Circular Economy Officer, Philippines

INTRODUCTION TO GGGI

The Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) is a treaty-based international, inter-governmental organization dedicated to supporting and promoting strong, inclusive and sustainable economic growth in developing countries and emerging economies. To learn more please visit about GGGI web page. 

POSITION SUMMARY

The Circular Economy Officer will support the GGGI Philippines country program in undertaking technical analysis, policy design and recommendation, engaging with stakeholders, identifying bankable circular economy projects, and supporting the design, implementation, and management of circular economy initiatives.

The Circular Economy Officer will report to the Senior Green Investment Officer of the GGGI Philippines program and will be located within the country office, as well as at a government-hosted project office on a rotation basis. He/She should be willing to travel.

The primary objective of the Circular Economy Officer is to develop and implement strategies, policies, and programs that promote the adoption of circular economy practices within the organization and among its stakeholders. The officer will work closely with various teams to identify opportunities for resource efficiency, waste reduction, and sustainable product lifecycle management.

PURPOSE

The Circular Economy Officer will have the following tasks and duties:

• Conduct technical analysis of existing circular economy practices in the Philippines, identifying opportunities and challenges for implementation.
• Demonstrate experience in the design, implementation, and monitoring of EPR schemes and plastic credit systems; integrating it into the development of a CE financial/business model.
• Develop and recommend policies and strategies to promote the adoption of circular economy principles within the GGGI Philippines program and among its stakeholders.
• Research and analyze best practices and innovative circular economy solutions from other countries and sectors.
• Analyze policies that promote resource efficiency, waste reduction, and sustainable product lifecycle management.
• Provide technical input to support the development of circular economy strategies and frameworks.
• Support the development of criteria for selecting viable and scalable green circular economy projects that would attract investments and other sources of financing through GGGI's intervention on investment mobilization activities.
• Support the development of mechanisms to identify and screen green/circular economy projects that are aligned with the taxonomy or framework that will be developed.
• Collaborate with financial institutions to design and develop innovative financial products tailored to circular/green economy projects, integrating specific environmental and social indicators.
• Provide support to the overall program, focusing on sharing best practices in implementing circular economy projects.

ENGAGEMENT

• Develop and maintain strong working relations with key national government agencies such as the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), including identifying and solving issues when they arise to minimize impact towards program results.
• Develop and implement suitable communication mechanisms and tools to update relevant stakeholders on the progress of all activities.
• Under the guidance of the Country Representative, develop and maintain active coordination, on a day-to-day basis, with development partners and donor agencies to identify resource mobilization opportunities. 
• Ensure coordination with GGGI colleagues globally and in the Philippines on project developments and donor management.
• Maintain an overview of the project pipeline, funding opportunities and partnership options in the Philippines.

DELIVERY

• Build awareness about the Program amongst key stakeholders in the Philippines.
• Identify potential approaches and strategies to enhance closer collaboration and alignment between GGGI and all key government partners involved in program delivery.
• Prepare and facilitate Program workshops, meetings and other relevant events together with relevant program and project teams.
• Maintain and update Development Partners and Donors’ database management for the country.
• Contribute to various documents (or portions of documents) for projects’ reporting and proposal development.
• Support the Country Representative and Senior Team Members on research information for quality project design and implementation, enriching GGGI's knowledge platform and knowledge products.

REQUIREMENTS

QUALIFICATIONS

The successful applicant must demonstrate outstanding professional competence and hold exemplary and relevant academic credentials. Specifically, the application should provide convincing evidence of the following:

• Master’s degree or higher in relevant discipline, including environmental engineering, sanitation engineering, civil engineering.
• At least 5 years of professional experience in solid waste management and circular economy (experience shall include policy and governance-related aspects, financial aspects, social aspects and technical/operational aspects)
• Good experience in policy analysis and strategy development
• Experience in analyzing and implementing various circular economy business models
• Good understanding of innovative finance mechanisms for circular economy
• Deep understanding of regulatory frameworks (e.g. EPR), market mechanisms, and certification processes for circular economy.
• Should have a strong understanding of the sector's dynamics and the challenges faced by informal workers.
• Experience in relating and coordinating with the informal waste management sector
• Experience in coordinating with multiple stakeholders, including governmental authorities, multilateral agencies, development partners, private sector and civil society organizations.
• Good working knowledge of government relations and communications.
• Experience in other fields related to green growth, including (but not limited to) environment, energy, infrastructure, or economic development.
• Proven ability to work in a pro-active way, independently and deliver quality results requiring minimal supervision.
• Experience in working in development settings.
• Interpersonal savvy and approachability would be an asset.
• Experience working for International Organizations and would be an asset.
• Working fluency in English. 
• Working fluency in other languages (Arabic, French, Spanish, Russian) would be an asset.

FUNCTIONAL

• Dedicated team player, with result-oriented, pro-active, and creative mindset to solve problems.
• Able to perform duties under time constraints, and on time.
• Ability to work independently while proactively seeking concurrence and instructions.
• Strong multi-cultural experience and a keen interest in being a part of an international team working in an evolving and entrepreneurial environment.
• Excellent communication, presentation, writing, facilitation and networking skills.
• Highly-organized and able to effectively and efficiently multi-task and prioritize.
• Willingness and ability to travel.
• Understand and actively support GGGI's mission, vision and values.
• Promote the optimum use of public resources.
• Promote an organizational culture of trust, transparency, respect and partnership.
• Process and share information easily.
• Manage emotions and stress positively, build rapport and resolves conflict easily.
• Be able to lead where needed and support the Country Representatives and program and project teams to make sound decisions. 

CORPORATE

• Understand and actively supports GGGI’s mission, vision and values.
• Promote an organizational culture of trust, transparency, respect and partnership.
• Excels at problem solving, ask questions and seeks support when needed, shares easily information and knowledge with others both internally as externally.
• Manage emotions and stress positively, builds rapport and resolves conflict easily.
• Strong ability to work independently and/or remotely, while maintaining productivity.
• Excellent English oral and written communication skills; including public speaking.

WORKING CONDITIONS

The Circular Economy Officer is an X8 grade level in GGGI’s National salary scale in the Philippines. Determination of base salary is subject to candidate's experience, academic background and internal equity. GGGI provides 15% of base salary towards retirement plan/long-term savings, 27 days of annual leave, and private health insurance that covers dental and vision. GGGI is committed to providing a work environment that is sufficiently flexible to accommodate diverse life-cycle challenges and assist Staff members to achieve a better balance between work and personal / family commitments, thus ensuring high performance, long-term productivity, and well-being of Staff members. 

The chosen candidate is expected to be based in Manila, Philippines and will report directly to the Investment Officer (also based in Manila). This is a national position and does not include relocation benefits.