Debris Management Specialist – P4  

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 checks.

Organizational Context

Since the full-scale military aggression by Russian forces in February 2022 (hereafter, the “war”), Ukraine has been facing unprecedented threats to human security— thousands of women, men, and children have lost their lives, all sorts of life-line infrastructures have been destroyed, and millions of people have been forced to leave their homes. There are no prospects for a ceasefire or peace in near future and the negative impacts of the war in Ukraine have been spreading to global peace and security.  

To maximise positive results for transformational recovery under the recovery framework of UNDP Ukraine, UNDP Country Office (CO) in Ukraine has been implementing multi-sectoral projects and programmes, focusing on the 6 priority thematic areas for the project outputs, based on the three principles of human security, namely, 1) infrastructure restoration; 2) mine action & victim assistance; 3) debris removal and recycling; 4) Economic revitalization; 5) government Recovery Coordination and 6) access to justice and human rights.

One of the imminent needs for rehabilitation and recovery in Ukraine is effective and speedy debris removal and disposal with appropriate measures for mine/explosives, hazardous materials and environment safety. The widespread presence of debris and damaged buildings/infrastructure are also severely impeding the return of residents as well as posing a risk to human health from such hazards are asbestos, hazardous waste and unstable buildings. Furthermore, open dumping of waste in public areas leads to increased diseases, negative odours, open burning of waste with air pollution and climate impacts as well as potential contamination of groundwater and soils. These negative impacts are increasing daily as the authorities are overburdened and unable to remove the waste for proper and controlled disposal. These threats impede access for humanitarian actors, human rights investigators, and specialized services seeking to assess, contain or remediate other priority threats to public health and safety. UNDP has been implementing activities of debris removal, disposal, and recycling, particularly in Kyiv region and plans to expand its debris support nationwide in close linkages with waste management in Ukraine.

To this end, UNDP seeks a qualified expert to design, implement and monitor the interventions in the areas of debris removal, disposal, and recycling.

Job Purpose 

The Specialist will act as Technical Team Lead to ensure solid achievements of UNDP’s work for debris removal and management with team members/experts and ensure programmatic synergies with waste management under the guidance and direct supervision of the Programme Manager-Multi dimensional crises in UNDP Ukraine in collaboration with Portfolio Team Lead for Energy & Environment (E&E).

UNDP adopts a portfolio approach to accommodate changing business needs and leverage linkages across interventions to achieve its strategic goals. Therefore, UNDP personnel are expected to work across units, functions, 
teams, and projects in multidisciplinary teams in order to enhance and enable horizontal collaboration.

Duties and Responsibilities

1) Lead development of debris/waste management strategic policies and guidelines as well as UNDP’s project or programme activities of debris management. 

• Utilize assessment results to develop a costed plan for debris, construction and demolition waste management
• Design a comprehensive debris management strategy/plan on debris removal, disposal, and recycling. 
• Explore and identify the most suitable usage of innovative technologies, such as drone/satellite imagery and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to fast-track debris removal work.
• Identify suitable options of machinery for debris removal and recycling.  
• Provide technical inputs in developing project documents/proposals, either for debris management, MSWM, removal and recycling of rubble/ MSW, as a stand-alone project or as the component of a wider recovery programme.
• Design a results framework that comprises the safe removal, disposal and re-use of debris.
• Develop an adequate monitoring and evaluation plan that allows periodic monitoring of the projects’ results, performance, achievements, risks and challenges.
• Identify any institutional capacities, policy and legislation that may affect the rubble removal process (including different status for disposal of debris).
• Review existing capacities for removal, sorting and recycling in the region
• Prepare relevant maps and technical assessments for debris removal.
• Provide technical inputs for environment impact assessment and mine/EO risk analysis.

2) Provide technical advisory for management and implementation of debris removal activities under UNDP’s projects in Ukraine. 

•  Assess the scope of building and infrastructure damage, the mapping of the area and the composition and volume of rubble and waste to be removed;
• Analyze the state of public infrastructure, including landfills and dumping sites for debris and the accessibility to them by different kind of vehicles and machinery.
• Establish priorities for the areas of debris removal (and MSW as relevant), disposal and recycling, in consultation with relevant actors. 
• Design specifications and/or review the scope of works for the procurement of needed C&D/rubble removal and related equipment for the debris management;
• Support the evaluation of Contractors that will be undertaking the works on the ground in line with the set specifications and international best practices based on UNDP procurement rules and guidelines; 
• Supervise engineers and contractors to ensure timely implementation of debris removal, disposal, and recycling activities. 
• Monitor progress of debris removal/disposal work and ensure quality assurance related to activity implementation and environment protection. 
• Provide inputs to the UNDP Recovery & Resilience Building Strategy for Ukraine and ensure cohesion between debris management activities and recovery process, including mine-action, durable solution, and city planning.  
• Provide advice for the prevention of debris dumping and adverse environmental effects;
• Provide advice on any further need for quantification (amounts collected and disposed); identification of storage sites and interim management strategies to include recovery, reuse, repurposing and recycling of debris and onward disposal of debris residues in a manner that strengthens environmental protection.

