Senior Policy Advisor to the Beyond Lab

About

The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) is an award-winning independent think tank working to accelerate solutions for a stable climate, sustainable resource management, and fair economies. Our work inspires better decisions and sparks meaningful action to help people and the planet thrive. We shine a light on what can be achieved when governments, businesses, non-profits, and communities come together. IISD’s staff of more than 270 experts come from across the globe and from many disciplines. With offices in Winnipeg, Geneva, Ottawa, and Toronto, our work affects lives in more than 100 countries. 

Job Purpose

The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) is an institutional partner of the Beyond Lab, UN Geneva’s space and design lab for social innovation for long-term sustainability. Since 2017, IISD and the Lab have been collaborating to leverage the rich ecosystem of organizations based in Geneva working to advance sustainable development through the Geneva 2030 Ecosystem project.

The Senior Policy Advisor to the Beyond Lab will contribute to the strategic development and delivery of the Beyond Lab and IISD joint activities. They will be responsible for managing the Geneva network of actors focused on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and long-term sustainability. Leveraging this network, the Senior Policy Advisor will be responsible for convening the Lab’s activities, with a focus on unlocking systems change for long-term sustainability in line with the focus areas of the Beyond Lab (read more). The Senior Policy Advisor will be part of the Lab’s core team and have their daily office at UNOG, with minimal supervision from IISD.

Scope:

• Leveraging the Geneva network of sustainable development actors, lead the Beyond Lab’s activities related to convening and promoting Geneva as a hub for forward-looking multilateralism, specifically through developing and delivering the “Beyond Alliance” initiative.
• Manage and further develop the Lab’s initiative on redesigning systems around values, notably the “Youth Moving Beyond GDP,” in collaboration with key partners, including UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and Rethinking Economics International, as well as the initiative on values-based financing.
• Identify and support joint fundraising efforts for the Lab and IISD, in particular—but not limited to—the workstreams related to convening.
• Manage IISD’s partnership with the Beyond Lab and collaborate with IISD staff to leverage IISD’s expertise where relevant to the Lab’s workstreams.

Responsibilities:

Strategy, Vision, and Leadership

• Contribute to the development and growth of new workstreams of the Lab, such as the What’s Next Series, the Beyond Alliance, the Youth Moving Beyond GDP Initiative, and the Futures Balance project, including strengthening and building new partnerships relevant to the delivery of these projects.
• Manage IISD’s partnership with the Beyond Lab, identifying areas to further strengthen this innovative partnership between the UN and civil society and leveraging each partner's unique capacities and skills in the shared objectives of the Beyond Lab’s mission.
• Promote a culture of high performance and trust, continuous improvement, and shared learning, including through testing new and innovative ways of working.
• Serve as an Senior advisor to the Beyond Lab director on the matters listed above.
• Manage own time and inputs into projects to deliver research outputs on time and within budget.
• Supervise and guide assigned team members.

Fundraising and Donor Relationships

• Identify fundraising opportunities based on existing work or new ideas and support fundraising efforts by establishing and strengthening relationships with existing and potential donors.
• Initiate and contribute to drafting proposals for specific funding opportunities.
• Contribute to the Lab’s donor reporting, with responsibility for reporting on the implementation of funding earmarked for the IISD-Beyond Lab institutional partnership, including ensuring that IISD’s financial reporting is carried out and shared with the donor in a timely fashion.

Communications and Outreach

• Work with the IISD and Lab Communications team to ensure the development of relevant communications materials to communicate the work and its components to a broader audience.
• Present projects and programs to clients and stakeholders, including at forums, conferences, and other public events.

Research

• Lead the delivery of primary and secondary research as required for the successful completion of projects, such as knowledge relevant to the What’s Next Series, the Beyond Alliance, or the Youth Moving Beyond GDP initiative, working with contractors as needed.
• Contribute to thought leadership on the Lab’s focus areas, including by drafting commentaries and contributing to different UN intergovernmental processes on sustainable development and related issues.
• Deliver research and other project outputs to the required standard, including research reports, policy briefs, and technical reports. Ask for guidance and advice as required to ensure the successful delivery of quality outputs.

Reporting Relationship

As part of the core Lab team, programmatically, the Senior Policy Advisor reports to the Director of the Beyond Lab. Administratively, the Senior Policy Advisor to the Beyond Lab reports to the Senior Director of IISD’s Tracking Progress Program or their designate.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in international law, economics, public policy, international relations, or a related discipline, combined with a demonstrated interest in and knowledge of issues related to sustainable development.
• 6+ years of experience working at the intersection of evidence generation, policy, and social innovation while inclusively connecting civil society with multilateral processes.

Skills, Knowledge and Abilities

Essential

• Experience in and passion for applying systems theory and systems design in shaping the future of sustainable development.  
• Experience in establishing and driving impact-driven multistakeholder partnerships, alliances, and ecosystems.
• Experience in designing, facilitating, and moderating multistakeholder and intergenerational convening.
• Experience working on social innovation in an impact-oriented environment, ideally with a focus on sustainable development.
• Possesses strong analytical and strategic thinking skills with a curious, creative, and collaborative mindset.
• Ability to work autonomously with a self-starter attitude and manage projects in a results-driven manner.
• Capable of handling fluid and complex issues and adept at translating and effectively communicating them into relatable content for a diverse range of stakeholders.

Desirable

• Experience and/or interest in areas such as the new and well-being economy, regenerative sustainability, intergenerational equity, and affective sciences.
• Experience in mobilizing resources for social innovation initiatives.
• Experience in applying innovation methods to drive impact for sustainable development, including futures and other creative imagination practices.
• Working knowledge of French.

Salary: CHF 99,000 – CHF 116,000 annually (based on experience)

Location: Geneva

Term: Full-time. The post is currently funded until the end of 2025, with a possibility for extension subject to the availability of funds. 

Application deadline: August 2, 2024 at 4 PM CST

Application Procedure

All submissions must be in English. Accommodations for job applicants with disabilities are available on request.

Candidates must hold appropriate work authorization for Switzerland and/or EU nationality.

Applications will only be accepted through Bamboo HR. Please include the following:

• A CV (no longer than two pages)
• A cover letter (one page)
• IISD Voluntary Self-Identification Questionnaire (optional; right-click to download)

Only those candidates we wish to interview will be contacted. Resumes will be kept on file for 1 year.

IISD is committed to fostering a more equitable and sustainable world and welcomes candidates who uphold our values of diversity, equity, and inclusion. In addition, to correct the conditions of social injustice and disadvantage in employment around the world, we encourage candidates from historically marginalized groups, including women, Indigenous Peoples, people with disabilities, people from different racial and ethnic backgrounds, and those who identify themselves as 2SLGBTQIA+, to apply for this position. We offer reasonable accommodations in our recruitment process and seek applicants’ advice on how best to accommodate their needs. Please self-identify and answer our employment equity questionnaire on our applicant tracking system when you apply.

IISD does not discriminate on the basis of age, gender, caste, ethnicity, religion, colour, disability, marital status, pregnancy, gender expression or identity, sexual orientation, or any other legally protected status.

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