Job Description
Location: Tirana, Albania | Duration: 5 Years (Full-time, tentatively starting Q1/2026 pending award)
CDM Smith is seeking a proposed Team Leader for a major upcoming solid waste management consultancy in Albania. Join us to shape the future of sustainability, drive meaningful change, and lead a dynamic team on a transformative five-year initiative.
This role offers the opportunity to make a tangible difference in environmental sustainability, public awareness, and institutional capacity building.
The Team Leader will guide a multidisciplinary team supporting the Project Coordination Unit (PCU) within the National Agency of Waste Economy (AKEM), in developing and implementing sustainable solid waste management practices. The successful candidate will play a pivotal role in organizational and institutional development, financial management, stakeholder coordination, operational training, and public awareness campaigns.
Key Responsibilities:
• Lead stakeholder coordination and coordinate all programme activities with relevant stakeholders on national, regional and local level as well as with the Implementation Consultant.
• Design and implement strategies for institutional and organizational growth in the solid waste sector.
• Institutional management support: Lead the review and development of regional waste management plans and support the upgrade of municipal waste departments.
• Establish and oversee project management structures, monitoring systems, and document management processes.
• Provide financial management guidance to regional waste entities, including business planning, tariff calculation, accounting standards, and revenue management.
• Develop and deliver operation and maintenance concepts and training, ensuring optimal performance of new waste management infrastructure.
• Coordinate with technical consultants and AKEM for seamless project delivery.
• Foster public awareness and engagement through communication strategies and payment culture improvement campaigns.
• Act as a primary liaison with AKEM, municipalities, and regional stakeholders, ensuring collaboration and effective stakeholder engagement.
Minimum Qualifications
• Advanced degree in Environmental Engineering, Waste Management, Public Administration, or a related field.
• At least 10 years of professional experience in the SWM sector, with a proven track record of institutional and organizational development.
• Experience managing large-scale multidisciplinary projects, ideally within the SWM sector and on similar projects.
• Demonstrated expertise in project management, financial management, and team leadership.
• Excellent communication, stakeholder management, and intercultural skills.
• Fluency in English (written and spoken); knowledge of Albanian or regional languages is an asset.
• Willingness to relocate to Tirana, Albania for the duration of the assignment.
• Proven experience on donor-funded projects in the Balkans or wider South-East European region.
• Experience with donor-funded infrastructure projects (e.g. KfW, EIB, World Bank, EU), experience with KfW is an asset.
Preferred Qualifications
• Previous experience working in Albania or Balkan region.
• Familiarity with integrating informal sector workers into formal solid waste management systems.
• Experience designing and implementing public awareness and communication campaigns in the context of environmental projects.
• Certification in project management (e.g. PMP, PRINCE2) is a plus.
Why CDM Smith?
Check out this video and find out why our team loves to work here!
Join Us! CDM Smith – where amazing career journeys unfold.
Imagine a place committed to offering an unmatched employee experience. Where you work on projects that are meaningful to you. Where you play an active part in shaping your career journey. Where your co-workers are invested in you and your success. Where you are encouraged and supported to do your very best and given the tools and resources to do so. Where it’s a priority that the company takes good care of you and your family.
Our employees are the heart of our company. As an employer of choice, our goal is to provide a challenging, progressive and inclusive work environment which fosters personal leadership, career growth and development for every employee. We value passionate individuals who challenge the norm, deliver world-class solutions and bring diverse perspectives. Join our team, and together we will make a difference and change the world.
