Environment and Natural Resource Management Specialist at LRP/UNDP

The overall objective of this integrated, area-focused, project is to contribute to local peace building and restoring the foundations for sustainable livelihood in Central Tarai districts. The project will target mainly women, youth, conflict-affected, poor, and other socially excluded and disadvantaged communities and households. The Livelihood Recovery for Peace Project, UNDP is looking for experienced and qualified Nepalese citizens for the position of Environment and Natural Resource Management Specialist (SB 4/Peg II).

Duty Station: The position is based in Central Tarai Districts with frequent travel to other project districts (Mahottari, Sarlahi or Rautahat) 

Contract Type: Service Contract 

Language Requirement: The applicants should have excellent written and spoken English and Nepali. Ability to speak at least one of the languages spoken in the Tarai (e.g. Maithali, Bhojpuri, Awadhi, Tharu, etc.) is required for position No 1, 2 & 3. 

Duration: One year, initially (renewable) 

Duties And Responsibilities: Under the supervision of the National Project Manager, the Environment and Natural Resource Management Specialist will be responsible for supporting LRP to effectively respond to communities' environment and natural resource-based livelihood needs. More specifically, the Environment and Natural Resource Management Specialist will be responsible for the following:

• Supporting the communities and households to identify their livelihood needs related to environment and natural resources.
• Exploring, designing and supporting larger scale environment and natural resources-based activities such as managing existing forests, rehabilitating degraded environmental resources, river training and plantation activities to mitigate flood, reforestation, and watershed management, with the objective of protecting the environment while creating short-term and long-term employment
• Identify critical forest and wetland ecosystems, biological corridors, conservation areas and seed production areas across the landscape, and develop and implement plan to conserve them
• Provide guidance to LRP in design of income generating and micro-enterprise development activities based on sustainable use of forests and natural resources;
• Identify priority energy schemes at the district level (or across the districts) and work together with DDCs/DEES to plan and implement such schemes.
• Develop linkages with district line agencies and DDC to support develop environment friendly infrastructure projects; and ensure sustainable harvest of natural resources;
• Support LRP to identify communities' and households' energy needs, and design appropriate initiative to increase their access to alternate and clean energy sources.
• Overseeing the Youth Environment Corps for youth employment initiative within LRP;
• Build linkages with academic institutions, training institutions, NGOs, and other government and non- government organizations for effective implementation of environment conservation activities creating short-term employment and building skills in local youth.
• Providing training/orientation to communities and households on sustainable natural resource management, alternative energy promotion, and disaster risk reduction.
• Identifying forests and natural resource-based products that have market potential within and outside the project districts and providing inputs to produce and promote those products.
• Promoting local women and youth and their community-based organizations as local experts/resources to provide technical support to communities/households in environment, natural resource management, and disaster risk reduction.
• Building linkages with the district level institutions - government line agencies such as district forest office, soil conservation offices, and other actors such UN Agencies, I/NGOS and others and develop synergistic partnership with them in implementation of various soil conservation, community and private plantations, watershed and forest management activities
• Identify opportunities for north-south linkages along the main river/sub-river basins and collaborate with government and other non-government partners to develop and implement plan for sustainable river management, and risk reduction activities
• Identify vulnerable communities and infrastructure at risk from landslide and flood hazards; and develop and implement plan to mitigate the risks
• Co-ordinate with the Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Forestry and Soil Conservation, UN agency and other donor-supported projects and programmes that support environment-based livelihood promotion activities in the project districts.
• Conducting field visits to monitor LRP's support in promoting environment and natural resource based livelihoods.
• Providing guidance and support to the District Project Coordinator in the area of environment and natural resource based livelihoods support from LRP.
• Documenting LRP's work in this area with support from the Communications Officer.
• Working closely with other thematic specialists in the project team to ensure that there is proper sequencing of LRP's support to the communities and households given the identified needs.

Qualifications Requirement

• Masters degree in Forestry, Environmental Science, Environmental Engineering, Soil Science, Natural Resource Management, and other related fields.
• The candidate should have at least 5-7 years experience in environment and natural resource based related work in rural Nepal, preferably in the Tarai.
• Proven ability to develop training packages in environment and natural resource based income generating activities.
• Proven ability to analyze environmental issues and problems and design sustainable interventions
• Proven ability to co-ordinate with district line agencies, DDC, UN Agencies and other partners
• Sound knowledge of environmental issues of the central Tarai
• Sound knowledge of natural disaster issues of central Tarai and ways to mitigate them
• Sound understanding of the sustainable livelihoods framework.
• Solid understanding of socio-cultural, political and economic issues of the project districts, and ability to analyze them would be an asset
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
• Past experience of working in the project districts would be an added advantage..
• Experience and knowledge of UNDP policies and procedures and experience from previous UN assignments and/or multilateral banks and bi-lateral aid organizations would be an asset.

Applications should be submitted no later than 7 October 2025 by email, to: [email protected] or in a sealed envelope to:

UNDP Operations Department, (Ref: LRP/UNDP), UN House, Pulchowk, P.O. Box 107, Kathmandu, Nepal 

Candidates are required to mention the 'Ref. No.' and 'Position Name' on the envelop or on the subject line of the e-mail. Only Applicants who are short-listed will be contacted. 

Applicants must submit the updated standard UN Personal History Form available from UNDP webpage http://www.undp.org.np/vacancy

Work experience and/or academic knowledge in relation to gender and social exclusion will be an added advantage. Women, Dalits, Janajatis, Madhesis, people with disabilities, and other minorities are especially encouraged to apply. 

UNDP has a policy to have a gender balance in its staff at all levels by 2010. UNDP, as a matter of practice, does not charge any application, processing or training fee at any stage of the recruitment process. If you have any questions as to vacancy announcements you may have received, please refer to our website.