The Maldives hosts globally significant marine and coastal ecosystems, including coral reefs, mangroves, seagrass meadows, and associated island ecosystems that underpin the national economy, food security, livelihoods, and climate resilience. However, these ecosystems are increasingly vulnerable to multiple and cumulative pressures, including climate change, overexploitation of marine resources, coastal development, and pollution.

In response, conservation and management approaches are evolving beyond a sole focus on threat reduction towards strengthening ecosystem resilience by supporting natural processes that enhance resistance, recovery, and adaptive capacity under changing climatic conditions. This shift underscores the need for effective, science-based, and locally informed conservation actions.

Within this context, IUCN Maldives implements a diverse portfolio of initiatives spanning biodiversity conservation, marine and coastal management, waste management, pollution reduction, and environmental governance.

RESPONSIBILITIES AND DUTIES

The Project Officer, Plastic & Waste Management will provide technical and operational support to IUCN Maldives’ waste management and pollution reduction initiatives,[AR2.1] working closely with government counterparts, local councils, implementing partners, and communities to support effective project delivery. The position will contribute to Improved Biodiversity Management to support a Blue Economy in the Maldives Project funded by the European Union.

A. Technical Support

• Provide technical support to the review and assessment of waste management systems at island and atoll levels, including waste segregation, collection, processing, and transport.
• Support the planning and execution of technical studies and baseline assessments to inform optimisation of waste collection services and operational models.
• Assist in the development of guidelines, systems, and tools for waste segregation, collection, and processing tailored to island-specific needs.
• Support the preparation of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for waste management centres, including documentation, review, and adoption processes.
• Assist in the collection, organisation, and preliminary analysis of waste-related data to support project outputs, reporting, and decision-making.
• Support training and capacity-building activities for waste operators, local councils, SMEs, and community stakeholders on waste management best practices.

B. Project Management and Implementation Support

• Provide technical and operational support to waste management and pollution reduction project activities through day-to-day coordination to ensure delivery of agreed targets and quality outputs.
• Contribute to the preparation of annual workplans, ensuring alignment with programme objectives, national priorities, and relevant policy frameworks.
• Support financial planning and budgeting by contributing activity-based inputs and cost estimates.
• Assist in determining technical requirements and preparing draft terms of reference for consultants and service providers and support technical quality assurance of deliverables.
• Support preparation of technical and progress reports, including identification of measures to improve efficiency, effectiveness, and sustainability of waste management interventions.
• Conduct field visits and provide technical and operational support to local councils, waste management centres, and implementing partners, as required.

C. Support to Communication

• Support education, awareness, and behaviour change initiatives related to waste reduction, segregation, and plastic pollution prevention.
• Provide thematic technical inputs for reports, briefs, communication products, and public awareness materials linking waste management to environmental and public health outcomes.

D. Support to Project Development and Fundraising

• Assist with technical inputs related to waste management, circular economy, and plastic pollution reduction to support project formulation and proposal development.
• Undertake any other tasks that may be assigned and mutually agreed upon with the line manager.