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Waste and Plastic Specialist (National)

Date of Publication
Application Deadline
Company
Cowater International
Brief Description

Please also find the job posting attached in pdf. 

SUMMARY OF THE PROJECT

Field Support Services Project (FSSP) is a five-year project (October 2019 – October 2024) funded by Global Affairs Canada (GAC) and managed by Cowater International. FSSP provides administrative, financial, procurement, and logistical services as well as support to the in-country development programming for the Government of Canada through the provision of technical specialists in gender equality, governance and human rights, and environment and climate action and assisting GAC in procuring and managing local development initiatives. These programs will take place in Indonesia and the ASEAN regions.

BACKGROUND:

At the 2018 G7 in Charlevoix, Canada launched the Ocean Plastics Charter, which outlines concrete actions to eradicate plastic pollution and recognizes the need for urgent action to address the devastating impacts of marine litter on the health and sustainability of our oceans, seas, coastal communities, and ecosystems. As of July 2020, the Charter has been endorsed by 26 governments, and 70 businesses and organizations. To date, the Government of Myanmar is the only Southeast Asian country to be a signatory of this charter.

As part of the $100 million commitment announced by the Government of Canada to advance the goals of the Ocean Plastics Charter and help developing countries address plastic pollution, Canada supports the Global Plastic Action Partnership (GPAP). Implemented by the World Economic Forum (WEF), GPAP is a global public-private delivery mechanism that aims to tackle the most difficult challenges facing the global commons – plastic pollution of rivers, deltas and the ocean. Apart from operating at the global level, GPAP created National Plastic Action Partnerships (NPAPs) with three countries (Indonesia, Ghana and Viet Nam), bringing together top leaders and decision-makers from government, business and civil society in a united effort to accelerate the transition to a circular plastics economy in each country.

In March 2019 Indonesia established a National Plastic Action Partnership (NPAP), which is comprised of members from government, the private sector, academics and NGOs, and led by the Coordinating Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Investments (CMMAI). Because of Canada’s support to GPAP at the global level, Canada sits in the Steering Board of the Indonesia NPAP, represented by the Canadian Ambassador to Indonesia in Jakarta.

In April 2020, a diverse community of plastic pollution action leaders across Indonesia’s public, private and civil society sectors released the strategy document, “Radically Reducing Plastic Pollution in Indonesia: A Multistakeholder Action Plan,” that lays out an evidence-based roadmap towards reducing the amount of plastic leakage (mismanaged plastic waste) into Indonesia’s coastal waters by 70% by 2025, as well as achieving near-zero plastic pollution by 2040 through transitioning to a circular economy for plastics.

In line with the Government of Indonesia’s commitment to reduce marine plastic debris by 70% before 2025, as in Presidential Regulation no. 83 year 2018 on Ocean Waste Management, the Roadmap offers the first fully-costed analysis and recommends five key interventions to realise this reduction target. The interventions include, reduce or substitute plastic usage, redesign plastic products and packaging for re-use or high-value recycling, double plastic waste collection from 40% to 80%, double current recycling capacity to process an additional 975,000 tonnes of plastic waste per year, and building or expanding safe waste disposal facilities to manage an additional 3.3 million tonnes of plastic waste per year. As a follow up, five task forces have been established that include: 1) Innovation; 2) Policy; 3) Financing; 4) Public Awareness and Behavior Change; and, 5) Metrics. The Canadian Embassy in Jakarta (development section) is a member of the Financing Task Force.

As part of Canada’s further support to Indonesia NPAP, the Canadian Embassy will soon provide Technical Assistance (TA) “unlocking private capital for sustainable plastic waste reduction in Indonesia” to deliver concrete propositions to leverage private capital to finance NPAP’s Roadmap. The technical assistance, in the form of Canadian experts in blended finance as well as in waste management system, will be assessing existing and potential blended finance schemes for the waste management and circular economy sectors. In addition, the technical assistance will also work in selected provinces to support capacity building in waste management-related agencies and to develop a waste management masterplan at selected key province(s) that incorporates the recovery and treatment of plastics through waste-to-energy and waste-to-resources facilities. Deployment of this TA is expected in early 2021.

In addition to support for GPAP and its NPAP in three countries, Canada also supports several other global and regional initiatives that benefit Indonesia. This includes PROBLUE as well as The Incubator Network (TIN).

