United Nations Environment Programme is looking for a Shark Assessment Specialist

Position title: Shark Assessment Specialist

Organization: United Nations Environment Programme

Location: GENEVA

Level: CON - CON

Job Family: ENV

Application Deadline: 09 April 2026 at 03:59 UTC

Job Opening Number: 26-United Nations Environment Programme-274138-Consultant

Apply via: UN Inspira Portal

Result of Service

• Report documenting review findings and proposed conceptual framework with rationale.
• Detailed annotated outline of the proposed practical guidance.
• Complete draft practical guidance for making NDFs for sharks and rays including three worked examples as annexes.
• Final publication-ready practical guidance incorporating peer review comments and all source files in editable formats.

Work Location

HOME-BASED

Expected duration

7 months

Duties and Responsibilities

The United Nations Environment Programme (UN Environment) is the leading global environmental authority that sets the global environmental agenda, promotes the coherent implementation of the environmental dimension of sustainable development within the United Nations system and serves as an authoritative advocate for the global environment. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) is an international agreement between states. Its aim is to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival (www.cites.org). The CITES Secretariat is administered by UN Environment and is located at the Geneva duty station.

This assignment is in support of the implementation of the Programme of Work assigned by the CITES Parties to the CITES Secretariat. The specialist will undertake tasks related to the application of specialized shark and ray assessment knowledge and expertise to inform the development of practical guidance on non-detriment findings (NDFs) for sharks and rays.

This consultancy will support the CITES Secretariat in developing practical guidance to assist Scientific Authorities in making NDFs for sharks and rays. The assignment aims to adapt existing CITES NDF guidance for sharks and rays by providing practical frameworks and direction that can be applied across different biological, fisheries, and data contexts. The work will contribute to capacity-building assistance for Parties implementing Appendix-II shark and ray listings and will result in a practical, publication-ready guidance document.

Under the overall supervision of the Chief, Science Unit, the Shark assessment specialist will:

1. Literature review and conceptual framework:

• Conduct a comprehensive review of existing NDFs for sharks and rays, the CITES NDF guidance, relevant Animals Committee documents and international/regional best practices for shark and ray assessments, focusing on: approaches used by Scientific Authorities, data and methodological challenges encountered, how uncertainty is addressed in practice, gaps between existing guidance and practical implementation.
• Based on the review, propose a conceptual framework for practical guidance that adapts existing CITES NDF guidance for sharks and rays taking into account biological diversity, varying fisheries interactions, uncertainty, priority data needs and differing data contexts across shark and ray species.

2. Annotated outline development:

• Based on the agreed conceptual framework, prepare a detailed annotated outline that articulates the intended logic, scope, and key content of each proposed section. The outline should demonstrate how the guidance will adapt existing CITES NDF guidance and specify the content and approach for each major section.

3. Drafting the practical guidance:

• Based on the agreed annotated outline, draft the practical guidance for making NDFs for sharks and rays following the approved conceptual framework and addressing the needs identified in the review.
• Include three worked examples as annexes demonstrating application of the guidance across contrasting scenarios (e.g. data-rich vs data-limited; target vs bycatch).
• Present the draft in clear, accessible language suitable for Scientific Authorities.

4. Revision and finalization of the practical guidance:

• Facilitate peer review of the draft practical guidance in consultation with the CITES Secretariat.
• Consolidate reviewer feedback and revise the draft to incorporate comments from peer reviewers and the Secretariat.

Qualifications/special skills

Education: An advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in biological or fisheries sciences is required. A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Work Experience: Seven (7) years of relevant professional experience in shark and ray biology, fisheries science, or population assessment is required.

• Experience working with data-limited fisheries or assessments for sharks and rays is required.
• Experience interpreting fisheries data and/or stock assessment outputs for management or conservation decision-making is required.
• Experience contributing to or supporting the development of Non-Detriment Findings (NDFs) for CITES-listed marine species is desirable.
• Two years of experience working in an international organization is desirable.

Languages

English, Spanish and French are the working languages of the CITES Secretariat. For this consultancy position, fluency in oral and written English is required. Knowlege of Spanish or French is desirable.

Additional Information

Not available.

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