International Waste Sector MRV Consultant

Background and Project Overview

GGGI has a diverse portfolio of programs in developing countries around the world. These in-country programs, together with global products and services, focus on delivering results through an integrated approach of evidence-based green growth planning and implementation aligned to countries’ development priorities. The organization also focuses on knowledge development and management activities which build a strong theoretical and empirical basis for green growth, while providing concrete options and guidance for policymakers; as well as building the conditions for public and private green infrastructure investments. 

GGGI Zambia is hosted at the Ministry of Green Economy and Environment (MGEE) which is mandated to promote the effective and sustainable use of the environment while facilitating support in implementing adaptation and mitigation activities that address the urgent effects of climate change in the country. GGGI is the implementing partner for the four-year, EU-funded Enhancing Zambia’s Nationally Determined Contributions (EZ-NDC) project (2025–2029). This project aims to advance Zambia’s climate-resilient transition by improving NDC implementation, enhancing climate policy coordination, and operationalizing an Enhanced Transparency Framework (ETF)-compliant integrated Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (iMRV) system.

The project objectives are to support improved implementation, quality and effectiveness of Zambia’s climate change agenda and improving the accountability and efficiency of Zambia’s integrated Monitoring, Reporting and Verification system (iMRV) at national and sub-national levels. The project aims to achieve this by strengthening the capacity of the lead Ministry to coordinate and mainstream climate change and NDC related policies, build opportunities to improve strategic communication and awareness on NDC implementation including broader participation in climate action by civil society, academia, women and youth. The project will also support the operationalization of an Enhanced Transparency Framework (ETF)-compliant national iMRV system and enhance the capacities to collect, process and report on climate change and NDC-related national and sub-national data.

Outcome 2 of the EZ-NDC project focuses on improving the accountability and efficiency of Zambia’s iMRV system at national and subnational levels, in alignment with the Paris Agreement. This includes the operationalization of a national iMRV system (Output 2.1) and the enhancement of capacities to collect, process, and report on climate change and NDC-related data (Output 2.2). These efforts are guided by the national iMRV Roadmap and support Zambia's preparation of Biennial Transparency Reports (BTRs) under the UNFCCC.

The International Waste Sector Expert will provide high-level technical and institutional support to operationalize Zambia’s Waste sector Measurement, Reporting and Verification (MRV) system in alignment with Enhanced Transparency Framework (ETF) requirements.

The consultant will be responsible for:

  • Establishing a robust and inclusive Institutional Framework for Waste Sector MRV.
  • Operationalizing a sustainable and ETF-compliant data management system for the Waste Sector.
  • Strengthening methodological rigor to support the progressive transition of the sectoral iMRV system toward Tier 2 (and higher tier) approaches, while ensuring technical readiness for BTR2 reporting in accordance with ETF requirements.
  • Strengthen National Capacities and Ensure Long-Term Sustainability.
  • Supporting project monitoring and reporting, including contributions to internal reports, donor reporting (e.g., EU), and presentations to the Project Steering Committee and external stakeholders.

Under the supervision of the EZ-NDC Project Manager and the ETF-MRV Expert, and in close coordination with government counterparts and GGGI’s MRV team at headquarters, the Consultant will:

  • Provide strategic and technical leadership for the design, formalization, and operationalization of Zambia’s iMRV system for Waste Sector.
  • Enhance methodological rigor through progressive transition to higher-tier approaches
  • Support project monitoring, reporting, and visibility through presentations and reports to the Project Steering Committee, development partners, and other stakeholders.

Please note that the deadline is based on Korean Standard Time Zone (KST, UTC+9)

INTRODUCTION TO GGGI

The Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) is a treaty-based international, inter-governmental organization dedicated to supporting and promoting strong, inclusive and sustainable economic growth in developing countries and emerging economies. To learn more please visit about GGGI web page. 

Scope of Work

The consultant’s responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

A. Institutional Structuring and Participatory Diagnostic

  • Develop comprehensive stakeholder mapping, including public institutions, private sector actors, CSOs, academia, and international partners.
  • Facilitate the establishment of the Waste Sector Working Group.
  • Lead participatory Gaps Assessment
  • Prepare and implement an action plan for the operationalization of the MRV system - aligned with institutional and technical needs and in accordance with the ETF Guidelines and the IPCC methodologies. The plan will include activities relating to: enhancing coordination and data collection, formats and methodologies (including definitions).The plan will deliver on the following points:
    • Mapping of institutions and cooperation between the Energy Ministry and data providers on one hand and Ministry of Energy and ZEMA on the other hand.
    • Formats, methodologies, definitions, and timetables for reporting
    • Development of time schedules to operationalize the flow of data
    • Development of common definitions (as far as possible)
    • Sectorial GHG data collection protocols
  • Prepare a capacity-building plan aligned with institutional and technical needs.

