**Program Overview**Tanah Papua, a globally recognized biodiversity hotspot, is endowed with rich forest ecosystems essential for carbon storage and plays a critical role in climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts (Nurhasan et al., 2022; Parsch et al., 2022; Murdiyarso, 2015). However, these provinces are among the least affluent regions in Indonesia and face persistent pressures from industrial activities such as plantations, mining, and infrastructure projects, often pursued for economic advancement (Glorya et al., 2022; Austin, 2017; Obidzinski et al., 2012; Rifai-Hasan, 2009; Sloan et al., 2019). Initiatives like the Manokwari Declaration and Papua Vision 2100 have been initiated to showcase the provinces' visions to protect forest cover, reduce poverty, and support Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs). Nonetheless, the recent reorganization of Papua into six provinces has led to a redistribution of administrative functions and areas, potentially challenging existing sustainability efforts.In light of these changes, WRI Indonesia is focusing on two key questions: (1) In the wake of the recent provincial expansion, what sustainable development paths should the new provinces of Tanah Papua adopt to achieve meaningful sustainability at scale? (2) How can both domestic and international financial resources be leveraged to support development that is deeply anchored in inclusive sustainability principles?This period of provincial transformation presents an opportunity to steer the development discourse toward reducing poverty, conserving natural resources, and fostering sustainable, inclusive economic growth. As such, the opportunity is crucial to explore policy options and effective interventions to achieve these aims. An integrated, holistic approach is necessary, one that acknowledges local needs, contexts, and existing systems, including special autonomy, decentralization, and development planning. For example, to maintain 70% of Papua's land with forest cover, we need to consider how this goal influences overall provincial development plans, the implications of granting or revoking licenses for plantations on provincial income, and, inevitably, how alternative revenue sources can be developed if forest conversion is limited—all of which require thorough examination.Moreover, our initiatives also respond to emerging financing mechanisms for supporting the implementation of sustainability policies in Tanah Papua, such as the endowment fund established by Intergovernmental Fiscal Law No. 1 in 2022 and Special Autonomy Regulation No. 107 in 2021, fiscal transfers considering the forest cover indicator (Government Regulation No. 37 of 2023), and the carbon economic value instrument (Presidential Regulation No. 98 of 2021)—which among, or what combinations of, could be more effectively utilized for the sustainability objectives of Tanah Papua?Capitalizing on this momentum to achieve sustainability in Tanah Papua requires detailed policy measures that can be effectively implemented within the current systems and capacities. An integrated approach will help to avoid the contradictions that often arise when sustainability policies are developed in isolation and necessitate much more strategic economic models and financing options for realizing such ambition.**Job Highlight**The Climate Finance and Sustainability Specialist will be responsible for ensuring the high-quality delivery of research and policy advocacy components within two key initiatives: (1) the Endowment Fund for Sustainability and (2) Developing New Provincial Pathways for Sustainability. He/She will lead the development of sustainability pathway scenarios together with our expert researchers and systems modelers, and support the provision of evidence-based policy analysis and recommendations pertaining to natural resource protection, poverty alleviation, and sustainable, inclusive growth for Tanah Papua. Working with a multi-disciplinary team, the Climate Finance and Sustainability Specialist will critically coordinate, investigate, and integrate a variety of complex data and research findings into high-quality and impactful knowledge and advocacy products.Reporting to WRI Indonesia's Political Economist and in close collaboration with the WRI Papua Regional team, the position holder will be based in Jakarta with office-flex working arrangement to liaise with relevant national stakeholders and expected to travel frequently for research, engagement, and advocacy purposes in the provinces of Papua, Indonesia.**For the Endowment Fund for Sustainability aspect of the project**:**Research (30%)**- Lead the analysis of provinces' potential and shortcomings in establishing a provincial endowment fund for sustainability objectives, reflecting the economic outlooks, financing capacities, and fiscal arrangements in place.- Support key engagements with relevant stakeholders for expert consultations on substant
