Ilgvars Kļava began working at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1994 as the First Secretary of the Embassy of Latvia in Austria. I.Kļava has been Director of Multilateral Relations Department, Director of Security Policy Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Deputy State Secretary at the Security Policy and International Organisations Directorate, as well as Deputy State Secretary to the Second political Directorate.

During his diplomatic career I.Kļava has been Counsellor at the Embassy of Latvia in the Kingdom of Belgium and the Permanent Representation of Latvia to NATO. From 2008 until 2013 Ilgvars Kļava was Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Latvia to the Federal Republic of Germany, as well as Non-resident Ambassador to the State of Kuwait. From 2013 until 2017 Ilgvars Kļava was successively Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Latvia to the Republic of Poland, to the Republic of Romania, residing in Warsaw (2014 – 2017) and to the Republic of Bulgaria, residing in Warsaw (2014 – 2017).

From 2017 until now H.E. Amb. Ilgvars Kļava has been the Director General of Bilateral Relations Directorate at Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Latvia.

Ambassador I. Kļava has been decorated with the Order of Viesturs, 2nd class.