B. System Operationalization and Data Strengthening

  • Design and institutionalize the Waste sector data management framework.
  • Oversee data collection, processing, and validation activities to ensure completeness and consistency.
  • Implement sector-specific Quality Assurance and Quality Control (QA/QC) measures in accordance with IPCC and ETF requirements.

C. Methodological Upgrade and BTR2 Preparation

  • Develop a roadmap for transitioning to Tier 2 and higher-tier methodologies.

D. Capacity Building and Knowledge Management

  • Provide ongoing technical mentorship to national counterparts, to ensure knowledge transfer and long-term institutional sustainability.
  • Conduct targeted training sessions for sector stakeholders on data collection, management, key category analysis, Tier 1 vs Tier 2, key approaches, IPCC software, QA/QC, uncertainty assessment, and ETF reporting requirements, etc.

F. Coordination, Reporting, and Visibility

  • Serve as main technical expert on MRV in the IPPU sector while working in close cooperation with the local MRV consultant in the waste sector and the ETF Consultant.
  • Contribute to project monitoring, internal progress reports, donor reports, and other knowledge and communication products.
  • Prepare and deliver technical presentations to the technical MRV groups, Project Steering Committee, interministerial committees, and other stakeholders as required.

The consultant will report to the EZ-NDC Project Manager and the Principal ETF International Consultant, and work in close coordination with GGGI Zambia country team, the national Sectoral Consultant and external-based MRV experts, Government counterparts (especially MoGEE and ZEMA) and a broader technical team of sectoral and legal consultants.

All deliverables must be submitted in English, using GGGI formatting and documentation standards. Raw data, source materials, and editable files must accompany key reports. Presentations to stakeholders and the Steering Committee will form part of the consultant’s visibility and communication duties.

Output/Reporting Requirements/Deliverables:

The consultant will report to the EZ-NDC Senior Project Officer and the Principal ETF International Consultant,, and work in close coordination with GGGI Zambia country team, the national Sectoral Consultant and external-based MRV experts, Government counterparts (especially MoGEE and ZEMA) and a broader technical team of sectoral and legal consultants.

 All deliverables must be submitted in English, using GGGI formatting and documentation standards. Raw data, source materials, and editable files must accompany key reports. Presentations to stakeholders and the Steering Committee will form part of the consultant’s visibility and communication duties.

 She/he is expected to deliver following outputs per identified timeline and payment schedule below:

Deliverables

Expected outputs

Estimated Due Date

Payment

Deliverable 1: Inception Report including:
  • Detailed methodology and implementation approach
  • Integrated three-year work plan (2026–2028)
  • Results framework with measurable KPIs
  • Desk review of Zambia’s capacities and gaps (assessment of NC, BTR, iMRV Roadmap, etc)

Month 1

3%

Deliverable 2: Inception report updated to include findings from mission trip to Zambia
  • 1st trip to Zambia
  • Comprehensive stakeholder mapping (public institutions, private sector, CSOs, academia, international partners)
  • Risk assessment and mitigation strategy
  • Participation in the MRV technical
  • Coordination framework with the Project Team, Lead ETF Consultant, the National Sector Consultant, MoGEE, ZEMA and MDAs Waste related.

Month3

10%

Deliverable 3: Establishment of the Waste Sector Working Group
  • Stakeholder consultation report
  • Action plan for the operationalization of the MRV system
  • Formal constitution of the Waste Sector Working Group
  • Validated Terms of Reference including:
    • Mandate and scope
    • Roles and responsibilities
    • Decision-making procedures
    • Reporting lines
  • Defined synergies with other sectoral groups (IPPU, AFOLU, Energy)
  • Three-year activity roadmap (2026–2028)
  • Annual work plan (updated each November)

Month 4

5%

Deliverable 4: Inputs for the National MRV Legal Statutory Institutional Framework
  • Draft institutional arrangements in the Waste sector
  • Institutional anchoring mechanism within the sector MDAs
  • Designation of institutional data focal points
  • Draft data-sharing protocol within the Sector
  • Establishment of:
    • Technical Sub-Committee on Inventory Methods
    • QA/QC focal point

Month 6

7%

Deliverable 5: Report on Participatory Gaps Assessment

  • 2nd trip to Zambia
  • Participatory review of latest Waste sector GHG inventory
  • Completeness assessment of categories and subcategories
  • Evaluation against IPCC 2006 Guidelines and 2019 Refinement
  • Key Category Analysis
  • Time-series consistency assessment
  • Identification of:
    • Methodological gaps
    • Activity data gaps
    • Emission factor gaps
    • Quantitative uncertainty assessment of major categories
    • Capacity needs assessment (technical, institutional, software)

