Requisition ID: 6371
Grade: ISA-NOD
Country: Mexico
Duty Station: Mexico City
Category: National Consultant
Type of Job Posting: Internal and External
Employment Type: NonStaff-When Act. Employed
Contract Duration: 30 workdays
Application deadline: 29-Sep-2025, 11:59 PM (Vienna, Austria time)
Vacancy Announcement
TEMPORARY APPOINTMENT OF PROJECT PERSONNEL
Only nationals or permanent residents of the country of the duty station are considered eligible.
Female candidates are encouraged to apply.
ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT
The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) is the specialized agency of the United Nations that promotes industrial development for poverty reduction, inclusive globalization and environmental sustainability. The mission of UNIDO, as described in the Lima Declaration adopted at the fifteenth session of the UNIDO General Conference in 2013 as well as the Abu Dhabi Declaration adopted at the eighteenth session of UNIDO General Conference in 2019, is to promote and accelerate inclusive and sustainable industrial development (ISID) in Member States. The relevance of ISID as an integrated approach to all three pillars of sustainable development is recognized by the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which will frame United Nations and country efforts towards sustainable development. UNIDO’s mandate is fully recognized in SDG-9, which calls to “Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation”. The relevance of ISID, however, applies in greater or lesser extent to all SDGs. Accordingly, the Organization’s programmatic focus is structured in four strategic priorities: Creating shared prosperity; Advancing economic competitiveness; Safeguarding the environment; and Strengthening knowledge and institutions.
Each of these programmatic fields of activity contains a number of individual programmes, which are implemented in a holistic manner to achieve effective outcomes and impacts through UNIDO’s four enabling functions: (i) technical cooperation; (ii) analytical and research functions and policy advisory services; (iii) normative functions and standards and quality-related activities; and (iv) convening and partnerships for knowledge transfer, networking and industrial cooperation. Such core functions are carried out in Divisions/Offices in its Headquarters, Regional Offices and Hubs and Country Offices.
The Directorate of Technical Cooperation and Sustainable Industrial Development (TCS), headed by a Managing Director, ensures the Organization's application of strategies and interventions for sustainable industrial development related to environment, energy, Micro, Small and Medium-Enterprises (MSMEs), and digitalization. The Directorate also oversees the Organization's normative contribution to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals through industrial policy advice and capacity development. Through coordination in-house and with Member States and industry stakeholders, it ensures that the services provided in these areas contribute to effective and appropriate technical, business and policy solutions and are focused on results, scaling up and positioning UNIDO as a leading platform for industrial development in developing countries and global fora.
Under the supervision of the Managing Director of the Directorate of Technical Cooperation and Sustainable Industrial Development (TCS), and in close coordination with other organizational entities within UNIDO, the Division of Circular Economy and Green Industry (TCS/CEG) contributes to greener and more circular industries and products by minimizing both resource use along value chains and the emission of pollutants to the environment.
The Division promotes just transitions to circular economies, reduced release of pollutants into the environment and other green industrial and economic approaches to help Member States to grow economically while simultaneously addressing the three planetary crises of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution. It promotes circular economy policies, programmes and practices including circular business models that improve the profitability of industries while creating social and environmental benefits. It does so by supporting resource efficiency increases in the manufacturing and use of products along value chains and during the life cycle of the product; by reducing or eliminating the emission of non-fuel-related greenhouse gas emissions; and by assisting in achieving the objectives of and compliance with multilateral environmental agreements. In doing so, its activities further improve competitiveness, as well as the development of and access to markets, particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises. This contributes to climate-neutral, resilient, pollution-free industrial development, supporting co-existence that is in harmony with nature.
This position is located under the Circular Resource Efficiency Unit (TCS/CEG/CRE) which is responsible for supporting capacity development to promote the adoption of circular and resource-efficient consumption and production patterns across value chains. It fosters circular economy solutions including policies, programmes, practices, and business models that enhance industry profitability while generating social and environmental benefits. Furthermore, it facilitates design for circularity emphasizing reduced or alternative materials inputs, greater durability, reusability, reparability, and ultimately recyclability. The Unit promotes nature-based solutions and ecosystem-based approaches that support the coexistence of industries and nature.
PROJECT CONTEXT
The global “SWITCH to circular economy value chains” project aims to support enterprises within selected value chains to adopt circular economy practices. The project recognizes that the application of circular economy practices requires coherent practices by all actors of the value chains, from SMEs to leading companies in the Global Value Chains. Close cooperation is required for multinational companies and SME suppliers in developing countries to meet their circularity goals.
