Project Manager

Improving waste management in Asia and the Pacific islands is a critical environmental issue due to increasing waste production, driven by urbanization, population growth, and consumerism. By 2030, waste in the region is projected to rise from 802 million tonnes (2016) to 1.1 trillion tonnes, exacerbating environmental challenges. Organic waste makes up 50-70% of municipal waste, while plastics, though a smaller fraction, pose significant long-term environmental and health risks. Despite efforts, waste management systems, particularly in rural areas, are underdeveloped, with informal sectors playing a key role in recycling. To address this, stronger waste management frameworks, including circular economy models and investment in infrastructure, are needed.

The Coca Cola Foundation is prioritizing the fight against plastic waste by investing in circular economy solutions, aiming to reduce waste leakage into rivers and oceans. Through a partnership with UNDP, the initiative will provide strategic support to over 9 Asia Pacific countries, fostering an enabling environment for circular interventions in the plastic lifecycle. The project is structured into regional and national components, with the Regional Component managed by UNDP’s Bangkok Regional Hub, which will coordinate the partnership and support national efforts. National Child Projects will focus on plastic waste collection, recycling, piloting innovative business models, and providing training and strategic assistance to governments and stakeholders.

In the Philippines, waste management is a growing concern, with municipal solid waste (MSW) expected to rise significantly by 2025. The country is a major contributor to marine plastic litter, and while the government has enacted policies like the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Act of 2022 to tackle plastic pollution, challenges remain. Efforts such as the EU-PH Partnership for Green Economy and the Green LGUs Project aim to enhance circular waste practices at the local level, involving the private sector and civil society. The project will support marginalized groups, including youth and gender-focused initiatives, by providing opportunities through social enterprises and innovative business models that promote plastic waste reduction and recycling. These initiatives will help develop sustainable waste management systems that continue beyond the project’s lifespan.

The proposed interventions focus on developing an inclusive business model for targeted plastic waste collection and recovery from specific sources, institutionalizing a plastic waste system in a target area, and supporting Gender Equality, Disability, and Social Inclusion (GEDSI) groups, particularly in the informal sector. This includes providing storage facilities and seed capital, along with developing behavioral change modules and conducting training for targeted waste sources. Additionally, a digital app will be created to track waste diversion and incentivize plastic collection. Expected results include the collection of 1,460 metric tons of plastic waste, establishment of at least two inclusive business models, creation of a satellite recovery facility and a plastic recycling facility, support for two GEDSI groups, and the development of educational tools, with training provided to at least 750 individuals.

Duties and Responsibilities

• The Project Manager will work under the direct supervision of the Climate Action Programme Team Leader in close coordination with the project management unit, technical partners, technical specialists, consultants, and contractors.
• The Manager is expected to comply with reporting frameworks agreed on with the UNDP Regional and Country Offices and provided by Donors.
• Under the overall guidance of the Climate Action Programme (CAP) Team Leader, and working closely with the CAP Programme Analyst, and the Impact Advisory Team, the Project Manager for TCCF Philippines will assist in providing high quality professional project implementation support and technical advice and assistance in the overall delivery of activities and outputs of the Project.
• The Project Manager will be based in the UNDP Philippine Country Office (CO) and reports directly to the CAP Team Leader.

The incumbent will be responsible for the following tasks:

• Provide technical and policy advice and assistance in the overall implementation of the activities and outputs of the TCCF Project.
• Provide technical and policy advice in project implementation.
• Identify new/innovative and context specific areas of engagement to advance UNDP’s work on circular economy and plastics waste reduction and management
• Ensure timely preparation of documents, briefing notes, reports, and related documentation for project review, regional board meetings, project board advisory, and related events as advised by the CAP Team Leader.
• Undertake field visits and site visits to oversee project implementation

Manage the overall conduct of the TCCF Philippines Project, plan the activities of the project, and monitor progress against the approved workplan.

• Ensure timely implementation of the TCCF Philippine Project outputs, including submission of progress reports to the UNDP regional and countries offices, development of annual work plans and budget monitoring, project monitoring and evaluation, trouble shooting in close coordination with the CAP team
• Execute activities by managing personnel, goods and services, capacity building activities, including drafting terms of reference and work specifications, and overseeing all contractors’ work.
• Provide support for completion of assessments required by UNDP, spot checks, and audits.
• Ensure compliance to UNDP reporting requirements.
• Monitor progress, watch for plan deviations, and make course corrections when needed within regional project board-agreed tolerances to achieve results.
• Ensure that changes are controlled and problems addressed.
• Prepare and submit financial reports to UNDP on a semi-annual and annual basis.
• Manage and monitor the project risks – including social and environmental risks – recommend actions or decisions as required and update the status of these risks by maintaining the project risks log.
• Capture lessons learned during project implementation.
• Prepare inputs or revisions to the annual work plan.
• Ensure that the indicators included the in-project results framework are monitored annually and share with UNDP in advance of the reporting deadlines.
• Monitor implementation plans including gender action plan, stakeholder engagement plan, and any environmental and social management plans.

Partnership building and coordination with the Project’s implementing partners to ensure timely and efficient delivery of activities.

• Strengthen government partnerships and coordination at national and local levels.
• Identify and develop new partnerships with government and non-government stakeholders that could add value and complement with the objectives of the project.
• Identify and foster synergies with like-minded project partners.
• Closely work together with the Impact Advisory Team in managing and monitoring partnership risks and mitigation strategies.
• Contribute to timely information sharing where needed as guided.

Lead documentation review, writing and quality assurance.

• Ensuring timely documentation of project activity updates, data gathering, lessons learned, best practices, and case studies for semi-annual and yearly reporting purposes in close collaboration with Regional offices, and UNDP Philippines CAT and IAT teams.
• Undertake review and lead writing project progress reports, policy briefs, progress updates and related documents.
• Undertake review and lead in writing and reviewing assessment reports, M&E reports, research reports, strategies/policies corresponding to key project deliverables, as advised by the CAP team.

The incumbent of the position will uphold the non-discriminatory behaviour and ensure that:

• Human rights and gender equality is prioritized as an ethical principle within all actions.
• Activities are designed and implemented in accordance with “Social and Environmental Standards of UN”.
• Any kind of diversities based on ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, disability, religion, class, gender are respected within all implementations including data production.
• Differentiated needs of women and men are considered.
• Inclusive approach is reflected within all actions and implementations, in that sense an enabling and accessible setup in various senses such as dis ability gender language barrier is created.
• Necessary arrangements to provide gender parity within all committees, meetings, trainings.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in Environmental or Natural Sciences, Natural Resource Management, Economics, Public Policy, Social Science, Sustainable Development, or other relevant fields 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:

• A minimum of 7 years (with Master´s degree) or 9 years (with Bachelor´s degree) of experience working on sustainable development, climate change, green economy, circular economy, and systemic design/portfolio approaches, or innovation.
• At least 3 years of demonstrated experience in environment and climate change, circular economy, green economy, innovation, and management policy, programming and working with the national and local government of the Philippines, multilateral, or civil society organizations in a multi-cultural setting.
• At least 5 years of experience in project management
• Professional experience in project management with international organizations
• Has at least 3 years experience in building strong professional network/partnership and working experience in the Philippines both with public and private sector

Required Languages: 

• Proficiency in English and Filipino.

Source: https://estm.fa.em2.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/CandidateExperience/en/sites/CX_1/job/22471