India’s rapid economic growth is leading to new and increased developmental opportunities and challenges at multiple levels. As one of the largest conservation organisations in the country, WWF-India seeks to leverage these opportunities and address these challenges both through enhancing biodiversity conservation and reducing humanity’s environmental footprint.
WWF-India’s sustainable business programme is aimed at working with business and industry in improving environmental and social outcomes. These engagements help corporates (1) understand the impact of their business/ financing and supply chains on critical natural habitats, such as deforestation, extractives, fossil fuel emissions, and (2) find solutions that mitigate business risks and enhance business opportunities that promote positive conservation outcomes, such as sustainable finance, water stewardship, climate innovation, DCF (deforestation and conversion free) supply-chain of deforestation risk soft-commodities, energy transition, renewable energy usage, plastics management, decarbonization of industry. The programme focuses on working around strong levers to materialize transition, such as science-based policy awareness and capacity building, market transformation, and sustainable finance.WWF India recognises the importance of the circular economy in the promotion of conservation. The circularity, while reducing the impact on virgin resources, also mitigates the footprints, and WWF India is positioned ideally to translate the related science into action. WWF India has initiated a waste circularity project in Coimbatore, that focuses on reducing leaking of plastic waste to the ecosystem. The project will work towards:
- Identifying, quantifying, and addressing the primary sources of waste plastic debris in Coimbatore
- Engaging with high-footprint sectors towards finding solutions for reducing plastic waste
- Improve plastic waste management (collection, segregation, and processing) systems
- Work along with the other sector actors and the community to disseminate knowledge on best practices and source segregation
- Work along with the policy maker to improve compliance and bankability of waste collection and segregation projects/ MRFs
To undertake the project, WWF-India is looking for a dynamic and motivated individual with an inherent sensitivity towards conservation of nature, to contribute to our existing work on promoting sustainability with Indian businesses with a focus on ensuring circular economy by managing the flow of plastics across the entire value chain and eliminating the leakage of plastics into the environment.
Location:
Coimbatore office, WWF-India
Role Overview:
The Expert-Circular Economy
– Coimbatore
will lead the on-ground execution of WWF-India’s circular economy and plastic waste management initiatives under the SAIM (Sustainable Approach to Integrated Waste Management) project. This role involves coordinating with diverse stakeholders including Panchayats, informal sector actors, private recyclers, SHGs, and municipal authorities, while ensuring timely delivery of project outcomes, community engagement, MRF ( Material Recovery Facility ) operations, compliance facilitation, and documentation.
Key Responsibilities
- Overseeing day-to-day implementation of SAIM project activities across all work streams.
- Coordinating with local partners, consultants, government officials, waste workers, and private stakeholders to ensure delivery project milestones.
- Coordinating with on-ground implementation partner to manage compliance and regulatory engagement with local bodies as well as support in site identification for waste management plant/ MRF
- Identifying and building relationships with key stakeholders, including Panchayat leaders, informal sector actors, scrap dealers, and recyclers.
- Facilitating stakeholder mapping, value chain mapping consultations, and convergence meetings.
- Overseeing IEC activities to drive waste ecosystem shift towards circularity.
- Identifying gaps and facilitating capacity building for various ecosystem stakeholders like waste management agencies, local MRFs, kabadiwalas, SHG leaders, RWAs and local officials on circularity models, purposeful segregation, supply-chain linkage, and statutory-compliant practices.
- Monitoring and documenting progress against baseline, midline, and endline indicators, including volume collected, CO2e saved, recycling rate, and blackspot reduction.
- Creating reports, case studies, and infographics in English and Tamil for dissemination.
- Assisting preparation of white papers and memos on plastic waste regulations, local policy gaps, and EPR/ service fee models.
- Conducting primary and secondary research to gather, filter, synthesize, package, and deliver insights
- Working Relationships:
- Internal: This position is cross-cutting. It must work closely with staff members from different teams and experts in the Delhi office of WWF India.
- External: Interacts regularly with consultants and implementation partners.
Requirements
Skills & Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Environmental Science, Waste Management, Urban Planning, Engineering, Public Policy, or related field.
- 4-6 years of experience in implementing environmental, circular economy, or waste management projects at the ground level, or closely related field would be an advantage.
- Deep understanding of the plastics production, use, value chain, existing regulatory frameworks, municipal solid waste and recovery ecosystem, globally and in India
- Demonstrated ability to manage cross-sectoral projects and lead community-level interventions.
- Experience working with Gram Panchayats, ULBs, or SHGs in Tamil Nadu preferred.
- Strong project management, coordination, and interpersonal skills.
- Demonstrate ability to synthesise complex information, regulations, and policies and translate into impactful advice, research, and communications.
- Excellent analytical and conceptual understanding, along with strong written & verbal communication skills
- Fluency in Tamil and English is required. Strong documentation and communication skills are a must.
- Knowledge of waste-to-value enterprise models and MRF operations.
- Experience working with local NGOs, CSOs, or development agencies.
- Ability to work independently in the absence of supervision
- Comfortable with digital tools for reporting (Excel, PowerPoint, Google Suite, etc.).
- Willingness to travel based on requirements frequently.
WWF-India is an equal opportunities employer. Applications from qualified women are encouraged.
Remuneration will be competitive with Indian NGO pay scales and will depend upon the candidate’s experience levels and the overall WWF-India salary structure. WWF-India does not provide housing, telephone or vehicle facilities.