This “last mile” of working with their suppliers in the developing economies is difficult for multinationals in global value and supply-chains. However, at the same time, a multinational company has sufficient influence and resources to encourage, assist and/or convince the private sector in a developing country to make the necessary changes to their practices to become more circular in order to keep acting as their supplier.
The project will assist tier 1, 2 and, when feasible, tier 3 suppliers of EU Multinational Companies (MNCs) to make the switch towards circularity: such suppliers face significant challenges (technical and financial) in adopting new circular economy practices and the project is aimed at supporting them in this process.
The overall objective of the project is to support the “Transformation towards a circular economy”, including to contribute to sustainable growth, low carbon and climate resilient development, decent jobs creation, and safer, healthier and pollution-free environment.
Following an extensive process, three value chains were selected to form the focus of the project. These value chains are Plastic Packaging, Textiles & Garments and Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sectors. Guidelines for applicants were prepared for three open calls for Expressions of Interest and applications were assessed against specified selection criteria.
The following four pilot projects are implemented in Morocco, Bangladesh and Egypt:
Pilot Project: Equatorial Coca-Cola Bottling Company (ECCBC) (Spain / Morocco)
Pilot Project: BESTSELLER A/S (Denmark / Bangladesh)
Pilot Project: H&M Hennes & Mauritz GBC AB (Sweden / Bangladesh)
Pilot Project: ORANGE S.A. (France / Egypt)
The project team has been tasked to identify additional targeted pilots with a large scaling potential, focusing on learnings from the project activities in the target value chains and in the countries of operation (Bangladesh, Egypt, and Morocco). In that sense, this assignment aims to scope a targeted intervention to support the development of the first circular economy park in Tula, Hidalgo, Mexico.
The objective of the UNIDO intervention is to support the Government of Mexico, through its Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT), indicatively along two main workstreams:
Workstream 1: Support Tula Master Plan development using the EIP toolbox, including an initial identification of the Industrial Symbiosis Opportunities to inform the private sector engagement required in workstream 2.[1] Workstream 2: Private sector engagement to attract EU corporate investment; possible actions could include: Setting up a dedicated team capacitated with necessary tools/technical knowledge to support development of concepts Support a (planned) international call for EU enterprises to invest targeted engagement of EU companies / brands and supplier partners active in Mexico and Latin America to identify potential investment opportunities and to create an investment pipeline in priority value chains linked to Tula based on the learnings and methodology of SWITCH2CE
An initial concept of the UNIDO support as well as the context and background on the Tula Park, will be provided during onboarding.
FUNCTIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES
The National Stakeholder Engagement & Coordination Expert– Circular Economy will put together the baseline situation based on available information and exchanges with key stakeholders, with a view to scope a realistic and ambitious set of activities under the SWITCH2CE project.
The National Stakeholder Engagement & Coordination Expert– Circular Economy will report to the Project Manager and the Chief Technical Advisor, in close coordination with the UNIDO Mexico office. A small working group of UNIDO SWITCH2CE and Eco-Industrial Parks (EIP) experts will guide and advise the National Stakeholder Engagement & Coordination Expert– Circular Economy, who will be responsible for the following main duties:
MAIN DUTIES
Concrete/measurable Outputs to be achieved
Expected duration
Location
Task 1
1.1 Data collection and consultations with key stakeholders
Map the relevant existing and planned initiatives and carry out detailed consultations, especially with government stakeholders (e.g. SEMARNAT, UNAM and the Tula Park management – if already in place) and the EU Delegation (EUD) in Mexico. Other stakeholders include bilateral donors with related initiatives under implementation or in planning phase.
Attend relevant meetings with circular economy stakeholders and perform site visits to support consultations, ensuring alignment and effective information exchange.
1.2 EU Multinational Companies (MNC) Engagement
Make a list of most relevant EU MNCs with operations in Mexico or Latin America. Tentative target value chains include ICT Electronics, plastic, automotive.
Establish contact with relevant actors such as EU Chamber of Commerce and bilateral (EU) donors to obtain their suggestions and contacts to relevant EU multinational companies.
Contact 3 to 5 leading EU brands to understand their ongoing and planned initiatives on circularity, with a view to trigger their interest (and their local suppliers where relevant) to work with or alongside the SWITCH2CE project.
1.3 Establish the baseline situation
Consolidate the collected data and input from the stakeholder consultations into a description of the baseline situation that will serve as the canvas to develop a targeted UNIDO/SWITCH2CE intervention.
The baseline should already highlight where the UNIDO intervention can complement and align with other key initiatives, as well as with the feedback and interest obtained from EU MNCs.
Completed detailed baseline situation and MNC overview
30 working days
Mexico City (with potential trips to Tula)