Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) Programme Support Associate
Salary not disclosedPosted today
Closes in 13 days
About the company
UNESCO is a United Nations agency that builds peace through international cooperation in education, science, culture and communication. In the Pacific, it operates through its Regional Office for the Pacific States and a Suva presence, supporting Member States and partners on ocean knowledge, disaster preparedness and evidence-informed decision-making.
About the role
This UN Volunteer position joins the UNESCO team in Suva to support IOC-related work across the Pacific, focused on programme support, research, information management, coordination, outreach and knowledge products linked to ocean science, tsunami preparedness and the Ocean Decade. The Associate works under the direct supervision of the UNESCO Programme Specialist responsible for IOC-related work in the Pacific, in close coordination with the UNESCO Regional Office for the Pacific States and relevant IOC colleagues. The role involves engagement with government counterparts, National Commissions, scientific institutions, regional organizations, UN entities, universities and community partners. It is structured as a developmental assignment with supervision, mentoring and regular feedback, and an agreed workplan with key outputs and learning objectives is finalized during the first month.
Key responsibilities
- Support background research and concise analysis on Pacific Ocean priorities, including ocean observations and data, coastal resilience, ocean-climate linkages, marine hazards, tsunami preparedness, ocean literacy and Ocean Decade initiatives.
- Assist in mapping relevant national and regional stakeholders, initiatives, events, technical resources and potential partnerships related to IOC's mandate in the Pacific.
- Contribute to the organization of meetings, preparation of briefing notes, meeting summaries, presentations, concept notes, talking points, correspondence and other programme materials.
- Support the organization and documentation of consultations, workshops, training activities and partner meetings, including agendas, participant coordination, logistical follow-up, minutes and action trackers.
- Assist with programme monitoring by maintaining activity records, simple workplans, contact lists, calendars, document repositories and follow-up matrices.
- Contribute to knowledge management by organizing and updating reference materials, country information and examples of Pacific good practice in accessible formats.
- Support communication and outreach products, including short web stories, social-media inputs and human-centred summaries of results, in line with applicable communication and consent requirements.
- Participate in team meetings and learning activities, and contribute to collaboration across UNESCO programme sectors where ocean issues intersect with climate action, Indigenous and local knowledge, education, culture and communication.