Solid Waste Management Adviser (Nigeria Nationals Only, National Volunteer Role)

  • Volunteer, Short-term contract assignment
  • Posted on 12 February 2025

Job Description

Location: Nigeria

Salary: Not Specified

Contract Type: Not Specified

Contract Length: 1 year

Full Time: Not Specified

Application Closing Date: Feb 14, 2025 00:00:00

Interview Date: To be confirmed

Start Date: April 2025

Safeguarding Level: Level 3: This post will have regular, direct and unsupervised access to children and vulnerable adults either face to face or online or the post will have supervisory responsibility for people who have direct unsupervised access to children or post will have accountability at organizational level to ensure safeguarding policy is in place and implemented at all levels. A criminal background check (Enhance DBS check for UK or equivalent highest level of Police check) will be obtained for post holder at this level prior to their start date.

Role Purpose: Support ACTIVE project in Nigeria. The Solid Waste Management Adviser (volunteer) is technically in charge of the field implementation of activities in relation to the Waste Management project. He/she will be responsible for the project coordination and supervision of activities on site. A special focus lies in the monitoring of the waste separation at source. He/she will coordinate the activities of the project partners and stakeholders involved and ensure that work plans and agreed targets are met in a timely manner while complying with cost limits.

Project Background and Contextual Information

The current state of waste management in Nigeria is of major concern due to the high rate of waste generation and poor management practices. Nigeria produces an estimation of 32 million tons of solid waste per year, with only about 20-30 percent of it being collected and managed correctly. The remainder of the waste is either dumped in unauthorized places or burned, contributing to pollution and health risks.

Nigeria produces the most solid garbage in Africa, with approximately 70 percent of it being plastic waste that winds up in landfills, water bodies, or sewers. According to the World Bank, Nigeria is the tenth largest producer of unmanaged plastics in the world, accounting for 2.7 percent of the global total. According to the World Bank, Nigeria will generate the most unmanaged plastic waste in Africa by 2050. Lagos produces approximately 13,000 tons of waste per day, according to the Lagos State Waste Management Agency. It is anticipated that waste produced in cities is greater than in rural areas, but Lagos’ urbanization is pushing the city to a point of no return. In some parts of Nigeria, the odour emitted by waste renders those places uninhabitable. The dump sites in Nigeria breed mosquitoes, resulting in a high incidence of malaria as well as a high risk of contracting cholera and other diseases.

Waste disposal and management have a direct effect on climate change, and appropriate waste disposal and management are critical components of any climate protection policies and actions. Poor waste management has a significant effect on greenhouse gas emissions and must be addressed alongside other climate concerns.

The Solid Waste Management Adviser (volunteer) is technically in charge of the field implementation of activities in relation to the Waste Management project He/she will be responsible for the project coordination and supervision of activities on site. A special focus lies in the monitoring of the waste separation at source. He/she coordinates the activities of the project partners and stakeholders involved and ensures that work plans and agreed targets are met timely while complying with cost limits.

Role Outputs

The Solid Waste Management Adviser (Volunteer role), will ensure the focusing on achievement of the following results:

  • Compliance of operations with VSO rules, regulations and policies, implementation of corporate operational strategies, establishment of management targets and monitoring achievement of results.
  • Work closely with the local Project Management Project Implementation Manager and other stakeholders for planning, implementation and M&E of the projects/ programme assigned.
  • Provide technical inputs, support to the planning and implementation of the projects/ programme activities in an objective-oriented manner, including quality assurance.
  • Organize the day-to-day management and deployment of the project activities.
  • Provide technical and logistical (including authorizations to travel to field) support to consultants assigned to this project, notably access to data, reports and relevant stakeholders (local authorities, gov technical agencies, etc.)
  • Ensure timely preparation of training programmes designed for stakeholder’s, with respect to project review cycle.
  • Ensure timely preparation and submission of inception report, project annual work plans, progress reports, etc.
  • Ensure timely follow up implementation and report progress to the project manager/team.
  • Attend training courses, workshops as representative for the project managers when required.
  • Assist to and co-work with the supervising Project Manager and partner in planning and monitoring (financial and technical), facilitating the implementation in compliance with donor’s and WWF’s requirements/ policies and in line with work plans.
  • Contribute to the waste management policy as well as Conservation strategies, workplan, program development, and other relevant activities as needed.

