Environmental Engineering Specialist (Hazardous Waste Management)

Since opening in 2019, the UNOPS Austria Multi-Country Office (AUMCO) in Vienna has served as a hub for operations across 12 countries in South-East Europe, Türkiye, the South Caucasus, and Central Asia. AUMCO delivers technical expertise, operational support, and sustainable infrastructure solutions for governments, donors, and international financial institutions. Flagship initiatives include Blueing the Black Sea—a GEF and World Bank partnership to reduce pollution and promote sustainable development—and Türkiye’s post-earthquake recovery programme, enhancing protective services for women and children. In Albania, projects revitalise cultural heritage and advance digital justice, while in Kosovo, new university infrastructure supports higher education. In Georgia, AUMCO facilitates the Eastern Partnership European School and strengthens rule of law and digital health access. Across Central Asia, activities range from health system strengthening in Uzbekistan to hazardous waste management in Tajikistan. AUMCO also supports UNOPS’ global Water, Environment, and Climate portfolio, reinforcing its role as a regional and thematic centre of excellence.

Under the GEF funded project 9421 "Demonstration of non-thermal treatment of DDT wastes in Central Asia", led by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), with UNEP’s GEF Unit as Implementing Agency (IA) and UNEP’s Europe Office as Executing Agency (EA) and UNOPS as technical implementation, tendering and procurement partner, the dedicated UNOPS project aims to strengthen national and regional capacities for managing hazardous waste — particularly DDT and other persistent organic pollutants (POPs) — following the guidelines of the Basel and Stockholm Conventions. In specific, UNOPS will be working on the design and construction of containment works in selected sites in the Kyrgyzs Republic and Tajikistan as well as on the procurement of related goods and services for the sites, in the framework of a trial for POPs waste bio-remediation as project output in Kyrgyzstan.

The Environmental Engineering Specialist (Hazardous Waste Management) provides authoritative technical advice and expertise to the project, ensuring the effective design, implementation, and oversight of remediation works at contaminated sites. This role involves adapting approaches to meet specific project needs, managing technical aspects of procurement, and ensuring compliance with international guidelines for hazardous waste management, thereby strengthening national and regional capacities.

Under the direct supervision of the Senior Project Manager, the Environmental Engineering Specialist (Hazardous Waste Management) will provide technical advice to the project, to ensure that project activities result in effective remediation works at the site level.

1. Technical Advisory and Remediation Planning

• Review and revise the Terms of Reference (ToR) and technical documentation for all project activities, including all documentation regarding procurement processes, infrastructure design and construction, remediation activities and UNOPS oversight of contractors based on national legislation, international best practices and future land use.
• Review the scope of work and duration of requested activities for remediation.
• Oversee, in support to the Senior Project Manager, project activities in relation to infrastructure development and remediation considering all site-level activities for remediation of hazardous waste for DDT and other present POPs, in relevance to country strategy, existing and planned programmes, and Best Available Techniques (BAT) and Best Environmental Practices (BEP) standards.
• Review, acknowledge, and track changes of national legislation and regulations on hazardous waste
• Work with national and local environmental and sanitary control authorities with regards to consulting on HSE requirements to be included in the containment design
• Liaise with the design and build contractor on feasibility and practical implementation of the design visa vis national context
• Review the designing deliverables of the design and build contractor on compliance with project needs and national regulations

2. Procurement Support and Quality Assurance

• Review formal, qualification requirements and general parts of the tender packages, providing recommendations for improvement if needed.
• Act as a technical specialist in the evaluation of received bids/proposals for the tender, assessing proposals against specification requirements, including the content of the technical proposal and other proposal related technical matters.
• Perform inspection visits in relation to all project-level activities as well as ensuring technical presence at the site level when required.
• Review all obtained environmental permits issued by competent authorities.
• Provide support to UNOPS procurement officials in quality assurance during or upon the delivery of goods, works, and services.

3. Reporting and Documentation

• Produce revised/confirmed technical specifications for all relevant project activities.
• Provide technical guidance to the development of market analysis.
• Undertake regular narrative reporting of project activities from the technical perspective.

Required

• Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) in preferably in Environmental Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Environmental Science or related fields with 7 years of relevant experience OR

• Master’s degree (or equivalent) in any of the above or related fields with 5 years of relevant experience is required

Desired

• Certifications in hazardous waste management or environmental remediation.

• Advanced training in chemical engineering or environmental science.
  

Required

• At least five years of professional experience in hazardous waste management, site remediation, or industrial HSE supervision, with demonstrated experience in one or more of the following:
  • Development, implementation, or oversight of site remediation plans or hazardous waste management plans.
  • Environmental monitoring or HSE management within the mining, heavy industry, or chemical sectors.
  • Supervision of hazardous waste packing, loading, containment, or transport operations.
  • Relevant technical roles within national environmental authorities, specialized testing laboratories, or private sector engineering/environmental consultancies.

Desired

• Knowledge of international/national contaminated site legislation and management practices.
• Knowledge of packaging and transport of hazardous wastes under ADR regulations.
• Knowledge in classification of different wastes in accordance with European Waste Catalog (EWC).
• Experience in preparation/review of documentation needed for issuing Notifications and Export Permits for transboundary movement of waste.
• Experience in working with national institutions, CSO and international organisations, donor activities in the sector of environment in Central Asia.

• UNOPS does not accept unsolicited resumes.
• UNOPS will at no stage of the recruitment process request candidates to make payments of any kind.
• Applications to vacancies must be received before midnight Copenhagen time (CET) on the closing date of the announcement. Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.
• Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and invited to proceed to the next stage of the selection process, which may include various assessments.
• UNOPS embraces diversity and is committed to equal employment opportunity. Our workforce consists of a wide range of nationalities, cultures, languages, races, gender identities, sexual orientations, and abilities. We strive to sustain and strengthen this diversity, fostering an inclusive working environment where all personnel are treated with respect and have equal access to opportunities.
• UNOPS evaluates all applications based on the skills, qualifications and experience outlined in the vacancy announcement. We are committed to a fair and transparent selection process and welcome diverse perspectives, including those of women, indigenous and racialized communities, individuals of diverse gender identities and sexual orientations, and persons with disabilities.
• We are committed to enabling all candidates to perform at their best during the assessment process. If you are shortlisted and require support or reasonable accommodation to complete any assessment, please inform our human resources team upon receiving your invitation.
• UNOPS has zero tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA), sexual harassment, and other forms of abusive conduct, including discrimination, abuse of authority, and harassment. To uphold these standards, background checks are conducted for all final candidates to help ensure that individuals with a history of such conduct are not hired. By applying for a position with UNOPS, candidates acknowledge and consent to these verification processes.
  

• For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post.
• For retainer contracts, you must complete a few mandatory courses (they take around 4 hours to complete) in your own time, before providing services to UNOPS. Refreshers or new mandatory courses may be required during your contract. Please note that you will not receive any compensation for taking courses and refreshers. For more information on a retainer contract here.
• For more details about the contract types, please click here.
• All UNOPS personnel are responsible for performing their duties in accordance with the UN Charter and UNOPS Policies and Instructions, as well as other relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, all personnel must demonstrate an understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a manner consistent with UN core values and the UN Common Agenda.
• It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential personnel. Recruitment in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.