Job Identification : 12772

Locations : Ha Noi, Viet Nam

Posting Date : 08/02/2023, 05:13 AM

Apply Before : 08/09/2023, 04:59 PM

Job Schedule : Full time

Agency : UNDP

Grade : NPSA-9

Vacancy Type : National Personnel Service Agreement

Practice Area : Nature, Climate and Energy

Bureau : Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific

Contract Duration : 1 Year

Education & Work Experience : Master’s Degree – 2 year(s) experience OR Bachelor’s Degree – 4 year(s) experience

Required Languages : English and Vietnamese

Vacancy Timeline

1 Week

Mobility required/no mobility

no mobility required

Job Description

Background

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion are core principles at UNDP: we value diversity as an expression of the multiplicity of nations and cultures where we operate, we foster inclusion as a way of ensuring all personnel are empowered to contribute to our mission, and we ensure equity and fairness in all our actions. Taking a ‘leave no one behind’ approach to our diversity efforts means increasing representation of underserved populations. People who identify as belonging to marginalized or excluded populations are strongly encouraged to apply. Learn more about working at UNDP including our values and inspiring stories.

UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background

Between 2015 and 2020 the average annual rate of municipal waste in Viet Nam increased from 21 million tons to some 35 million tons (ISPONRE, 2017) and is projected to further increase to 52 million tons by 2025. Plastic waste, in particular, accounts for between 10% and 12% of the total amount of solid waste generated in Viet Nam, amounting to approximately 1.8 million tons every year.

The government has issued a number of policies relating to waste and plastic management, circular economy, including: (i) the National Strategy on the Integrated Management of Solid Waste by 2025, vision to 2050 (Decision No. 491/ QD-TTg on May 7, 2018); (ii) the National Action Plan for Management of Marine Plastic Litter was issued by the Prime Minister in 2019; (iii) the Directive 33/CT-TTg on strengthening the management, reuse, recycling, treatment and reduction of plastic waste, issued in 2020; (iv) the Law on Environmental Protection (LEP) 2020 and (v) the Decree 08/2022 provides guiding the implementation of the LEP, comprising of criteria, roadmap and incentive mechanism to accelerate circular economy.

UNDP’s mission is to support Viet Nam’s transformation to a sustainable and circular growth model where current and future generations of the country unite to contribute and benefit from its economic, social and natural advancement. UNDP seeks to expand the existing coalition and expertise to accelerate optimized resources management for sustained human development and economic growth and reduction of negative impacts on the environment, thus enabling Viet Nam to become a green and resilient country and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.

Against this background, UNDP Viet Nam has been working closely with relevant Government Ministries, institutions, provinces and other stakeholder to design and implement projects and initiatives on waste, circular economy and plastic, including: The project “Scaling-up Integrated and Inclusive Waste Management Models through Empowering the Informal Sector and Fostering the Circular Economy” (DWP5C phase 2) is designed to deploy and test a range of interventions including on the ground support interventions for informal waste workers (IWWs), a model on collecting plastic wastes back to the shore in fisheries, and an ecosystem-level approach at innovating the value chain through a Material Recovery Facility (MRF), and then refining these models based upon the deployment and learning with a view to continued and scaled-up deployment supported by a program of capacity development and knowledge creation, sharing and dissemination. In this connection, UNDP aims to successfully implement the first MRF in Quy Nhon, Binh Dinh, and replicate and expand the MRF to other cities.

The Accelerate Circular Economy for Business (ACE-Biz) project aims to contribute to Viet Nam’s low-carbon and circular development, by transforming business, through formulating circular guidelines, delivering capacity-building programs and fostering technology transfer, and demonstrating the certification scheme to promote exchanges of secondary materials and reusable goods through an online marketplace.

“Viet Nam Circular Economy Hub” (CE Hub) was jointly developed by MONRE and UNDP. The CE Hub is designed as a public-private partnership, and it is a place for dialogue and act as a bridge between existing initiatives and stakeholders in Viet Nam and globally. The CE Hub includes a web portal ( https://vietnamcirculareconomy.vn/en/), which is available in Vietnamese and English, as well as organize training, workshops, and events to enhance dialogue, generate know-how, and mobilize collective action towards the CE transition.

As the portfolio expands, UNDP is seeking to recruit a project officer in charge of assigned Waste and Circular Economy projects and initiatives, with a special focus on Material Recovery Facility (MRF) model.

The Waste and Circular Economy Officer is expected to provide administrative and programmatic support in contributing to the implementation of projects on plastic/waste management, circular economy and activities under the Viet Nam Circular Economy Hub’s framework.

