Job Vacancies United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), September 2010

Job Vacancies United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
Position: International Expert for E-waste Assessments
Closing Date: Thursday, 16 September 2010
Location: United States of America (The), New York

Background
The rapid growth in the daily use of various electrical appliances – ranging from mobile phones to computers – has increased both the rate of renewal of computing equipment as well as the volume of equipment that is manufactured globally. Higher volumes and shorter technical life spans have led to large amounts of electric and electronic equipment becoming obsolete. The volumes are increasing rapidly, especially in the developed countries, who apart from generating domestic electronic waste (“e-waste”), are also recipients of second-hand electric equipment (which may or may not work) from other developed countries. Each of these various waste streams of electrical equipment eventually becomes obsolete and needs to be managed appropriately at the end-of-life stage.

The increasing volume of e-waste requires the establishment of sound systems for managing this waste, which can generate valuable resources (such as copper and gold) for recycling. However, many times, particularly in developing countries and countries with economies in transition, due to the prevalence of an informal or less-organized small-scale sector, the recycling/waste management operations are unsafe and/or unsustainable, exposing people involved in this activity to hazardous substances and highly risky operations.

UNDP’s EEG/Montreal Protocol and Chemicals Unit assists developing countries and countries with economies in transition to reduce the vulnerability of their poor to health and environmental damage, integrate environmental issues into national environmental and poverty reduction planning frameworks, and increase their access to the best available and affordable alternative technologies.

The objective of the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal is to protect human health and the environment against the adverse effects which may result from the generation and management of hazardous wastes and other wastes. The Basel Convention also established the Partnership for Action on Computing Equipment (‘PACE’), whose activities include the development and promotion of pilot schemes for environmentally sound management of used and end-of-life computing equipment towards the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

Through funds provided by the Secretariat of the Basel Convention (“UNEP/SBC”), UNDP and UNEP/SBC will undertake a joint pilot project which assesses the country-specific situations on electronic and electric waste and develops plan to manage this waste in an environmentally sound manner in the countries of Burkina Faso, Jordan, Serbia, and El Salvador.

The implementation structure will include a national project manager, an international expert, and a Project Management Team (PMT), as follows.

PMTs consisting of a Country Project Manager and at least: one national non-governmental organization, one government representative, one Basel Convention Regional Centre for Training and Technology (BCRC) representative, one industry expert, and another expert with relevant experience, will be set up in each of the four countries. This country team will serve the basis of the in-kind contribution from the country.

The PMT will be responsible for the planning, organization and implementation of waste survey activities in each country. An international expert will be engaged to build capacity to undertake the work and perform quality control on the surveys undertaken and to develop, prepare, and undertake training activities in the participating countries. In addition, national consultants (number TBD depending on country and need) will be deployed to assist in the actual data gathering, developing implementation plans and reporting.

Duties and Responsibilities
Reporting to the Country Project Manager and the UNDP Policy Specialist, BDP/MPU Chemicals, the International Expert shall provide expert advice on undertaking e-waste surveys and recommendations for action as per the format adopted by the Basel Convention PACE working group and specifically undertake the following duties:

Specific Tasks:
1. Liaise with the PMT for providing advice on the country-based activities.
2. Undertake a 5 day mission to each country capital to:
* Provide training to country team and national expert on e-waste surveys.
* Undertake site-visits to key e-waste recycling and management sites.
* Provide advice to country experts on how to plan and undertake a country wide e-waste survey.
3. Provide home-based expert advice on practical and methodological questions related to the e-waste surveys and reporting under the various chapters, as requested by the PMT and the national experts.
4. Compile a final report in English based on the input from PMT and national experts as per the outline provided in Annex I and further guidance provide by UNDP and Basel Convention Secretariat.

Level of effort:
The total level of effort for the assignment is 53 days. The breakdown is as as follows:
* 5 days combined for all countries for liaising with PMTs to plan the training sessions and missions.
* 5 day missions each to Amman, Belgrade, El Salvador, Ouagadougou to undertake tasks as laid down under Task 2 (above).
* 3 days (home-based) for each country to provide advisory support to the PMT and local experts on the e-waste survey and reporting sections.
* 4 days in each country to compile the country reports.

Competencies
* Ability to conduct research and analysis and strong synthesis skills
* Proven experience conducting field assessments.
* Excellent facilitation and training skills
* Proven ability to (i) work flexibly and independently with limited supervision in a multicultural team environment and deliver quality results against tight deadlines; (ii) multi-task in an organization transcending across national boundaries and multiple time zones.
* Up-to-date knowledge of environment and waste topics and issues.
* Highly developed inter-personal, negotiation, teamwork skills and a networking aptitude.
* Excellent English drafting and communication skills

Required Skills and Experience
* Advanced degree in science or engineering.
* Thorough understanding of material flows, management option and technologies for e-waste re-cycling.
* Experience in managing electric and electronic waste in a developing country is required.
* Skills in the main languages of the survey countries highly desirable.
* Knowledge of the Basel Convention, including its objectives and working procedures is desirable.

United Nations Development Programme
304 East 45th Street
New York
Telephone: (212) 909-7940

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.




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