal and external networking expertise
• Fluency in English, both written and spoken is required.
• Working knowledge of French would be an asset.
• Embraces the WWF mission and values of the organisation: Courage, Integrity, Respect & Collaboration.

5 WORKING RELATIONSHIPS

Internal. Country, Regional and Global Project teams, Conservation Teams; Policy and Advocacy teams, Public Sector Partnerships teams, Impact Measurement teams; Philanthropy and Fundraising communications; and others

• Regular contact with WWF advocacy staff in Papua New Guinea and Viet Nam, across transboundary programmes in the Greater Mekong and the Pacific, across the 25 WWF offices across the Asia Pacific region, and within WWF International’s relevant Practices (e.g. Climate & Energy, Wildlife, Forests, Oceans, Finance)
• Work closely with WWF International’s Asia Pacific regional office team, particularly the Head of Communications & Advocacy, and with the ‘AP30 core team’ that exists to support the regional coalition of the 30 WWF offices to deliver impact at scale
• Work closely with WWF International’s Global Policy Impact department and specifically with experts focused on the Asia-Pacific region

External. Government officials, regional and national organizations, financial institutions, donor agencies and businesses, within collaborative and divergent external contexts; to collaborate.

This job description covers the main tasks and conveys the spirit of the sort of tasks that are anticipated proactively from staff. Other tasks may be assigned as necessary according to organisationalneeds.

Please upload your covering letter and CV in English. Priority will be given to applications with both documents indicated.

Deadline for applications: 4 January 2026 Work permit restrictions may apply

Early application is encouraged as we will review applications throughout the advertising period and reserve the right to close the advert early.

At WWF, we are dedicated to fostering an inclusive and diverse workplace where every individual feels valued and respected. We believe that a diverse workforce will help us to achieve our mission to stop the degradation of the Earth's natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature. As an equal opportunity employer, we are committed to providing fair and unbiased consideration for all candidates regardless of their background. We encourage applicants from all backgrounds to apply and join us in fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace.