Senior Project Officer, Gland

Vacancy #: 7670 Unit: Global Convenings and Events Organisation: International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Location: Headquarters, Gland, Switzerland Reporting to: Director, Global Convenings and Events / Congress Director Work percentage: 80% Grade: P2 Expected start date: 01 September 2026 Type of contract: Max-term (up to 16 months) Closing date: 04 August 2026 BACKGROUND JOB DESCRIPTION
The Senior Project Officer (SPO) will coordinate and guide the design, planning and development of all operations for IUCN’s large international convenings, including IMPAC6 and the World Protected and Conserved Areas Congress 2027, to achieve the outcomes assigned by the Director of the Global Convenings and Events Unit.

BACKGROUND

1. The IUCN World Protected and Conserved Areas Congress - 2027
Every 10 years, the World Protected and Conserved Areas Congress (WPC2027) - formerly the World Parks Congress - is the premier global forum for establishing nature conservation agendas related to Protected and Conserved Areas.
It aims to unite leaders from governments, civil society, Indigenous Peoples, and the private sector to develop strategies for area-based conservation, climate resilience, and equitable governance.
The event brings together several thousand participants for a 7-day programme. The next edition will be held in Panama City, Panama, from 4 to 10 September 2027.
The Congress includes an exhibit hall managed by IUCN, approximately 11’000m2, featuring up to 150 small, medium and large stands.

2. IMPAC – Marine Protected Areas Congress - 2027
The 6th International Marine Protected Areas (IMPAC6) represents a unique and major milestone to accelerate progress toward the global ambition of 30x30 for the marine realm. With the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Agreement (BBNJ) entry into force in January 2026, IMPAC6 will play a key role to raise the international momentum towards the first network of marine area-based management tools including marine protected areas (MPAs) in areas beyond national jurisdiction.
The event will take place in Dakar, Senegal, in March 2027.

3. The IUCN World Conservation Congress - 2029
Every 4 years, the World Conservation Congress brings together several thousand participants for a 7-day event, including 3.5 day for IUCN Members’ Assembly, preceded by a 3.5 days Forum with several hundred events open to the general public. The Congress also includes an exhibit hall open to the general public, allowing exhibitors to showcase their research, innovations and other work to the broadest Congress audience. At previous Congresses, the exhibition was between 10-11’000m2, featuring up to 150 small, medium and large stands. In addition, several central open presentation areas, or “central stages” accommodating up to 150 people are included in the Exhibition Zone.
The next edition of the IUCN World Conservation Congress will take place in 2029 and requires selecting the next Host country in early 2027. JOB DESCRIPTION The Senior Project Officer - Convenings (SPO) will report to the Director of the Global Convenings and Events Unit at IUCN Headquarters. S/he will be responsible for delivering part of the overall logistical arrangements for IUCN Events.

SPECIFIC DUTIES:
The SPO-Convenings will be responsible for designing and managing the logistics and operations in coordination with providers and partners, as well as IUCN Staff in various offices across the globe.

- Develop technical requirements for procuring, planning, designing, and implementing solutions for events gathering between 1,000 and 6000 participants.

- Coordinate with the IT team to integrate IT applications for events (e.g. Website, Conference Programme, conference floor plans, internal softwares, Web Apps, Registration forms) and ensure seamless integration with internal systems.

- Collaborate with the Professional Conference Organiser (PCO) and partners to deliver services for Registration and Exhibition.

- Liaise with the Professional Congress Organiser (PCO) and other providers for interpretation and translation services as well as IT needs coordination for network, equipment, and bandwidth.

- Recruit and manage 2 direct reports for the execution of all the necessary logistical arrangements, subject to availability of funding.

- Set up, monitor and troubleshoot operations on site, working with the Host country’s teams

- Ensure timely delivery and quality control of all arrangements before and during events, monitoring subcontractor services and implementing contingency plans as necessary.

- Coordinate with staff to ensure their conference requirements are met effectively.

- Prepare and participate in meetings and site visits related to event planning.

- Contribute to evaluation and lessons learned reports, ensuring adequate post-event follow-up.

- Provide support to the Director of Global Convenings and Events as required. REQUIREMENTS • - Minimum of 7 years of experience in managing event planning, preferably with international associations or organisations, ideally with large scale events (>2000 participants) or similar scale.
- Proven experience in managing complex operations for large events
- Proficiency in budget tracking with Excel and the ability to analyse large datasets, create reports, pivot tables, and charts. Excel certification would be a plus.
- Proven expertise in procurement processes, including experience in delivering complex Requests for Proposals (RFPs) for specific services.
- Ability to Prioritise and Multitask: Ability to work hands-on and efficiently handle multiple aspects simultaneously, prioritising tasks effectively to meet deadlines and objectives.
- Ability to work with complex evaluation and risk assessments matrix.
- Ability to work hands-on and to handle a large number of aspects simultaneously and prioritise efficiently.
- Fluency in English, knowledge of Spanish highly desirable, and French would be a plus.
- Excellent attention to detail and ability to work under pressure.
- Ability to anticipate risks and to identify and deliver workable solutions.
- Ability to travel regularly and availability for 2-3 weeks prior to the events.
- Team player with can-do attitude and ability to build effective relationships with people of all levels and business areas.

Prior knowledge of IUCN Convenings will be prioritized in the assessment of candidates. APPLICATIONS

Applicants are requested to apply online through the HR Management System, by opening the vacancy announcement and pressing the \"Apply\" button.

Applicants will be asked to create an account and submit their profile information. Applications will not be accepted after the closing date. The vacancy closes at midnight, Swiss time (GMT+1 / GMT+2 during Daylight Saving Time, DST). Please note that only selected applicants will be personally contacted for interviews.

Other job opportunities are published in the IUCN website:

About IUCN

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. It is a leading provider of conservation data, assessments and analysis. Its broad membership enables IUCN to fill the role of incubator and trusted repository of best practices, tools and international standards.

IUCN provides a neutral space in which diverse stakeholders including governments, NGOs, scientists, businesses, local communities, indigenous peoples 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.