BACKGROUND;

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 some 18,000 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.
The IUCN Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Office (ESARO) operates in twenty-four countries in the Horn of Africa, east Africa, southern Africa and the Western Indian Ocean. The ESARO region is extremely rich in biodiversity with high number of endemic species and the largest remaining populations of iconic wildlife left on the continent. The Coastal and Ocean Resilience (COR) Programme in ESARO is responsible for marine and coastal issues, including biodiversity conservation, development and management of marine protected areas, other effective conservation measures (OECMs) and their networks, Blue Economy, ecosystem and fisheries management, high seas, blue carbon, marine spatial planning, plastic pollution, integrated management and governance of coastal areas, adaptation to climate change and disaster risk reduction (DRR).
In order to accelerate and scale up efforts in the region towards coastal and ocean resilience, IUCN has been coordinating efforts, together with countries and partners, in developing the Great Blue Wall initiative. The Great Blue Wall is a Western Indian Ocean (WIO)-born, Africa-driven roadmap to achieve a nature positive world by 2030. It aims at unlocking unprecedented nature-based recovery efforts through the establishment of a transformational movement. Its goal is to dramatically accelerate and upscale ocean conservation actions while enhancing socio-ecological resilience and the development of a regenerative blue economy by catalyzing political leadership and financial support. The Great Blue Wall is an action-focused and action-driven regional response to three interconnected crises, i.e. Biodiversity – Climate – Socioeconomic with three clear objectives to be achieved by 2030:
i. Effectively and equitably conserve at least 30% of the ocean by 2030;
ii. Conserve and restore critical blue ecosystems to achieve net-gain by 2030;
iii. Unlock the development of a regenerative blue economy that directly benefits coastal communities while also delivering conservation outcomes.

About the Project;

IUCN led by the Ocean Team has been engaging on the global plastic pollution agenda for 10 years, developing and implementing initiatives across the plastic life cycle in over 20 countries, including assessment and quantification methods, policy, and solutions to reducing plastic pollution. In September 2023, IUCN signed an agreement with United States Department of State to host the End Plastic Pollution International Collaborative (EPPIC). The programme will galvanize global action that builds on the momentum from the ongoing negotiations for an international, legally binding instrument to halt plastic pollution to complement actions taken by national governments and offers innovative solutions to advance plastic circularity. The Project is managed by a consortium which is led by IUCN and includes The Aspen Institute, The Ocean Foundation, and Searious Business in conjunction with the US Department of State.

The position will serve in the role of National Programme Officer, Plastics – South Africa, for the End Plastic Pollution Collaborative (EPPIC) Project. H/she will aid the implementation of the Project in South Africa and will be responsible for engagement at the national level to deliver the project objectives, in coordination with the Senior Programme Manager for EPPIC and the Regional EPPIC Focal Point for IUCN ESARO.

SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES;

Ensure EPPIC Project activities in South Africa are implemented according to the workplan in close collaboration with the Senior Programme Manager for EPPIC, the Regional EPPIC Focal Point for IUCN ESARO, and the relevant sector focal government ministry, department or authority;
Develop in-country work plans and facilitate coordination and integration of partner national activities, planned by the Aspen Institute, Ocean Foundation, Searious Business and the IUCN global team into the national context;
Facilitate preparation of workshops, meetings both in-country and regional (where required), including the follow-up activities, such as reporting;
Prepare, monitor and manage contracts with consultants, review consultants’ deliverables in collaboration with the Senior Programme Manager EPPIC and the Regional EPPIC Focal Point for IUCN ESARO;
Prepare national technical reports on the EPPIC Project and support the finance department on financial reporting to ensure timely reporting to the US Department of State; and provide regular inputs into EPPIC’s overall monitoring and evaluation matrix;
Prepare regular updates, draft and edit content and coordinate with the communication officer, on activities, materials, meetings, project webpages, policy briefs, fact sheets, letters and events;
Liaise with EPPIC Project counterparts in other regions to ensure synergies and good collaboration; and with the IUCN IslandPlas project team and the UNEP-led National Plastics Action Plan (SA NPAP) project, as needed;
Liaise with national government representatives and relevant networks to ensure the project is aligned with country’s priorities on plastic pollution, with emphasis on supporting engagement in public-private partnerships. This includes keeping government representatives updated and seeking advice and support in relation to project activities;
Identify and maintain relationships with potential stakeholders including Small and Medium Enterprises, informal sector, women’s, youth and community networks, IUCN members, and partners to engage with EPPIC;
Support EPPIC’s in-country small-grants program, provide technical assistance, review reports, provide feedback and monitor the management and implementation of grants;
Support the advancement of regional and national work portfolio development to address plastic pollution, including through identification of additional funding sources to scale the regional programme;
Collaborate closely with team members across technical and policy workstreams to ensure research supports and informs policy positions advanced by the team;
Maintain broad knowledge and keep abreast of developments and solution options to tackle plastic pollution;
Carry out other technical support as required.