Duties and Responsibilities

The NPSA is directly supervised by the Program Analyst of the Portfolio of chemical, waste, circular economy and ocean economy.

Provide effective management and implementation of projects on plastic/waste management and circular economy to ensure the projects’ progress and achievement of indicators:

•  Develop the project’s annual workplan, procurement plan, budget plan
•  Develop Terms of Reference (ToRs) for consultants, service providers, workshops; take lead in evaluating and hiring consultants and firms for related projects
•  Provide proper guidance to the project counterparts for effective planning, management and implementation of projects to ensure timely implementation of activities and achievement of quality results; including timely preparation and approval of the projects and work-packages’ annual and quarterly quality work-plans
•  Closely follow-up with local authorities, private sector, experts and other colleagues in:
  •  Implementation of management models in solid waste and fisheries sectors, supports for IWWs
  •  Development of framework for policies and regulations on waste segregation plan, plastic waste management plan, and waste management models
  •  Development of technical guidelines, standard facilitating the application of circular economy in enterprises, circular business models, eco-design
  •  Capacity building for enterprises on circular economy and sustainable consumption and production, including implementation of close-loop models and technology transfer
  •  Development of market-place tools for recycled material to further enhance circular economy opportunities
•  Take lead in development of quarterly, annually reports and regular briefings as required by government of Viet Nam, UNDP, and donors
•  Provide technical inputs for communication materials for advocacy at high-level dialogues, public events
•  Contribute to formulate concept for new projects, based on national context, recommendation from government partners at central and local levels and availability from donors

Provide quality assurance to ensure the projects’ objectives and synergies across implementation partners:

•  Establish procedures for monitoring, evaluating, and reporting on quality throughout the project lifecycle
•  Perform regular assessments on indicators, quality standards that the project deliverables must meet, role of stakeholders, to provide findings, recommendation corrective or amended actions and track implementation’s progress
•  Coordinate projects activities implemented by different stakeholders to ensure their synergies to achieve the project’s indicators as mentioned in the project document
•  Collaborate with the project team and project’s partners to identify quality risks and develop risk management response

Develop and foster partnerships with private sector for piloting and scaling up the Material Recovery Facility (MRF) model

•  Provide technical inputs to organize and carry out waste audits to consolidate data on waste stream, including volume of waste generation and its leakage into environment
•  Identify viable and economically sustainable technology for the MRF and coordinate stakeholders including local authority, private sectors and project’s expert to finalize the system design for the MRF, including approval process, infrastructure, equipment system
•  Facilitate agreement between the city’s people committee and private sector to mobilize resources for the MRF’s development
•  Provide input to develop operation guideline for the MRF and its business model to ensure sustainability
•  Finalize the MRF model, including local approval process, technical procedure for operation, and materials value chain created
•  Foster partnership with private sector, local authority and stakeholders to scale up and replicate the MRF model in other cities and provinces

Provide effective coordination and promotion of the Viet Nam Circular Economy Hub:

•  Carry out coordination role for the CE Hub:
  •  Organize workshops and coordination events with CE Hub’ stakeholders, on relevant topics of eco-design, measuring circular economy, financing CE plastic, circular cities, wastewater reuse, etc., aiming at 1 event/month
  •  Develop organization structure for the CE Hub, with its management board and thematic working groups
  •  Engage with private sector for showcasing on CE, at least 2 CE showcases/month will be shared
•  Curate knowledge and content for the CE Hub:
  •  Take lead in curating and creating contents on circular economy that will be published on the website, including news/ information/ events/ documents/ knowledge related to CE, CE examples and case studies/inspiring stories, CE financing opportunities, business’s commitments and pledges…
  •  Provide technical inputs for the development of key communication products of the CE Hub: videos, 02 sectoral CE infographics, 02 CE policy brief
  •  Support the continuous learning and capacity building of key actors in Viet Nam
•  Partnership development:
  •  Actively contribute to the development of partnerships with the other existing stakeholders operating in the field of CE in Viet Nam, following the request from UNDP or ISPONRE
  •  Build and maintain regular contacts with national counterparts, multilateral and bilateral donor agencies and NGOs
  •  Strengthen the role of UNDP on policy advocacy on CE, by close collaboration with government through supporting in CE policy and regulation development, including CE National Action Plan, roadmaps, technical guidelines adopting circular interventions
  •  Proactively reach out to business, start-up, enterprises that may be interested in joining the CE Hub. Develop and continuously update a database of potential actors and members who are critical to the transition to a CE in Viet Nam. Increase member of CE Hub network, at least to 100 by the end of 2023
  •  Enhance the engagement with the private sector to explore opportunities to collaborate in specific sector such as waste and plastic management, IWWs supports, fisheries, wastewater, textile, etc.
•  The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.