Experience and skills required for this volunteer placement

  • Bachelor’s degree in fields related to, environment, solid waste management, solid waste treatment/
  • Experience in solid waste management and treatment.
  • At least 5 years of practical experience in areas related to the above-mentioned areas.
  • Proven experiences in planning and implementation of Government and NGO’s projects.
  • Experiences in working or liaison with Government and NGO bodies (e.g. protected area, national park), and working in multi-stakeholders’ settings.
  • Good understanding of the Waste Management and issues related to solid waste, plastic, conservation, climate change, and communication for change

Equal Opportunities: VSO promotes equal opportunities and values a diverse workforce.

VSO reserves the right to close this job early if we receive a sufficient number of applications.

Additional Information

This is a national volunteer position open to nationals of Nigeria only as we are unable to provide sponsorship for this position.

All volunteers have an allowance paid in local currency. The allowance meets reasonable living expenses in country, but will not be enough to send money home.

VSO works with some of the poorest communities in the world which means accommodation varies and will be basic.

Deadline for Applications: Feb 14, 2025 00:00:00

“While we try our best to keep our information updated, the closing date of the actual job source may be changed by the recruiter without prior notice. With this, please make sure to check the official job link when submitting your application. Thank you.”

About the Organization

VSO is an international development charity that works through volunteers. Our vision is a world without poverty in which people work together to fulfil their potential. We bring people together to share skills, creativity and learning to build a fairer world. VSO welcomes volunteers from an ever increasing range of countries, backgrounds and ages. National agencies in Canada, Kenya, the Netherlands and the Philippines recruit volunteers from many different countries worldwide and this international approach allows us to combine and learn from a rich variety of perspectives. Tackling Disadvantage at "Grass Roots" Level Ours is a very individual "people to people" approach to development. Instead of sending food or money, we send women and men from a wide range of professions who want the chance to make a real difference in the fight against poverty. These volunteers work in partnership with colleagues and communities to share skills and learning and jointly achieve change. But we have to be realistic in our expectations. We commit to long-term development goals and long-term partnerships and focus on sustainable development rather than the short-term relief of certain problems. VSO also works to address the structural inequalities and barriers that prevent people from exercising their rights. We use our experience and our supporter networks to work for changes in policy and practice - rich and poor countries - that reduce disadvantage. VSO is by far the largest independent volunteer-sending agency in the world. Since 1958, we have sent out more than 29,000 volunteers to work in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, the Pacific region and, more latterly, Eastern Europe in response to requests from our overseas partners. At the moment we have around 1,500 people working in placements in these regions. Shared Partnerships, Shared Benefits You only have to talk to VSO volunteers to realise that they gain from their experience, personally or professionally, as much as they contribute. Many will enthuse how fascinating it was to explore a different culture at first hand. Others will point to the friendships they have made. But many will also tell you how their professional talents have been stretched, and how they have learnt new skills that will significantly enhance their career prospects on their return home. If ever it was true that "you get out what you put in", VSO is proof positive. This experience makes volunteers passionate in challenging misconceptions about developing countries. In the current climate, it is more urgent than ever that we work to achieve a global community where people of all cultures are seen as equal, learn from each other and share a common sense of rights and responsibilities as global citizens. VSO builds on this experience and passion to support a range of global education activity. To find out more about volunteering with or supporting VSO visit our website at www.vso.org.uk

More information

VSOJD_Solid Waste Management Adviser-National Volunteer Role--20250212052126.docx
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