PROBLUE, an umbrella Multi-Donor Trust Fund (MDTF), housed at the World Bank, that promotes the transition towards a blue economy. PROBLUE is supporting innovative work to develop the tools to help countries identify the “Pathways out of Plastic Pollution”, which is expected to be completed in 2021, with a pilot model in Indonesia to follow a more comprehensive approach to the valuation of damages from plastic and its alternatives. Problue is additionally providing support to improve the knowledge base for development of the Blue Economy in Indonesia.

Canada is also funding TIN project implemented by SecondMuse and The Circulate Initiative to address the growing problem of plastic waste in the ocean by transforming waste management into an economy that provides sustainable livelihoods inclusive of those working in the informal waste management sector. TIN is creating a connected network of innovators, investors, civil society organisations, and government leaders and is designing and delivering programs across five countries: India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam that drive investment, innovation, and partnerships for inclusive and gender-responsive waste management and circular economy solutions. TIN’s program, the Ocean Plastic Prevention Accelerator (from Nov 2019-July 2020), features a cohort of eight local innovators to support and scale new approaches to advancing the plastics waste management and recycling infrastructure in Greater Surabaya. SecondMuse is also co-chairing Indonesia NPAP Innovation Task Force.  

SUMMARY OF THE POSITION

GAC requires the services of a Waste and Plastic Specialist (The Consultant) to support the Indonesia Bilateral Development Program. The objective of the consultancy is to strengthen GAC’s engagement in Indonesia in waste management and circular economy to support Indonesia in reducing ocean plastic pollution. In doing so, the Consultant will support and provide technical advice to GAC. Specifically, the Consultant will support Canada’s engagement with the Indonesia’s National Plastic Action Partnership (NPAP) and facilitate the implementation of Canada’s new technical assistance “unlocking private capital for sustainable plastic waste reduction in Indonesia”. Additionally, the Consultant will work to advance gender equality and social inclusion in these sectors, in consultation with GAC’s gender specialist.

The Consultant will report to GAC Sector Lead in Environment and Climate Change Jakarta.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

  1. Facilitating the implementation of the new technical assistance “unlocking private capital for sustainable plastic waste reduction in Indonesia”.
    This includes, but is not limited to:

    1. Providing in the deliverables of the new technical assistance, particularly for: 

      • identifying opportunities of specific investment vehicles across GAC delivery channels (bilateral, partnership, regional, and multilateral);

      • the development of a waste management masterplan of selected pilot area that incorporates the recovery and treatment of plastics through waste-to-energy and waste-to-resources facilities;

      • Interpretation during meetings as necessary; and

      • Translation of relevant local regulations and other documents as necessary.

    2. Engaging GAC-funded implementation partners on relevant waste management initiatives, including The Incubator Network, to ensure synergies.

  2. Providing evidence-based analysis and advice that contributes towards sectorial knowledge
    This includes, but is not limited to: 

    1. Producing relevant briefings and analysis;

    2. Identifying and updating plans and priorities of the Government of Indonesia in the sector;

    3. Updating and analyzing development or policy changes in the sector; 

    4. Providing advice prior to meetings/consultative meetings/policy dialogues in a timely manner; and

    5. Liasing with relevant GAC headquarter Specialists etc as appropriate.

  3. Supporting for External Coordination and Engagement

    1. Facilitating engagement with the National Plastic Action Partnership

    2. Initiating relevant contacts meetings and building network among Government of Indonesia’s line ministries (the Coordinating Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Investments, the Ministry of Industry, the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, National Development Planning Agency/BAPPENAS, the Ministry of Finance), donors, private sectors, non government entity, development banks;

    3. Participating in, and/or providing technical support to GAC at relevant coordination meetings;

    4. Participating in and providing technical support for joint initiatives with other development partners and stakeholders;

    5. Organising, facilitating, and/or participating in relevant seminars/meetings/workshops; and 

    6. Supporting Canada’s advocacy, outreach activities, as well as ensuring Canada’s visibility.

  4. Program/project planning and monitoring. 
    This includes, but is not limited to:

    1. Participating and preparing report from meetings/seminars/webinars/workshops organised by GAC-funded plastic-related projects;

    2. Updating database on all of GAC-funded plastic-related projects (other bilateral programs, multi, partnership);

    3. Supporting the planning of new relevant initiatives through scoping assessment as necessary.

  5. Providing oral and written briefings on any of the above services through ad-hoc and regular meetings/conference calls with GAC Sector Lead on Environment and Climate Change in Jakarta, GAC HQ specialists, and team.