Month 10

10%

Deliverable 6: iMRV roadmap

Tier 2 and Higher-Tier Methodologies
  • Feasibility assessment for Tier 2 implementation
  • Plan for development of country-specific emission factors and validation framework
  • Engagement strategy with universities and research institutions
  • Working in collaboration with the software developer to implement any changes needed in the Waste sector reporting software
  • Supervision of the delivery of capacity building on:
    • Tier 1 vs Tier 2 approaches
    • Key category analysis
    • Uncertainty assessment
    • IPCC Inventory Software

Month 12

5%

Deliverable 7: Institutional Arrangements settled for Data Collection and Management
  • Action plan to address identified data gaps
  • Strategy to mainstream climate data into routine sectoral operations
  • Draft/update institutional MoUs for data-sharing
  • Standardized metadata framework for all Waste indicators:
    • Definition
    • Source
    • Frequency
    • Disaggregation
    • Responsible entity
    • Etc.
  • Standardized data collection templates per subcategory
  • Data management and archiving protocol (including version control)
  • Sector-specific QA/QC plan aligned with IPCC requirements
  • 3rd trip to Zambia

Month 15

15%

Deliverable 8: Technical coordination of data collection, processing and management
  • Supervision of the delivery of capacity building on data related areas including :
    • Data collection and management
    • Metadata documentation
    • QA/QC implementation
    • Uncertainty estimation
    • ETF reporting requirements
    • Etc.
  • Supervision of periodic data collection cycles
  • Supervision of data processing and validation sessions
  • 4th trip to Zambia

Month 21

15%

Deliverable 9: Technical coordination provided to Update Waste Sector Inventory and preparation to Support BTR2
  • Supervise the Technical work sessions on GHG inventories ensuring that:
    • Application of higher-tier methods where feasible
    • Implementation of QA/QC procedures
    • Quantitative uncertainty assessment
    • Recalculation and time-series consistency procedures
    • Compilation of GHG estimates in ETF-compliant Common Reporting Tables (CRTs)
    • Documentation package for Technical Expert Review
    • Internal technical review exercise is conducted
  • 5th trip to Zambia to assess the Tier 2 GHG process and results
  • Draft an improvement plan for next inventory cycle

Month 25

15%

Deliverable 10: Final report for the assignment centered

Final report summary key findings, lessons learned and recommendations to GGGI

Month 31

(1 Dec 2028)

15%

 * Note: Payment schedule is indicative and subject to final agreement. Due dates may be adjusted during contract finalization based on project progress and timelines.

Qualifications/Experience/Expertise

  • Advanced degree in climate change, sanitary engineering, waste management, Water and wastewater engineering, environmental engineering, or related field
  • Proven experience supporting the development or operationalization of national MRV/iMRV systems, preferably in developing countries.
  • Minimum 10–15 years of experience in GHG inventories out of which at least 7 years of experience in the Solid and liquid waste categories.
  • Demonstrated expertise in the Enhanced Transparency Framework (ETF) under the Paris Agreement, including its Modalities, Procedures and Guidelines (MPGs) and associated reporting requirements (BTRs and CRTs)
  • Proven expertise in IPCC 2006 Guidelines and 2019 Refinement
  • Experience in Sub-Saharan Africa strongly preferred
  • Experience in institutional capacity development and delivery of technical training programs, particularly for government counterparts.
  • Excellent communication, coordination, and stakeholder engagement skills, including experience working with ministries of environment or institutions including local authorities involved in waste management system, environmental authorities, and development partners.
  • Project delivery experience, including managing the delivery of results on time and on budget
  • Work experience in developing countries with a highly regarded private sector company (consulting or industry), international organization, government or not-for-profit organization
  • Proven experience in establishing and maintaining working relations with government officials.
  • Ability to apply sufficient analytical and technical skills to acquire relevant information/knowledge from a variety of sources which are often difficult to access, in support of delivery of a good quality output.
  • Excellent written and spoken communications skill in English is required.

 

Desirable Qualifications

  • Experience working in Sub-Saharan Africa; previous work in Zambia or with Zambian institutions is a strong asset.
  • Expertise in compiling GHG inventories in the waste sector including data collection, data analysis, identification of gaps and errors, emission factors, key source analysis, archiving
  • Understanding of legal frameworks governing climate transparency and data sharing in the waste sector in national contexts.

Documents to be submitted (Online application):

  • Curriculum Vitae (CV) highlighting relevant experience and qualifications
  • Cover Letter detailing suitability for the assignment and proposed approach
  • Example of similar past work (e.g., a technical report or TOR led/delivered)

Shortlisted candidates may be invited for an interview and/or to provide references or work samples. GGGI reserves the right to request additional information or conduct further due diligence during selection.

Female candidates are encouraged to apply

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Child protection – GGGI is committed to child protection, irrespective of whether any specific area of work involves direct contact with children. GGGI’s Child Protection Policy is written in accordance with the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
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