3) Lead management and implementation of debris removal activities under UNDP’s projects in Ukraine

• Provide technical assurance for design specifications and/or review scope of works for the procurement of needed C&D/rubble removing and related equipment for the debris management; 
• Coordinate the evaluation of Contractors that will be undertaking the works on the ground in line with the set specifications and international best practice based on UNDP procurement rules and guidelines; 
• Supervise engineers and contractors to ensure timely implementation of debris removal, disposal, and recycling activities. 
• Monitor the progress of debris removal/disposal work and ensure quality assurance related to activity implementation and environment protection. 
• Provide inputs to the UNDP Recovery & Resilience Building Strategy for Ukraine and ensure cohesion between debris management activities and recovery process, including mine-action, durable solution, and city planning.  
• Provide advice for the prevention of debris dumping and adverse environmental effects;
• Provide advice on any further need for quantification (amounts collected and disposed); identification of storage sites and interim management strategies to include recovery, reuse, repurposing and recycling of debris and onward disposal of debris residues in a manner that strengthens environmental protection.

4) Lead the effort of country office’s knowledge management and dissemination.

• Identify and synthesize best practices and lessons learned directly linked to programme country goals and activities, particularly in the areas of donor relations, partnerships, and resource mobilization
• Provide substantive and sound contributions to knowledge networks and communities of practice including corporate communications repositories. 
• Organize and provide training, consultancy, and advice to UNDP staff both in Ukraine CO and TRO on internal and external knowledge management. 
• Oversee maintenance of UNDP’s Intranet on country office activities for internal knowledge sharing, and the sharing of relevant knowledge products with external stakeholders through the corporate website.
• Work with the Programme/Communication teams both in Ukraine CO and TRO to ensure all knowledge products are captured, updated, readily available and in the right order, as and when necessary.

Others 

• The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.
• Supervisory/Managerial Responsibilities: Staff in Debris Management Unit
   

Core Competencies:

• Achieve Results: LEVEL 3: Set and align challenging, achievable objectives for multiple projects, have lasting impact
• Think Innovatively: LEVEL 3: Proactively mitigate potential risks, develop new ideas to solve complex problems
• Learn Continuously: LEVEL 3: Create and act on opportunities to expand horizons, diversify experiences
• Adapt with Agility: LEVEL 3: Proactively initiate and champion change, manage multiple competing demands
• Act with Determination: LEVEL 3: Think beyond immediate task/barriers and take action to achieve greater results
• Engage and Partner: LEVEL 3: Political savvy, navigate complex landscape, champion inter-agency collaboration
• Enable Diversity and Inclusion: LEVEL 3: Appreciate benefits of diverse workforce and champion inclusivity

Cross-Functional & Technical competencies: 

• Business Direction and strategy: Negotiation and Influence: Ability to reach an understanding, persuade others, resolve points of difference, gain advantage in the outcome of dialogue, negotiates mutually acceptable solutions through compromise and creates ‘win-win’ situations
• Business Direction and strategy: System Thinking: Ability to use objective problem analysis and judgement to understand how interrelated elements coexist within an overall process or system, and to consider how altering one element can impact on other parts of the system
• Business development: Integration within the UN: Ability to identity, and integrate capacity and assets of the UN system, and engage in joint work; knowledge of the UN System and ability to apply this knowledge to strategic and/or practical situations
• Business Management: Portfolio Management: Ability to select, prioritise and control the organization´s programmes and projects, in line with its strategic objectives and capacity; ability to balance the implementation of change initiatives and the maintenance of business-as-usual, while optimising return on investment
• Business Management: Partnerships management: Ability to build and maintain partnerships with wide networks of stakeholders, Governments, civil society and private sector partners, experts and others in line with UNDP strategy and policies
• 2030 Agenda: Prosperity: Recovery Solutions and Human Mobility: Forced Displacement, incl. Durable Solutions
• 2030 Agenda: Prosperity    Recovery Solutions and Human Mobility: Reintegration (refugees/IDPs)
   

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in international development, international affairs, social science, public administration, civil engineering, or other relevant field is required, or
• A first-level university degree (Bachelor’s degree) in the areas mentioned above in combination with additional 2 years of qualifying experience will be given due consideration in lieu of Master´s degree.

Experience:

• Minimum 7 years (with Master´s degree) or 9 years (with Bachelor´s degree) of relevant experience in building demolition, physical structure construction, and civil engineering in the international development field. 
• At least 5 years of working experience in extensive and relevant experience in debris assessment and debris/waste management, with expertise on environmentally sustainable and disaster-risk resilient standards and approaches for waste management in emergency response and recovery is required;
• Experience in humanitarian and crisis environments, with a focus in post-disaster/conflict context is an asset.
• Experience in the use of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc), database packages,  and web-based management systems such as ERP is required. 
• Experience in procurement and project design, execution and financing with UNDP will be considered as an asset.
• Proven experience in identifying innovative approaches and practices to overcome complex and specific situations encountered in the field is highly desired.
• Prior experience and knowledge of the current Ukraine context would be an asset

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in English is required,
• Knowledge of another UN language is an advantage

Please note that continuance of appointment beyond the initial 12 months is contingent upon the successful completion of a probationary period.

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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