Volunteer role: Waste Management Specialist

VSO is the world’s leading international development charity that works through volunteers to create a fair world for everyone. At VSO we pride ourselves on doing development differently. We fight poverty not by sending aid, but by working through volunteers and partners to create long-lasting change in some of the world’s poorest regions. We bring key stakeholders together to co-ordinate collective action, from local organisations to national governments. Our programmes in Africa and Asia focus on health, education and livelihoods, with an increasing emphasis on resilience, peace building, social accountability, gender and social inclusion. We’re not about delivering quick fixes, but instead we focus on long-lasting, sustainable change that will improve the lives of generations to come.

Role overview

Working from home and at project location – In this role, you will spend some time providing part-time remote support (e.g. from your home) to VSO projects or partners, and also a set period working full-time in the project location and/or VSO office.

This role will work closely with our partners to help deliver our work on plastics, waste and circular economy strategies. This will include advisory and training on waste management strategies that include recycling and circular economy approaches to VSO staff and our local partners. The role will guide on policies in regards to waste management and development of guidelines in line with policy.

Skills, qualifications and experience

Competencies and Behaviour
At VSO we believe progress is only possible by working together. Whether you want to join us as an employee, or as a volunteer working in your own country, overseas or online, our selection process includes an assessment based on these core competencies:
• Ability to be open minded and respectful
• Ability to be resilient and adaptive to new situations
• Ability to facilitate positive change and build sustainable working relationships
• Ability to seek and share knowledge
Equal Opportunities
VSO promotes equal opportunities and values a diverse workforce.

Allowance
As a VSO volunteer, you will be sharing your skills with local communities on a full time basis. VSO will cover your travel, vaccinations, accommodation, and medical insurance costs, along with a local living allowance which will be paid in local currency. This allowance meets reasonable living expenses in country, but will not be enough to send money home. You will also receive some financial support to contribute to your on-going expenses at home.
Accommodation
VSO works with some of the poorest communities in the world which means accommodation varies and will be basic.
Some background about VSO
Much has changed since VSO started 60 years ago. We’ve gone from being a UK charity to a truly global development organisation. In 2016/2017 alone, we worked with over 7,000 volunteers from all over the world and from all backgrounds to deliver services that had an impact on the lives of almost 2.6 million people in the 24 countries where we work. Our programmes focus on the areas of health, education and livelihoods, with an increasing emphasis on resilience building, social accountability, gender and social inclusion. We believe progress is only possible when we work together and that strong partnerships are crucial to delivering positive change. That’s why we work with over 500 partner organisations, from local and national governments, to businesses, NGOs, funders, charities and community groups. Currently, over 30% of our people are recruited from within the country in which they work, and we continue to grow the share of community and national volunteers involved in our programmes. We also send increasing numbers of volunteers from one developing country to another. However, our vision has remained the same; to build a world without poverty.

Your application and COVID-19

We are continually reviewing our ability to safely programme and implement projects during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many local restrictions are being implemented in several VSO locations, which impacts VSO’s existing programme delivery.

We will continue to follow the advice of the World Health Organisation (WHO) and national governments to protect the wellbeing and safety of all communities, employees and volunteers.

We’re continuing to build a talent pool of prospective professional volunteers so we can get back to supporting communities as soon as we’re able to.

If your application is shortlisted, a VSO hiring manager will be in touch to discuss the next steps and any changes to your placement and role.

You can read VSO’s COVID-19 statement and frequently asked questions about volunteering during the COVID-19 pandemic here.