Programme Officer (Regional Resource Centre for Asia and the Pacific) for Asian Institute of Technology (Oct 2015)

Regional Resource Centre for Asia and the Pacific

Background

The Regional Resource Centre for Asia and the Pacific (RRC.AP) is an institute-wide, multi-disciplinary center of the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) with a goal to provide resources for policy setting towards sustainable development, acting as a science-policy interface by regional networking, processing and assessing information and knowledge for governments, local communities and other stakeholders in the Asia-Pacific region. RRCAP has over 25 years of experience of closely working with UNEP and other international Donors in dealing with regional environmental issues and is also serving as the secretariat for many intergovernmental networks/initiatives in the region. The office of RRC.AP is located within the campus of AIT at Pathumthani province, north of Bangkok.

The rapid increase in world population, most significantly the urban population, together with the rising consumption triggered by economic growth, is leading to a surge in waste generation. Almost every human activity contributes to waste, defined as an unwanted by-product of human activity in solid, liquid, and gaseous form. Therefore, there is a great need to make waste management a national priority, ensuring its visibility, acknowledging its cross-cutting nature, and allocating the necessary resources for its implementation at local levels.

UNEP IETC is partnering with RRC.AP in the implementation on national and local capacity for waste management through scientific information, national and city waste management strategies, pilot demonstrations, and training through the Project Cooperation Agreement (PCA).

These Terms of Reference (ToR) present the mandate, duties and responsibilities, and operating guidelines for the Programme Officer under this PCA.

The overall objective of this PCA is to provide support on national and local capacity for waste management through scientific information, national and city waste management strategies, pilot demonstrations, and training. The scientific information is vital for decision making on policies and technologies. The national and city strategies will provide policy framework, institutional arrangements, financing mechanisms, technical options and stakeholders’ roles for an effective and efficient waste management system, and pilot demos will build the technical capacity and showcase the appropriate technologies for achieving the goals of waste management in terms of minimizing negative impacts on environment and health and recovering resources from waste. The training will help towards immediate and long-term capacity for waste management.

Responsibilities and duties

The Programme Officer is responsible to support and assist the Coordinator of the Waste Management Cluster in particular, for the operation of the National and City Waste Management Strategies and other main activities under the Project Cooperation Agreement (PCA) between UNEP and AIT RRC.AP, which includes but is not limited to the following:

1. Assist in the coordination, maintaining effective communication and relationships with National and City    Focal Points, Intergovernmental Organizations partners [e.g. ASEAN] in coordination with UNEP IETC.

2. Support in the facilitation in a coordinated approach in the identified countries in the area of capacity building, technology transfer, and public private partnerships on waste management.

3. Support the development of the baseline study and analysis of technical documents, including:

• Baseline study on the status of waste management in the selected country/city. The baseline study shall be conducted in a comprehensive holistic approach at national and city level [waste forms: gaseous. liquid and solid].
• Baseline study aimed at gathering data and information on the status of the country/city in waste management in a comprehensive holistic approach at national/city level.
• Analysis of the information for the baseline in collaboration with stakeholders. A gap analysis would be undertaken to compare the actual performance of the current waste management system and the potential performance that can be expected.

1. Assist in the drafting of National and City Waste Management Strategies and Action Plans following the detailed UNEP IETC methodology as per the guidance documents and guidance templates as well as provide technical inputs to the strategies and action plans.

2. Support in the preparation of local meetings/workshops with authorities and stakeholders, including the drafting of major issues and discussion points, and the identification of relevant stakeholders to participate in the meetings/workshops.

3. Perform other duties as required under the supervision of the Coordinator of the Waste Management Cluster and Director of RRC.AP.

Required Competencies

• Demonstrated expertise in waste management in solid, liquid and gaseous forms, or other areas relevant to the waste program work of RRC.AP;
• Knowledge of learning methodology and environmental engineering experience within the development sector, including experience in areas such as wastewater, solid waste management, emissions management, training and training impact evaluations;
• Proven ability to develop manuals and guidelines to institutionalize best practices in waste management and 3R [reduce, reuse and recycle];
• Understanding of the principles underpinning waste management and 3R. In terms of the impact of the environment and health, including the waste generation, classification of waste stream and Projections for the future (challenges and opportunities);

Required Skills and Experience

Education

• Master degree in urban environmental management, environmental engineering, environmental science or any field relevant to the waste management program work of RRC.AP;
• Specialized training in the area of waste management, 3R and/or combination of the three forms of waste (gaseous, liquid and solid).

Experience

• At least 5 years of relevant professional experience, Experience in leading project development, implementation, and resource mobilization in the area of Waste Management particularly in the Asian region;
• Experience working in a multi-disciplinary and multi-cultural environment.
• Experience in managing small project teams.
• Experience in working collaboratively with waste management project team/partners as well as solicits input by genuinely valuing others’ ideas and expertise.

Language

• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English

To apply, please register online and complete the registration form. You are required to create your own user name and password, once completed, go back to the advertisement page and click “Apply Now” button.

Please do not forget to download your comprehensive resume with complete names, addresses, telephone numbers and email addresses of at least two referees, including a short cover letter which explains your suitability for this position. (save them all in one file name and download a single file).