Competencies

Core Competencies:

•  Achieve Results: LEVEL 2: Scale up solutions and simplifies processes, balances speed and accuracy in doing work
•  Think Innovatively: LEVEL 2: Offer new ideas/open to new approaches, demonstrate systemic/integrated thinking
•  Learn Continuously: LEVEL 2: Go outside comfort zone, learn from others and support their learning
•  Adapt with Agility: LEVEL 2: Adapt processes/approaches to new situations, involve others in change process
•  Act with Determination: LEVEL 2: Able to persevere and deal with multiple sources of pressure simultaneously
•  Engage and Partner: LEVEL 2: Is facilitator/integrator, bring people together, build/maintain coalitions/partnerships
•  Enable Diversity and Inclusion: LEVEL 2: Facilitate conversations to bridge differences, considers in decision making

People Management Competencies:

•  UNDP People Management Competencies can be found in the dedicated site.

Cross-Functional & Technical competencies: Digital and Innovation:

•  Data analysis: Ability to extract, analyse and visualize data (including Real-Time Data) to form meaningful insights and aid effective decision making
•  Data collection: Being skilled in Data Sorting, Data Cleaning, Survey Administration, Presentation and Reporting including collection of Real-Time Data (e.g. mobile data, satellite data, sensor data).

General (across the functions):

•  Event planning and execution Ability to plan, manage and execute of public and private events to ensure that they support and amplify individual communications and advocacy initiatives, as well as UNDP’s overall brand and mandate.

Communications:

•  Campaign management: Ability to produce and implement communications and advocacy campaigns which lead to impactful change

Partnership management:

•  Private sector engagement: Ability to identify, conduct outreach, and manage relationships with the private sector

Business Direction & Strategy

•  Business Acumen: Ability to understand and deal with a business situation in a manner that is likely to lead to a good outcome; Knowledge and understanding of the operational frameworks in the organization and ability to make good judgments and quick decisions within such frameworks

Business Development

•  Human-centered Design: Ability to develop solutions to problems by involving the human perspective in all steps of the problem-solving process

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

•  Advanced university degree (master’s degree or equivalent) in natural science, environment management, plastic waste management, sustainable development, climate change, engineering or related field is required. OR
•  A first-level university degree (bachelor’s degree) in combination with an additional two years of qualifying experience will be given due consideration in lieu of the advanced university degree.
•  Professional training on waste management and circular economy training is an advantage.

Experience:

•  Minimum 2 years (with master’s degree) or 4 years (with bachelor’s degree) in waste/chemical management, supporting private sectors in circular economy and resource efficiency, project management, partnership with ministries and provincial authorities
•  Prior experience related with tasks involved in developing TORs, guidelines, training materials on environment, waste management and circular economy is required.
•  Competency and hands-on experience in developing interventions to private sectors in term of circular economy, resource efficiency, plastic recycling, development of Material Recovery Facility (MRF) and environmental improvement is an asset.
•  Demonstrated experience in (i) formulating policy, regulation and guidelines on waste management, recycling and circular economy; (ii) conducting research/studies related to development projects on waste audit and chemical management is an asset.
•  Strong experience in formulation, management, monitoring and evaluation of projects related to waste/chemical management, circular economy is desirable.
•  Good skill to engage private sector, and to work with development partners, international organizations is desirable.

Required Languages:

•  Excellent command both of English and Vietnamese (02 written reports/examples is required)

Disclaimer

Important information for US Permanent Residents (‘Green Card’ holders)

Under US immigration law, acceptance of a staff position with UNDP, an international organization, may have significant implications for US Permanent Residents. UNDP advises applicants for all professional level posts that they must relinquish their US Permanent Resident status and accept a G-4 visa, or have submitted a valid application for US citizenship prior to commencement of employment.

UNDP is not in a position to provide advice or assistance on applying for US citizenship and therefore applicants are advised to seek the advice of competent immigration lawyers regarding any applications.

Applicant information about UNDP rosters

Note: UNDP reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement. We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNDP at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and educational requirements.

Non-discrimination

UNDP has a zero-tolerance policy towards sexual exploitation and misconduct, sexual harassment, and abuse of authority. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles.

UNDP is an equal opportunity and inclusive employer that does not discriminate based on race, sex, gender identity, religion, nationality, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy, age, language, social origin or other status.

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