  6. Any other relevant tasks as assigned by the GAC

JOB REQUIREMENTS

Education:

  • Post-graduate degree from an accredited, recognized institution in a relevant discipline such as environmental sciences, sustainable development and waste management, natural resource management, or other relevant qualifications

Minimum Experience:

  • Minimum 10 years experience managing and/or advising cross-sectoral international development programs on waste management in Indonesia. This may include waste management/system/technologies, ocean plastic pollution, as well as investment challenges and opportunities in the circular economy sector. Work experience on plastic-related projects, or gender equality and women empowerment will be an advantage; and

  • Experience working with Government partners as well as other stakeholders (private sectors, development partners, and NGOs) working in the plastic industry, circular economy and/or waste management.

Essential Skills:

  • Strong knowledge of Indonesia’s waste and plastic management issues at national, local and community levels; both in the formal and informal sectors. Knowledge on plastic materials, sustainable development, low carbon growth in Indonesia, solid waste will be an advantage;
  • Good knowledge of investment schemes for waste management and circular economy;
  • Good knowledge of the private sector including small and medium enterprises working in waste management and circular economy in Indonesia;
  • Familiarity of gender dimensions in waste management ecosystem and addressing gender equality gaps around waste management market development;
  • Capacity to identify and analyze socio-economic, political and cultural context, understand the specific vulnerabilities of target groups;
  • A drive for results, including a proven track record of high standards/accountability for work products, meeting deadlines, an ability to prioritize tasks within his/her work program and strategies for working collectively with others on the team to deliver products;
  • Ability to deliver quality reports/analysis/assessments in a short time;
  • Good facilitation skills and ability to generate ideas from, and build consensus among, a wide variety of stakeholders; and
  • Excellent English writing skills

Language requirements

The Consultant must possess the following levels in English:

Oral  = 4 – Advanced Professional Proficiency

Reading  = 4 – Advanced Professional Proficiency

Writing = 4 – Advanced Professional Proficiency

Employment condition:

The Consultant will work from his/her home base with virtual meetings/interviews with GAC colleagues and relevant partners. As necessary, in producing analysis/report/briefs, the Consultant may need to do his/her own literature review and perform triangulation by interviewing experts.

The Consultant will submit deliverables to GAC Sector Lead on Environment and Climate Change in Jakarta. A consultant evaluation will be completed in order for regular payment to be released upon satisfactory delivery of the assignments. In the event that travel to other regions or cities is necessary, all necessary costs will be borne by GAC, through the Indonesia/ASEAN Field Support Services Project (FSSP).

The total expected duration of the assignment is up to 120 days. All reports must be finalized and submitted within this period. The Consultant is expected to start on or around November 2020.

Payments will be processed against the reports (deliverables) therefore a financial report is requested versus each deliverable, giving the opportunity for the Consultant to manage the number of days to spend on each deliverable within the defined timeframe.

APPLICATION PROCESS

Interested individual consultants must include the following documents when submitting the applications to admin@fssproject.com latest by 04 December 2020

  1. CV indicating all past experience from similar projects, as well as the contact details (email and telephone number) of the Candidate and at least three (3) professional references.

  2. Brief statement as to why the individual considers him/herself as the most suitable for the assignment.

  3. Financial Proposal shall be submitted in the following format:

    1. The financial proposal should specify an all-inclusive daily rate for up to 120 working days.

    2. The financial proposal must be all-inclusive and take into account various expenses that will be incurred during the contract, including: the daily professional fee and when applicable any other relevant expenses related to the performance of services under the contract, not including travel expenses.

Qualified women are encouraged to apply.

Due to the large number of applications we receive, we are able to inform only the successful candidate(s) about the outcome or status of the selection process.


ABOUT US

With more than 34 years’ experience, Cowater International is Canada’s global leader in management consulting services specializing in international development and has managed the implementation of over 800 projects in more than 80 countries around the globe. We work with governments, partner organizations, communities and civil society to design and implement sustainable solutions that generate lasting social, financial and environmental impacts. Our adaptive approach to management has led to our award-winning work and recognition as one of Canada’s Best Managed Companies in 2017, 2018 and 2019. Headquartered in Ottawa, Canada, Cowater International also has corporate offices in Montreal, Quebec, Paris, London, United Kingdom and Nairobi, Kenya in addition to project offices in a wide variety of other locations across Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia.

We thank you for your interest in building a better tomorrow with Cowater International.