CONSULTANCY - Global Ecosystems Atlas Project Design SSA-2026-GEO 7

Background

The Group on Earth Observations (GEO) is an intergovernmental partnership whose mission is to make Earth Intelligence a public good, ensuring that governments, businesses, and society have access to the data and insights required to support informed and impactful decisions for people, planet, and nature.

The Global Ecosystems Atlas is a collaborative effort to build the world’s most comprehensive and standardised resource on the global distribution, condition, and change of ecosystems. Convened by GEO in collaboration with the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the Atlas supports national reporting, corporate disclosure, private investment, conservation planning, and local action, while complementing existing initiatives.

As the Atlas core service of global ecosystem extent mapping nears completion (Phase 1: scheduled for launch in late 2026), the initiative is laying the groundwork for Phase 2: the design and implementation architecture for measuring ecosystem change and condition at scale. This work is being developed through co-design workshops during 2026/2027, supported by targeted expert consultations. Initial steps to design Phase 2 have commenced with an expert workshop that was held in April 2026; and planning has begun for a follow up workshop in March 2027. In addition, an expert elicitation process and a theory of change for Phase 2 have been drafted.

The purpose of this consultancy is to build on these initial steps and support the Global Ecosystems Atlas initiative in delivering a comprehensive, donor-ready implementation blueprint for Phase 2 by June 2027. The Project Design Consultant will translate the existing theory of change, workshop outcomes and expert consultations into a coherent, technically robust and fundable implementation Blueprint — ensuring scientific, methodological, institutional and financial coherence across workstreams, and delivering a document suitable for phased implementation and donor engagement. The consultants will support the Atlas team on the expert elicitation process and on the second expert workshop (planned for March 2027); helping to design the program, run the sessions and collate the outcomes.

This is not a facilitation role. It is a synthesis, design, and delivery role.

Duties and Responsibilities

Blueprint Architecture Design

• Develop and refine the overall Phase 2 programme structure.
• Define modular workstreams (e.g., change detection, condition modelling, ecosystem-type differentiation, data integration, governance, piloting).
• Identify interdependencies, sequencing, and implementation pathways.
• Ensure alignment with:
• IUCN Global Ecosystem Typology (Levels 4–6)
• SEEA Ecosystem Accounting
• GBF implementation needs
• Relevant private sector standards and market frameworks

Workshop Integration & Synthesis

• Participate in workshops (1-2 in-person sessions).
• Capture, structure, and integrate outcomes into the evolving programme architecture.
• Identify gaps, inconsistencies, and unresolved assumptions.
• Conduct expert elicitation to refine technical components.
• Validate feasibility, scalability, and resource assumptions.

Technical & Programmatic Elaboration

• Develop detailed descriptions of methodological domains, data and modelling architecture, institutional collaboration structures, governance arrangements, piloting strategies, and risk mitigation approaches.
• Elaborate theory of change and implementation logic.
• Define phased roll-out options (geographic, ecosystem-based, or hybrid).

Financial & Operational Structuring

• Develop work packages, budget architecture, staffing assumptions, resource mobilisation logic, and timeline and milestone structure.
• Ensure the Blueprint is donor-ready, including a clear value proposition, framework budget and measurable outcomes.

Drafting & Delivery

• Produce iterative drafts of the Blueprint document.
• Integrate feedback from partners and workshop participants.
• Deliver the final comprehensive Phase 2 Blueprint, including:
• Executive summary
• Technical architecture
• Governance framework
• Implementation roadmap
• Budget framework
• Partnership model
• Risk analysis
• Monitoring & evaluation framework

Main Deliverables

• See attachment

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Advanced degree (Master’s or PhD preferred) in environmental sci…